PDA

View Full Version : PCT Class of 2010



ATbound
10-26-2009, 09:55
Just thought it might be nice to get a feel for who I'll be hiking around this spring on the PCT. Here's a little about me:

Trailname: Viewfinder
Start date: May 1 or 2

Currently a grad student in Idaho. I hiked a section of the AT back in 2008 and fell in love with long distance backpacking.

I look forward to hearing from some of my fellow PCT hikers!

Time Traveler
10-26-2009, 18:16
Ahhhh Viewfinder! It's Time Traveler, we met around Hot Springs. I guess we'll be crossing paths again real soon. This time around I'm bringing my boyfriend and my brother along (hope the guys can cut it).

So I'll be starting as soon as my spring semester is over, around the first week of May. Until then I'm workin on getting my lazy college-student-butt in gear.

Cheers!

ATbound
10-26-2009, 21:30
Hey Time Traveler!!! It'll be great to see a familiar face out there! And I'm also glad to know I'm not the only one starting a week or so after the kick-off.

paintplongo
10-27-2009, 10:55
My wife and I are contemplating it after the AT this year.

Guy
10-27-2009, 14:51
I'll be hitting the trail April 20 or shortly thereafter. I can't wait to meet all the other lunatics!

full conditions
10-28-2009, 14:03
I'm planning on going SOBO starting July 1. I haven't done a long thru hike since doing the A.T. in '76. Been doing lots of weekend hikes here in the Smokies and on the Mtns-to-Sea Tr. to condition and get used to new gear. My best wishes to all you NOBO's - I hope I get the chance to meet all you guys semewhere in Oregon.

Spirit Walker
10-29-2009, 13:00
I'm hoping we'll be on the PCT in 2010. We attempted a hike this year, but Jim tore his menisucus and we had to go home for surgery. Then he had some serious foot issues that made a return to the trail impossible. A cortisone shot seems to have improved the foot, so it it lasts, we're planning to head west again. Not sure whether we'll rehike the sections (Big Bear to Walker Pass) we hiked last year or not -- we'll see when we get there. I enjoyed the desert more than I expected but it may improve our chances of finishing to cut the distance by 400 miles.

Chance09
10-30-2009, 12:51
I'll be out there starting around the kickoff, maybe a few days earlier. I hiked the AT this year and i know of about 7 others who will be out there on the PCT in 2010.

Jester2000
10-30-2009, 12:56
I'm hoping we'll be on the PCT in 2010. We attempted a hike this year, but Jim tore his menisucus and we had to go home for surgery. Then he had some serious foot issues that made a return to the trail impossible. A cortisone shot seems to have improved the foot, so it it lasts, we're planning to head west again. Not sure whether we'll rehike the sections (Big Bear to Walker Pass) we hiked last year or not -- we'll see when we get there. I enjoyed the desert more than I expected but it may improve our chances of finishing to cut the distance by 400 miles.

I loved that section -- I hope you get to do it again without it hurting the rest of the trip!

thorny
10-30-2009, 14:22
Viewfinder
Hey it's Thorny. Good to see that you're still hiking.
I have hopes of doing the PCT in 2011.
How you been?

ATbound
10-30-2009, 14:51
Hey Thorny!!!!! I'm doing great, just itching to get back to hiking! How about you? Why not pushing your hike up a year? Have you been able to start your store?

Jeff
10-30-2009, 14:56
PCT section hiker here. I too was amazed at the beauty of the desert.

Loved the views, cowboy camping and great trail towns of CA.

Cloud
11-02-2009, 12:00
I should be starting right around the kickoff party. Hiked the AT this year and finished on September 13. I can't wait to get back on trail. Also, I hope that's the Chance that I hiked with through the Whites! What's up guy! Good to see your still going through with the PCT. See ya out there!

sbhikes
11-03-2009, 10:41
I'm so happy when I hear people enjoyed the Southern California section. So many people dread it and think of it as something to endure until the "real" hike begins.

ShelterLeopard
11-04-2009, 20:58
Well, I'm thru hiking the AT starting in February 2010, and I think I'll probably do a 1 1/2 or 2 month section of the PCT in summer 2011. Good luck!

Fire Marshall
11-04-2009, 22:19
Myself and 3 of my friends are thinking of starting in early April......Maybe the first week of April. Never been west. Did 850 miles of the AT in 08. Just wondering if anybody starts that early and why more people don't. I know most start around the kick off. We are used to heavy snow. Some of us were born and raised in the snowbelt area near Buffalo,Ny. and Erie Pa. ect. Any advice?

