View Full Version : 2011 Plan.... 700 miles of PCT, Bike across USA, or RoadTrip???
RedneckRye
11-05-2010, 00:12
What to do in 2011?
If I am going to do anything longer than a couple of weeks next year, I need to tell work soon and get serious about stashing cash now.
I can probably finagle 2 months out of work, here is what I am thinking of as my options...
1. PCT from Old Station, CA to OR/WA border (about 775 miles).
2. Bike from Pacific to Atlantic (or vice versa).
3. Road trip from park to park to park, taking a bunch of day, overnight and 2-3 night hikes, cherry picking the best of the USA.
Options 2 and 3, while probably costing more, would let me visit a bunch of friends that are scattered thru the US.
What do you all think???
Feral Bill
11-05-2010, 00:16
Many of the parks need a week or more to really get into them. Park hopping could get frustrating.
Johnny Thunder
11-05-2010, 00:23
bike riding.
The Solemates
11-05-2010, 10:00
park hopping is basically what we have been doing since our thru in 2004. we have had to spread it out over the course of 6 years. If we could do it in 2 months we'd go for that in a heartbeat. i'd pick this option, although it is the most expensive option. if money is a problem - go with hiking - although i would personally pick a trail in which you could hike the whole thing in the 2 month window - that would give you a much better sense of completion and overall satisfaction. dont have one trail that would take 2 months? do 2-3 shorter trails like the colorado trail, JMT, TRT, BMT, Long Trail, Y2Y, etc.
StormBird
11-05-2010, 10:51
hike! It's the best way of escape, it's costs alot less and you get to be outside alot more. :sun
halftime
11-05-2010, 10:59
Combo of options 2 and 3.
#1 followed by #2 to the warmth of Florida.
Slo-go'en
11-05-2010, 11:22
Do all three :-?
Bike east to west coast, hike the PCT, then road trip through the NPs on the way back home! Heck, easy for me to say - I don't have to pay for it, or find the time to do it :rolleyes:
Personally, if I had to pick one of the three options listed, I'd do the PCT hike. But then, I've always wanted to do the NP tour. Not sure I'd ever want to do a cross country bike trip though, but that could be interesting too.
Toolshed
11-05-2010, 12:57
If you're like me, as you start hiking you'll wonder what you are missing by not biking and vice-versa
gravityman
11-05-2010, 13:14
I would be torn between the bike across america and a PCT section. Depends on goals. I have done the AT thru, so I probably would opt for something new, trying to hit some friends along the way.
Park hoping would be fustrating to me. I'm always thinking about the 'next' part of a trip, the logistics, the chores. That's why I like hiking so much, it's so simple I don't have to think about those things (unless its food).
Gravity
garlic08
11-05-2010, 13:25
I think my next long trip will be a bike tour, just for a change of pace. Generally I like hiking better than biking mainly because it's easier to find a place to sleep. But I think it's time now to get back on the bike. Have fun with whatever you choose.
I personally wouldn't consider the car trip. Maybe do a hybrid of that with the bike. Last month I took a short bike tour in AZ and packed my UL hiking gear. I hiked a bit of the AZT and summited Mt Humpreys, the state's highest peak. It was pretty fun.
Johnny Thunder
11-05-2010, 19:58
the bikes's cheap. you can see a lot more. the food's better. and you can be on your own all day.
Combo of 1 and 3. Hike the PCT in Oregon which is easy and awesome, and do a park tour on the way out and back.
LIVESTRONG
12-19-2010, 21:18
is that the part you need to finish your PCT hike?
For some reason I thought you had to get off for injury. but I could be wrong. If this is the case I would def finish that.
but if you choose the other options, you can come to the Cuyahoga Valley NP and I will camp out with you beside the Burning river.
I've got my biked tuned and ready and am planning on riding it across North Carolina in April so my vote would be #2.
Interesting that so many hikers are also cyclists - I didn't know that until recently.
Can hardly go wrong with option #2. I went West on the TransAm in 2008 (http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/ibikefar).
Cheers!
Can hardly go wrong with option #2. I went West on the TransAm in 2008 (http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/ibikefar).
Cheers!
And a mighty fine journal that is Spokes. That was the inspiration for my NC ride this spring. :)
My vote is for the PCT. Do you want to spend 2 months in traffic on roads or in the peace and quiet of the wilderness? That section of the PCT goes through some spectacular scenery such as around Shasta, the Marbles and Trinities, the Sisters and Jefferson Park and Mt. Hood.
And a mighty fine journal that is Spokes. That was the inspiration for my NC ride this spring. :)
Thanks for checking it out! Can't wait to follow your adventure.
fiddlehead
12-20-2010, 18:07
Why not the Great Divide Bike route.
Met some guy doing that last time i hiked it.
He was peddling 30 miles each way that evening to get an ice cream.
Made me think about it.
twosticks
12-21-2010, 11:07
Can hardly go wrong with option #2. I went West on the TransAm in 2008 (http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/ibikefar).
Cheers!
Spokes,
What made you give up the BOB and go with the panniers?
I've used the BOB for smaller rides (~250 miles) and enjoyed it.
twosticks
What to do in 2011?
If I am going to do anything longer than a couple of weeks next year, I need to tell work soon and get serious about stashing cash now.
I can probably finagle 2 months out of work, here is what I am thinking of as my options...
1. PCT from Old Station, CA to OR/WA border (about 775 miles).
2. Bike from Pacific to Atlantic (or vice versa).
3. Road trip from park to park to park, taking a bunch of day, overnight and 2-3 night hikes, cherry picking the best of the USA.
Options 2 and 3, while probably costing more, would let me visit a bunch of friends that are scattered thru the US.
What do you all think???These all sound like cool things to do, and I am sure all would be great! I don't know if you saw the documentary: "Trek-A Journey on the AT", (http://www.hikemore.com/newsletter/hiking-documentary/trek.html)but the guys that did that documentary did another called "Share the Road" (http://www.cirquevideo.com/strpage.html)which is about doing a cross country bicycle journey from the east coast to the west coast and it is a really cool film too. If you haven't seen it be forwarned that watching it may cause you to select option #2:D.