Help Me Choose A Section of the PCT

[EarlyBird2007]

Greetings. I'm an experienced backpacker living on the east coast who has done the AT ('07), JMT ('09) and some other stuff. I want to do another section of the PCT this summer, probably in July. Probably @ 14 hiking days, @ 15 mile days. I may be by myself or with one or two other experienced backpackers. I'd appreciate any recommendations on where to start and end, and why. Many Thanks in advance.

[Mountain Mike]

I-90 at Snowqualimine Pass to Stehekin. 175 miles through the Alpine Lakes Wilderness & Glacier Peak Wilderness. Resuppy at Skykomish (14 mile hitch but pretty easy one). It can be done with public transportation if you fly into Seattle. Bus to start, Stehekin requres ferry ride (awesome) shuttle bus & train last time I did it. But another time I was lucky to meet up with a group headed off the trail & offered me a ride into Seattle. Even being somewhat jaded after months on the PCT this section still brought many OMG views that still took my breath away. Numerous traverses above treeline.

[EarlyBird2007]

Thanks, Mountain Mike. I got a similar recommendation on Facebook.

[burger]

I was going to suggest I-90 to Canada, but that's 250 miles (if you can swing it, the last 75 miles before the border are superb). But getting off at Stehekin, you'd still see a lot of great stuff. After the JMT, that's the part of the trail that I'd be most likely to redo.

[EarlyBird2007]

Thanks, burger. I'm giving serious thought to doing I-90 to Canada. I can probably swing the few extra days.

[sbhikes]

Northern California would also be nice. Tahoe or Sonora Pass to wherever. The Sonora Pass area is a wildflower garden like no other in July.

[Miner]

Since you've done the JMT already, the next best scenery would be Northern Washington as the posts above recommended. After that would be the rest of the Sierra Neveda north of the JMT to Lake Tahoe - Reds Meadow to Echo Lake by Lake Tahoe (192miles) is a pretty nice hike. After that I would one again look to Washington after the road down to Trout Lake which includes the Goat Rocks to Snoqualmie Pass (164miles). Northern Oregon is also nice -say Hwy 242 by the town of Sisters to Cascade Locks (165miles) and take the Eagle Creek Alternative Route to see the amazing waterfalls just before Cascade Locks.

[burger]

BTW, in a heavy snow year, the snow will persist (and possibly be dangerous) into July. Check the snow reports before you head out!

[Mountain Mike]

OR was great. Kinda like pass an extint volcano every day. Awesome place for me was Jefferson Park? Hiked through rain & clouds to get there. Woke up to the sun glistening of the slopes of Mt Jefferson. An excellent view despite only having a snickers bar & pack of pudding to make it about 15 miles to next resuppy. Hood was great & Eagle Creek trail a must do blue blaze! One waterfall after another. If you get a chance to drive to drive Columbia River Gorge there are many impressive ones to visit also.Goat Rocks wilderness was impressive where I watched the mountain goats just specks below the knife edged trail I hiked. Crater Lake is also a must visit place.Just so many great places. Having done the JMT I figured you would want something new. That is reason for my post above. Just so much beautiful trail out there to hike!

[lighthouse]

I agree with the suggestion of I-90 to Stehekin. That section was just epic. But Oregon has alot of nice sections as well, as does northern california - do you want you hike to be continuous?

Some of my fav sections - Trinity Alps between Castella (I-5) and Etna.
- Three Sisters Wilderness in Oregon (Only a 30 mile section)
- Near Mt. Jefferson and Mt. Hood in Oregon

I love the PCT!

[fredmugs]

If 15 miles a day on the AT isn't a problem you can probably do up to 20 on the PCT. Granted I've only done CA Sections A and B so far but that comparison seems to be consistent from what others say.

[BrianLe]

If you show up at the trailhead prepped to do "15's on the AT", I'm not sure I'd plan to do 20 miles each and every day from I-90 (Snoqualmie Pass) to Stehekin --- especially just starting out.

Until I thru-hiked, I didn't have the context to evaluate that stretch (I live about an hour from Snoqualmie Pass), but in fact those sections are more difficult overall than the PCT in general. More rocky trail, more ups and downs on average.
I might suggest something like "upper teens" as your goal, but be prepared to indeed perhaps do just straight up 15 mile days.

Try to arrange your schedule to take a short side trip (sadly down hill) to camp at Spectacle Lake, though note that it's pretty popular with local folks. Heck, if you really have some spare time and energy along the way, do the side trip to Tuck & Robin Lakes starting from just a tad SE of Deception Pass. And at the end, definitely allocate some time to take the local bus to the bakery. And to get home, you'll start your return with the long boat ride on lake Chelan. All pretty cool stuff.

[The Weasel]

Start 1 week south of Whitney, which you can then ascend without a permit. Continue north after that.

TW

[R1ma]

BTW, in a heavy snow year, the snow will persist (and possibly be dangerous) into July. Check the snow reports before you head out!

And keep an eye on them all winter long. NOAA and California's water commission has snow sensors all over the Tahoe area, track them, especially in the late season.
This was the 2nd of July this year (2011) - Looking at Heather Lake between Aloha Lake (just north of Echo Lakes/US-50 next to Lake Tahoe) and there:
14697
There was snow everywhere above 7000'.
But it's barely snowed at all this winter so far.

My vote would be Yosemite to Tahoe. Start in the valley or Tuolumne meadows. End either at Echo Lakes (where the PCT cross US-50) or Donner (I-80). Makes pretty easy logistics ;)
Tuolumne meadows to Echo lakes is ~150 miles. Echo Lakes to Donner is ~65 miles. To do both, you'd have to average 15.4 miles a day :D