Ramble~On
11-04-2009, 22:45
I want to...I want to......I want to.......I want to......

Hell, I'm gonna have to! I stopped hiking but I haven't stopped eatting and by spring..I'm gonna need to take a walk.:rolleyes:

Spirit Walker
11-05-2009, 14:10
Fire Marshall:
There are always a dozen or so who start the trail in early April. Many section hikers do so. The plus side is there is usually more water then. Also you are ahead of the herd. Downside is snow on the trail. Certainly above Idylwild and at Mt. Baden Powell, possibly on Mt. Laguna, only two or three days into the hike.

Then there are the Sierras. Generally, the best time to enter the Sierras is after June 15th. Starting April 1, you end up arriving in the high mountains at the end of May, so you may have to deal with snow and snowmelt and navigation issues for several weeks. Since resupply options are a long distance apart in the southern Sierras, having more snow means having to carry a very heavy pack. As you know, you don't make big miles when you're dealing with a lot of snow.

Many hikers think that they can hike slowly in the desert, so they start early, but reality is that the lack of water forces you to hike fairly big miles, from the start (or carry a very heavy pack). The way to reconcile leaving early with reaching the Sierras in mid-June is to take a lot of time off in the towns in southern California. That creates other problems. Last year several hikers who didn't want to deal with the snow that still lingered in June flipped to Belden or Chester and then hiked south through the Sierras. Nice if you can work out the transportation, but not easy if you don't have vehicle support.

Fire Marshall
11-05-2009, 22:40
We do plan having alot of extra time off,and yes we thought that there would be more water starting off early. Been doing as much research as we can. Always welcome advice of course. Thanks
Fire Marshall:
There are always a dozen or so who start the trail in early April. Many section hikers do so. The plus side is there is usually more water then. Also you are ahead of the herd. Downside is snow on the trail. Certainly above Idylwild and at Mt. Baden Powell, possibly on Mt. Laguna, only two or three days into the hike.

Then there are the Sierras. Generally, the best time to enter the Sierras is after June 15th. Starting April 1, you end up arriving in the high mountains at the end of May, so you may have to deal with snow and snowmelt and navigation issues for several weeks. Since resupply options are a long distance apart in the southern Sierras, having more snow means having to carry a very heavy pack. As you know, you don't make big miles when you're dealing with a lot of snow.

Many hikers think that they can hike slowly in the desert, so they start early, but reality is that the lack of water forces you to hike fairly big miles, from the start (or carry a very heavy pack). The way to reconcile leaving early with reaching the Sierras in mid-June is to take a lot of time off in the towns in southern California. That creates other problems. Last year several hikers who didn't want to deal with the snow that still lingered in June flipped to Belden or Chester and then hiked south through the Sierras. Nice if you can work out the transportation, but not easy if you don't have vehicle support.

wtmntcaretaker
11-08-2009, 21:43
April 26th is my plane ride to sandiego... 27th or 29th on the PCT!

mattabbotts
11-15-2009, 10:36
Hey everyone,

My fiance and I will be hitting the trail sometime in the first week of May. I hike the AT in '08, trailname Marathon, and am itching to get back on a long hike.

Hope to see you all out there. Good luck in the planning process.

guthook
11-21-2009, 09:15
I'll also be starting the PCT at the kickoff party. This will be my introduction to West Coast backpacking... can't wait!

Mad Hatter 08
11-28-2009, 21:31
Well I was hoping to do the border to warner springs but the need to take a loa so i can care for my grandma and then probable hernia surgery early in the new year I won't have any PTO to take off for the week or so i was planning to take but as long as the ko lands on my weekend off i will be there for sure so hope to meet all of you who will be there. once i know for sure if i'm going i'll post info to shuttle people to or from the ko.

Butch Cassidy
12-11-2009, 00:15
Hi PCT hikers, I plan to be there for the kickoff then start north. I will do a month or so on the AT starting Mar. 1st to tune up. I have Thruhiked the At twice. As Paladin GAME 05 and as Butch Cassidy in 07 but unless I am just having too much fun I will go west for the PCT Adventure. See Ya up trail.

chiefdaddy
12-20-2009, 17:52
I'll be there in April and going back to the kick off for some fun!

Time Traveler It will be good to see you again also. I'll be bringing my Lady for two months in the summer while she is not teaching :)

CHIEF (boston terrier) Will also be thru hiking this time! Not like the AT where he left and went home in the smokies.

handlebar
12-20-2009, 19:57
\... thinking of starting in early April......Maybe the first week of April. ... Any advice?

