PCTA sets limit on permits; maximum of 50 thru-hikers allowed to start each day

[Colter]

PCT veterans look back. Those that had a great hike see changes. Many think that if it's different than when we hiked it's not going to be as much fun.

Of course, when we hiked there were probably ten times as many people as "way back when." Those people were probably saying the same things the year we hiked.

I much prefer hiking by myself in general, but I really enjoyed the Kick-off and Hiker Heaven and PCT Days. If everyone is hiking the same direction, and most are, fifty people a day will not result in mobs of people seen at all times. Want to avoid people? Start early. Start late. Hike SOBO. Avoid the Kick-off and the popular trail angels and bypass popular campsites. I must have left the Kick-off within a few hours of a hundred thru-hikers and had a great time and camped alone in a beautiful spot the very next evening. And the next.

If you think the trail is ruined, that's probably what you'll find. If you think all the same awesome scenery is still there, you're right. If you think you can hike solo 99% of the time if you like, you're right. If you think your fellow hikers are one of the best parts of the experience, you're right. If you think the experience is what you make of it, you know the secret of happiness.

[Malto]

Colter,
No doubt that the 2015 will have a blast. I also agree that there are options to avoid much of the chaos. But many of us were likely attracted to the PCT for the "wilderness" experience. This is the part that will be gone at least in SoCal. But it's also been a trend. Between the increasing numbers, the proliferation of "Trail angels" etc it has been a multi year evolution. I also think the growth has also been due to what appears to be four straight low snow years. When a repeat of winters like '10 and '11 occur I suspect it will cull the herd a bit. But I am glad that I started late in a high snow year before it was crowded. I value the days that went by without seeing another hiker and I had many of those.

[10-K]

...this is why I want to start the CDT this year and finish it in 2016.

[Sasquatch!]

I'm working up a water plan for SoCal this afternoon with the intent on avoiding caches. I'm using 1L per 5 miles as a rule of thumb plus 1L for dry camping, if anticipated. So far, it isn't quite as bad as I thought it might be, although one or two of the reliable sources sound potentially disgusting.

.

I started at kickoff 2013 and SoCal was hot. I carried 7 liters a few times. I ran very low on water a few times.

I started April 9th in 2014, and SoCal was cold. I never carried more than 5 liters, and often much less. I averaged a liter ever 10 miles quite often. I also took every possible option to resupply, so I carried as little food as possible. My pack weight was much more reasonable even though my base weight was a pound or two heavier than in 2013.

Avoid long stretches without resupply. Its just not worth it. The longest stretches are really like 4-5 days worth of food to carry. Most are like 2-4.

I'm pretty sure you're going to end up relying, if only a little, on water caches. There are a few spots where its unavoidable.

[Coffee]

For the most part, resupplies are every four days or less but I do have a few 5s, a 6 leaving Agua Dulce and 7 leaving Mojave/Tehachapi. I am looking at possibly going into Lake Isabella to break up that seven day food carry but the bus schedule being MWF limits options without either hitching or taking a full zero. I'm thinking of adding Julian early in the hike to break up the Mt Laguna to Warner Springs segment. Also might add Ziggy & Bear since they are so close to the trail and I'll go there anyway for water.

[Sasquatch!]

For the most part, resupplies are every four days or less but I do have a few 5s, a 6 leaving Agua Dulce and 7 leaving Mojave/Tehachapi. I am looking at possibly going into Lake Isabella to break up that seven day food carry but the bus schedule being MWF limits options without either hitching or taking a full zero. I'm thinking of adding Julian early in the hike to break up the Mt Laguna to Warner Springs segment. Also might add Ziggy & Bear since they are so close to the trail and I'll go there anyway for water.

Julian is a great town and an easy hitch. You shant pass up free pie, sandwich, etc, at MOMs. MOMs loves dirty hikers.

Send a box to Warner Springs. They usually cook great food but their resupply options are limited. The folks who run the community center are freaking awesome.

Send a package to Ziggy and the Bear, or hike a few road miles to a bus stop that will take you to Banning. Ziggy and the Bear can be a major buzzkill. I'd get in and get out ASAP. Personally, I won't go there again. Avoid a large resupply in Idyllwild as the 20 plus miles of downhill coming down from the Jacintos can be brutal on the old knees. Spend extra time in the San Jacintos if you can. It's like a mini glimpse into the Sierra.

Leaving Aqua Dulce you really only need a day or two of food. There is the Anderson's shortly after Aqua Dulce. Send a box. There is also Hikertown, which may be the most shady spot on the trail. Grab your resupply box and go.

Hitching into Onyx, or Lake Isabella, is easy. Lake Isabella is super shady. It's not hiker friendly. From Tehachapi, to Walker Pass, is a very hot dry stretch. Minimizing your pack weight is very advantageous this stretch.


