I can't start the PCT until mid June. Tips on new starting point please.

[jedagrom]

I cant start the PCT until mid June. So I know starting at the border and hiking the 700 miles through the desert and finishing before the snow hits would be difficult. I was wondering if anybody could give me a place to start so I can hit Canada, come back and finish the section I skipped.

[Malto]

Depending on the year I would start at either Kennedy Meadows (mile 703) or Mojave (mile 558). The only way that it would be Mojave would be if it were an extremely high snow year such as 2011. In that case a couple of weeks to get in hiking shape as well as letting the snow melt would make sense. I would highly recommend getting to the trail in great hiking shape. You would be hitting the Sierra which will be a workout and you will likely want to keep up with other hikers who will have had 700 miles to get in trail shape.

[jedagrom]

I agree about being in shape. I am a Florida flatlander. So I am just going to have to hike my butt off. Maybe make some trips to Georgia and do springer to neels gap a few times. Or just hike up and down Albert mountain. Thanks for the advice though. I was thinking Kennedy Meadows too.

[map man]

Have you given any thought to a SOBO starting in mid to late June? I've read a couple 2013 NOBO PCT trail journals and they ran into more SOBO thru-hikers in Oregon than I would have expected -- maybe it's becoming a more popular option than it used to be. You would be doing desert hiking in SoCal last with scarce water in either Malto's scenario or a traditional SOBO.

[Del Q]

I plan on section hiking the PCT once I complete the AT and Long Trail. Ran into a hiker from WA at the Partnership Shelter, was talking about all of the fresh berries in WA and OR, said that you can fill nalgene bottles to the top in July.

This changed my thinking about when to be in those states, I LOVE fresh berries.

As for the desert sections, I do not like hiking in the heat, what is the weather like Dec- Feb in the CA desert?

[fiddlehead]

Aqua Dulce would be my choice.
Unless you can get in some good hiking shape and be ready. Then it would be Mojave or the next road crossing (before Kennedy Meadows)
The bubble will be just past Kennedy meadows at that time I believe. I wouldn't try to be in it, catch them near the end and come back and finish SOBO in Oct.

[quasarr]

I met several hikers this year who started in Tehachapi/Mojave. But I think this is a bad idea. Remember, in this section the water sources are 20+ miles apart. (And the lady who does the Robin Bird cache left a note that she will not do it any more ... so that section would be 30 miles between water!!) So if you are not in thru hiking shape at that point, you will have a really hard time with those distances. The new hikers I met had to carry 7 liters of water because they couldn't make it to the next source in one day!!

This is a difficult section. I had a really hard time between Tehachapi and Kennedy Meadows. I thought that after 500 miles I would be used to southern CA. But north of Hikertown, the desert really cranks it up a notch. And I'm from the South, so I thought I'm used to heat, but the desert is different. No trees, no water, nothing but hot, hot sand. Starting in this section would be a real challenge, especially if you are new to desert hiking.

I agree that starting at Kennedy Meadows is a better idea, depending on the snow. Yeah you might do 15 miles a day starting out, but there is water EVERYWHERE so you can take your time if you want. And Lone Pine is only about 50 miles from KM (I think). There are a couple outfitters there so you will have an option to tweak your gear if need be.

[SCRUB HIKER]

Agree with everything quasarr said. Don't start at Mojave (it beats me why so many people choose to do it). The section north of there is the hottest, dryest, windiest, most ass-kickingest part of the desert by far. There is a 40-mile stretch with no on-trail water, and it sounds like one of the caches from that section, at mile 631, won't be there next year, and you'd do well not to rely on the other one at mile 615. My own personal opinion is that that section alone is the reason why so many people bash the SoCal desert--they forget that much of the rest of it was pretty nice up til that point, but the last thing anyone remembers is getting brutalized for 150 miles with the Sierras so close you can almost taste them. I thought it was kind of a fun, crazy challenge, and full of unconventional natural beauty, but only because I was in good shape by then. I would **not** want to start right off the bat in mid-June with that particular section.

Starting at Kennedy Meadows in mid-June would definitely be tough on the legs and lungs because of all the high-altitude climbing in the High Sierra, but in terms of morale and safety, you'd be a lot better off there. Morale would be boosted by the ridiculous beauty of the Sierra, safety by the relative frequency of water sources--especially after mile ~750--and the number of possible exits from the Sierra to the east if you were to run into problems. There would be a lot of other hikers around as well, probably many more than in the Mojave, because so many "thru-hikers" yellow-blaze the Mojave, or often hike it very speedily and at odd hours to avoid the heat.

[Miner]

Back in 2009, when I was 39, I left Aqua Dulce on June 11, left Tehachapi/Mojave (after neroing) on June 16, and left Kennedy Meadows (after zeroing) June 24 (less snow at that time meant easier time then those 2 weeks ahead and I closed the gap with the herd some through there). I finished at Canada on Oct.2.

I was doing 24-26 miles/day between Aqua Dulce and Kennedy Meadows, dropped to 18-20 miles/day through the High Sierra (slightly below average snow year with a late entry) and eventually settled in at 26-29 miles/day for the rest of the trip. I had time for my body to adjust to the trail before that having come from the border though with a few weeks off for injuries back at Idyllwild. I wasn't the fastest hiker, but I wasn't the slowest either. I was disciplined so I got up early every day to get my mile goals in. I zero'd about once a week but resisted any temptation to stay in town any longer as I was passing people who were doing just that who ended up skipping ahead to finish before winter set it.

I ran into a couple section hiking north starting at Mojave and they were doing 15miles/day to break in before the Sierra. The issue with leaving at Aqua Dulce or Tehachapi/Mojave that time of year when you are first starting is that you'll take longer to cover the distance; meaning you'll need to carry more water and food and you'll finish a bit later than I did which means a higher risk of winter snow (still not impossible though). The advantage is you'll have a chance to break your body in on good trail and get acclimated for a few thousand feet above sea level. An issue for most of us who live near Sea-Level. It isn't the same as 10,000+ft, but its still less of a shock to your system jumping straight in the highest section on the PCT. Starting at Kennedy Meadows means doing just that. If you aren't use to altitude, the lack of air will suck the energy out of you and you'll struggle. Forget 15miles/day. 12miles/day might be more realistic the first week for someone first starting on the trail there.

A way of improving things would be to trail yourself to do 20+mile/days before hitting the trail so you can realistically start back in the desert which would be the best thing overall if you can do the daily mileage.

[sbhikes]

Starting in Agua Dulce or Mojave means you have a little opportunity to hike at sub-6000 feet elevations for a while and get your trail legs. However you have to do long distances or carry lots of water immediately because of the water situation. It's not guaranteed to be hot, though. I've been rained on and cold through that entire Hikertown to Kennedy Meadows section in early June.

Starting Walker Pass or Kennedy Meadows means you have to experience high altitude and steep climbs immediately. But the worst of the desert is behind you. Water is still fairly far apart but there are no 30 mile segments without water. I think starting at Walker Pass is a good option. It lets you experience that arrival to Kennedy Meadows feeling.

For the person wondering how the So Cal section is in December or January. It's not all desert. It will be extremely cold and windy in the desert lowlands and then snowy in the mountains. We have winter storms from November to April. The mountains of So Cal are extremely steep and rugged and in some places close to 10,000 feet. The trail clings to the side in a tiny little strip with sometimes nearly sheer drops below. It would be dangerous and unpleasant. People die on San Jacinto frequently and that Baden Powel mountain in the San Gabriels kills a lot of boy scouts.

The best time to hike So Cal is spring or fall. Even in Fall the reliable natural water sources will still have water.