You can do it, but there will be hazardous trail and snow skills and serious route-finding skills will be needed. A lot depends on the snow pack in the mountains this winter. There will be snow around Idyllwild in the Fuller Ridge area and possibly on Mt. Laguna. When I went through in mid-
April '08 the section north of Wrightwood over Mt. Baden Powell was buried in snow and in other portions the trail sidehill was filled with frozen snow sloping to cliff side dropoffs into deep canyons----very hazardous. Also starting that early, you'll be to Kennedy Meadows (start of Sierras) around May 15 which is probably too early to start through --- unless you've got really good map and compass navigation skills and don't mind walking on snow for miles before and after each pass. This will be aggravated by a likely long trail closure between Wrightwood and AguaDulce due to a fire last fall that could knock a week off your time unless an alternate walking route is designated by then.

My 08 thru-hike started sobo from Walker Pass on April 4 with some skipping around due to plans to attend my nephew's Memorial Day weekend wedding. The trail was lonely and there were some pretty cold nights. Dangerous snow as mentioned above. Even after taking 12 days off for the wedding, I reached Kennedy Meadows on May 31. I started into the Sierras on June 3 after a day's delay due to a fire. I understand that '08 was a somewhat lower than average snow year, so the early start was OK and there was a reasonable number of people heading out at that time, but there were long sections approaching and descending from the high passes that were buried in snow. I was glad of the footprints of the brave souls who'd crossed ahead of me!

chiefdaddy
12-20-2009, 20:14
Sounds great Handlebar! I'm a guide in upstate New York and am working out winter skills all season until april :) thanks man.

ATbound
12-20-2009, 20:19
Chiefdaddy, Viewfinder here from AT 08. It'll be great to see more familiar faces out there, though I won't be starting until after the kickoff, but perhaps our paths will cross again non the less. Best of luck in the planing and hiking!

Viewfinder

shaggy2004
12-20-2009, 20:49
If things fall in place, hopefully I'll be out there this year.

Big Daddy D
12-22-2009, 21:10
I will continue north from Ashland and finish the trail this summer in July and August.

sbhikes
12-22-2009, 22:23
Oh Boy, Big Daddy. Bring some DEET. You're gonna need it. I did Oregon and Washington this year in July and August. Mosquitoes in Oregon in July are insane.

Dogwood
12-22-2009, 22:52
I wish all a very Merry Christmas and many thrills and laughs on a great trail this upcoming year.

Johnny Appleseed
12-29-2009, 16:43
Johnny Appleseed will be there. I will start mid april.

Spirit Walker
12-29-2009, 17:57
Viewfinder, were you on the PCT last year? I think we met a woman by that name near Baden Powell.

ATbound
12-29-2009, 20:43
SpiritWalker: Nope, haven't stepped a foot on that trail yet. Must have been my evil twin :) Bwahahahaha :)

Time Traveler
12-30-2009, 12:57
Awesome Chief Daddy, maybe I'll see you out there. I'm starting pretty late though (May 14) due to finals week at Cobleskill. So what the heck are you doin in NY. We should do a shakedown hike or something.

chiefdaddy
12-31-2009, 08:16
I'm guiding new yorkers every weekend upstate. Sounds like a plan TT
hit me up on face book or chiefdaddy08@gmail,com

nopain
12-31-2009, 08:32
Things did'nt work out for a few of my friends to do the CDT so the rest of us are going to do the PCT again....we are going to start after the kickoff....The kick off is a great way to meet most of the people you will be hiking with...great time...A low key Trail Day's...:welcome:banana:sun

leaftye
01-01-2010, 02:26
I'm planning on leaving early to mid April, but leaving Kennedy Meadows around the same time the early group does.

cheeks
01-05-2010, 09:36
My wife and I are starting after KO. We met on the AT in 2007 and can't wait to get back out there.

Chocolate Bandito
01-06-2010, 12:03
Also planning to be out there. Hoping to start around April 20th or thereabouts.

~Chocolate Bandito

Chaco Taco
01-06-2010, 12:46
Also planning to be out there. Hoping to start around April 20th or thereabouts.

~Chocolate Bandito

Girl where are you right now? Should come visit us in AVL:banana

Nean
01-06-2010, 13:02
I'm still on the AT but hope to finish up in the next 2 months, then-:banana
I'll try to figure out if it's the CDT or PCT for later this spring.;)
It may come down to a flip of a coin! :eek:

Spirit Walker
01-06-2010, 14:13
I hope we see you out there.