Also, there is no need for 7 day food carries in the Sierra. In between Kennedy Meadows, and Mammoth Lakes, there is Cottonwood Pass, Bishop Pass, Muir Trail Ranch, and VVR. These are all resupply options. If you are behind the heard the hiker boxes at Muir Trail Ranch, and VVR, will be overflowing with goodies. I'm talking bags and bags of mountain house. Its nice in the Sierra not having to carry much water, if any, and not having to filter.

[postholer.com]

Also, there is no need for 7 day food carries in the Sierra. In between Kennedy Meadows, and Mammoth Lakes, there is Cottonwood Pass, Bishop Pass, Muir Trail Ranch, and VVR. These are all resupply options. If you are behind the heard the hiker boxes at Muir Trail Ranch, and VVR, will be overflowing with goodies. I'm talking bags and bags of mountain house. Its nice in the Sierra not having to carry much water, if any, and not having to filter.

This is definitely HYOH type of advice!

Stopping at all those places will make some of us cringe. It reeks of a 'thru-wallet' adventure and not hiking.

For instance, I'd much rather carry 2 days more food that waste time going into Onyx or Lake Isabella. Carrying 2 extra days of food is by far the path of least resistance.

It's 4 days between Mt Laguna and Warner Springs. You're less than a day and a half from Warner Springs when you reach Scissors Crossing. To me, it makes absolutely no sense whatsoever going into Julian.

Again, if you're goal is to financially prop up every trail town along the way, getting off trail every opportunity certainly works!

HYOH!

-postholer

[Coffee]

That's right - there's a balance between carrying more food and getting off the trail all the time. Places that are very near the trail are no brainers whereas hitching to get to a distant town is more questionable. That's the process I'm going through at the moment - figuring out the balance. All the suggestions help

[10-K]

For instance, I'd much rather carry 2 days more food that waste time going into Onyx or Lake Isabella. Carrying 2 extra days of food is by far the path of least resistance.

It's 4 days between Mt Laguna and Warner Springs. You're less than a day and a half from Warner Springs when you reach Scissors Crossing. To me, it makes absolutely no sense whatsoever going into Julian.


-postholer

I agree 10,000%. I particularly would not want to go into Onyx or Lake Isabella. The only reason I would have went into Julian is if the water cache at Scissors Crossing had been dry. If my memory is correct even with the cache at Scissors Crossing I was running on empty by the time I got to the 3rd gate cache.

[Coffee]

With the bus from Ridgecrest to Lake Isabella (introduced in 2014 I believe), it is something I am considering. It is possible to take a morning bus into town, spend all day in town, and take a bus back up to the trail in early evening. It could be a reasonable nero. But it has to be done in one day if done via public transport since the bus only runs M-W-F.

[Sasquatch!]

With the bus from Ridgecrest to Lake Isabella (introduced in 2014 I believe), it is something I am considering. It is possible to take a morning bus into town, spend all day in town, and take a bus back up to the trail in early evening. It could be a reasonable nero. But it has to be done in one day if done via public transport since the bus only runs M-W-F.

You could just send a box to Onyx. Or, even arrange for a trail angle to meet you at Walker Pass with your box. There are endless possibilities. Oh, and BTW, that bus runs every day except Sunday.
http://kerntransit.org/routes-and-sc...isabella-onyx/



For me carrying less weight or eating more food, is a no-brainer. It means I can go faster, enjoy hiking more, etc. There is no easier, cheaper, method of reducing pack weight, than utilizing every resupply, and water source possible.


Here's another huge weight saving tip: Don't bother with a bear can except between Mammoth Lakes, and Sonora Pass.

[Mags]

For me carrying less weight or eating more food, is a no-brainer. It means I can go faster, enjoy hiking more, etc. There is no easier, cheaper, method of reducing pack weight, than utilizing every resupply, and water source possible.

The highlight of my backpacking "career" was the 10 days I spent between Kennedy Meadows and VVR without a resupply.

For me, it was intense, beautiful, wonderful and something I consider one of the most rewarding times in the backcountry.

If I had had gone into Lone Pine or Independence, I doubt it would have been the same.

It is not for everyone, but to say I enjoy hiking more by going into town more, does not hold for me. Quite the opposite really. I was still doing ~22+ MPD FWIW as well (other than the last day into VVR and the Mt Whitney side trip)

If hiking was simply about the most efficient way to resupply, I don't think I'd enjoy it as much. At least for me anyway.

[10-K]

The highlight of my backpacking "career" was the 10 days I spent between Kennedy Meadows and VVR without a resupply.

+1 on steroids. Looking back on it I can't believe I did that.

[Malto]

+1 on steroids. Looking back on it I can't believe I did that.

Agree. I can honestly say that I didn't carry a morsel of food into VVR.

[Sasquatch!]

This is definitely HYOH type of advice!

Stopping at all those places will make some of us cringe. It reeks of a 'thru-wallet' adventure and not hiking.