Johnny Appleseed
01-07-2010, 23:28
I have decided to go to the party and hike w/ the crowd. That is my start date. That way when I have to remember my start date, as everyone I meet will ask, it will be easy.

Hope Lime Green Jellybean will be around. She was the AT hiker that I saw in 3/4 of the states.

Chocolate, hope to see you again. I miss the AT days.

Looking forward to meeting hikers and seeing different gear/equipment at work.

backyardboogie
01-15-2010, 10:38
Hey Butch best of luck on the PCT, If you need any logistic help on AT let me know. Backyardboogie

Chocolate Bandito
01-15-2010, 22:38
Chaco- Hey! I'd forgotten you all were down there. I'm working in NH until very early April. I plan to stop for a bit in AVL on my way back to the folks' house. I'll let you know when I'm coming thru.

Appleseed- Yeah, long time no see. It'll be good to have another familiar face out there! Any other 06ers you know of? Mango is, but he's the only one I can think of right off.

Johnny Appleseed
01-18-2010, 16:09
Lime Green Jellybean was thinking of hiking again, as she got hurt around stehekin, WA right near the end. Spitball, Low Gear and Yukon Cornelius (adam) would be cool to see again, but that is my wish, not their agenda.

Pacific Tortuga
01-18-2010, 17:00
Finally seeing some heavy rain, here in CA., all week. Should help with springs, creeks and snow pack.
Droughts suck, especially when your walking and could use a dependable water source.

MarcnNJ
01-21-2010, 23:39
Catch Up is heading north from Mexico sometime before the kickofff.....

Spirit Walker
01-22-2010, 00:13
The problem with the kind of rain falling in California right now is that there will be a lot of bad trail washouts and blowdowns, especially in the burn zones. Then there's the snowpack, which could get serious. This may be an 'interesting' year to hike.

leaftye
01-22-2010, 00:30
I'm going to try to check out the first 30 miles this weekend. I don't remember if any of that area burned. I expect a very muddy hike.

Uncle Tom
01-25-2010, 09:19
MeGaTex will represent with General Lee, Louis( AKA Richard Wizard) , his brother Jim, and me, Uncle Tom . See you all at the Kickoff.

Erik The Black
02-14-2010, 15:20
I'll be thru-hiking again this year. Thinking about starting early (2nd week of April) and doing 150 miles up to Hwy 74 before the KO. Then after the KO see what the snow is like in the San Jacs. If it's still to hairy maybe chill out at home for a bit in Big Bear while it melts... or just dive right in. See ya guys out there!

Happy trails,
Erik the Black

leaftye
02-14-2010, 19:04
Erik, why so early? Granted, I'm starting early, but that's because I'm going to be pretty slow when I start.

buff_jeff
02-14-2010, 21:39
I'm keeping the fingers crossed...it all depends on what the Army wants to do with me. I have to call to find out sometime this week.

Erik The Black
02-15-2010, 16:16
Erik, why so early? Granted, I'm starting early, but that's because I'm going to be pretty slow when I start.

I figured I would try and do my part to spread out "the herd" the leaves from the K.O. every year. Also, I'm anxious to start hiking! I wish I could start right now :D

buff_jeff
02-22-2010, 14:48
Woohoo! looks like I'll be out there. Officer Basic Courses must be real backed up, don't have to go until April 2011.

Haven't done much planning for the PCT, but I think think it'll be a lot more fun that way.

Turbo
02-23-2010, 16:33
I just bought my plane ticket this morning, so now it's really official. I fly to San Diego May 4, so I suppose I'll start on the 5th. I hiked the AT southbound in 2008 and I've been looking forward to the PCT since before I even finished the AT. Wish I could be at the kickoff, but school prevents it. I'm looking forward to meeting all you fellow hikers.

TBevan
03-01-2010, 00:12
Hey, all. Just thought I'd introduce myself since I'm going to be on the PCT going sobo this year.

I'm Tim and my girlfriend, Rachel, will be accompanying me....or maybe the other way around.

Anyway, we're both 20-somethings from Fort Worth, TX.
Look forward to meeting up with lots of people on the trail!

Dicentra
03-05-2010, 14:31
I'll be doing half of section A right after KO and a full section in July or August somewhere in Southern WA or Northern OR (maybe Timberline to Cascade Locks?) Meanwhile I'll be stalking the true thurs trying to hand out goodies like last year. :)

calluna
03-07-2010, 12:47
Hey all, two tentative thru hikers here. We'd be leaving around May 14th, but some things still have to fall into place for it to happen.