For instance, I'd much rather carry 2 days more food that waste time going into Onyx or Lake Isabella. Carrying 2 extra days of food is by far the path of least resistance.

It's 4 days between Mt Laguna and Warner Springs. You're less than a day and a half from Warner Springs when you reach Scissors Crossing. To me, it makes absolutely no sense whatsoever going into Julian.

Again, if you're goal is to financially prop up every trail town along the way, getting off trail every opportunity certainly works!

HYOH!

-postholer

I don't think I spend more money by resupplying more often. I spend more through the choices of food I eat, certainly, such as striving for organic/natural foods. Hiking a few extra miles in order to resupply more often, combined with the lessened caloric expenditure of hiking whilst carrying less weight, is a wash in my mind. I certainly spend more time, but I'm in no rush, so its no waste.

The lighter you are the faster you go. I can't currently afford the latest cuben fiber gear so I gotta look for other ways to shave pounds.

[10-K]

I don't think I spend more money by resupplying more often. I spend more through the choices of food I eat, certainly, such as striving for organic/natural foods. Hiking a few extra miles in order to resupply more often, combined with the lessened caloric expenditure of hiking whilst carrying less weight, is a wash in my mind. I certainly spend more time, but I'm in no rush, so its no waste.

The lighter you are the faster you go. I can't currently afford the latest cuben fiber gear so I gotta look for other ways to shave pounds.

Looking at my hiking style I use a mix of resupply strategies on longer hikes.

I start a hike with a definite plan for my first resupply and have a pretty good grasp on the 2nd and 3rd.

When I get to my 2nd resupply I have a definite plan for my 3rd and a pretty good grasp on my 4th and 5th.

When I get to my 3rd resupply I have a definite plan for my 4th and a pretty good grasp on the 5th and 6th.

and so on and so on.

Each resupply might have a different strategy. I don't think I've ever started a hike with "Thou shalt resupply as often as possible for 2000+ miles" or "Thou shalt carry as much as you can bear for 2000+ miles."

On the AT (particularly) and the PCT (easy enough) you can usually choose if you want to resupply every 2-3 days or every 5-6 days. Maybe sometimes you want an easy few days and sleep in a bed so you resupply more often. Next week or month maybe you want to stay out longer so you carry more food.

I am interested to see how the CDT fits in with this model this summer.

[Coffee]

You could just send a box to Onyx. Or, even arrange for a trail angle to meet you at Walker Pass with your box. There are endless possibilities. Oh, and BTW, that bus runs every day except Sunday.
http://kerntransit.org/routes-and-sc...isabella-onyx/

Thats the Onyx-Isabella bus. The Isabella-Ricgecrest bus is the one I'm referring to that serves Walker Pass and it runs MWF only.

[Sasquatch!]

Thats the Onyx-Isabella bus. The Isabella-Ricgecrest bus is the one I'm referring to that serves Walker Pass and it runs MWF only.

My bad. That's awesome. I'd go with Ridgecrest over Lake Isabella. It's exciting that the bus will now stop at Walker Pass. You have to call ahead of time to request they pick you up, which may be difficult, as unless you have ATT there is no cellphone coverage. Atleast this was the case as of June 2014.

The past two years I just used a combo of hitching and the bus. I've always been amazed how easy hitching is.

[Coffee]

I contacted Kern Transit this morning and they said that hikers can flag down a bus at Walker Pass. I have thought about Ridgecrest as well. The bus goes directly to Wal Mart. Perfect for resupply and possibly sending a box ahead to Independence, avoiding a need to go into Bishop or Lone Pine for supplies. It would be too late to send a box to KM from Ridgecrest I think.

I am taking a snow skills course from Chicken Spring Lake over Forester and Kearsarge Passes so going directly from KM to VVR isn't an option for this trip for me. It does sound like an incredible thing to pull off, especially with a Whitney summit along the way.

[frisbeefreek]

The highlight of my backpacking "career" was the 10 days I spent between Kennedy Meadows and VVR without a resupply.

For me, it was intense, beautiful, wonderful and something I consider one of the most rewarding times in the backcountry.

If I had had gone into Lone Pine or Independence, I doubt it would have been the same.

It is not for everyone, but to say I enjoy hiking more by going into town more, does not hold for me. Quite the opposite really. I was still doing ~22+ MPD FWIW as well (other than the last day into VVR and the Mt Whitney side trip)

If hiking was simply about the most efficient way to resupply, I don't think I'd enjoy it as much. At least for me anyway.

The highlight of my hiking experience was going Kennedy Meadows to Tuolumne Meadows (including Mt. Whitney) w/o a resupply. The 11-day food load out was rough, but the experience of hiking 260 miles and only seeing a little civilization at Reds Meadow was something I'll never forget. I'm so glad I didn't go into towns to break the Sierra spell.