[pct-l] Lessons from my Section A hike

[Paul Cronshaw]

L-Rod writes:

"There's a fine line between kindness and enabling. Over time I've developed
the opinion that if you haven't done your homework and preparation
(including training, practicing with/testing your gear) before you attempt a
2,650 mile wilderness hike across mountains and deserts, you simply don't
belong out there. Cold-hearted? Definitely. But realistic."

Having completed a few short PCT sections with my scout troop, and recently Section A, I concur with this reasoning. Many weekend backpackers think they can just put on a pack and hit the trail.  However, when hiking long distance trails such as the PCT, they have entered the major leagues.

When I stepped onto the trail at the Southern Terminus last week,  I knew I would have to adapt to a new hiking style, one that included carrying more water and walking longer distances for longer periods of time.  It helped to have 3 veteran PCT hikers (Glen Van Peski, Read Miller and WS Monty) to provide guidance and introduce me to long distance trail techniques.

To summarize, I learned the following 12 things from this hike:

Lesson #1: Be prepared to carry extra H20 in the two longest sections (over 20 miles):  Campo to Lake Morena, and Scissors Crossing to Barrel Springs.  I set out with 6 liters.  Fortunately, thanks to nice weather (temps in the 70s) and a light pack (< 10 lb. base wt.),  I ended up using 3 liters. However, two of the other hikers started with 6 liters and drank all 6 liters.  Each person has different water intakes. YMMV.

Lesson #2: Learn the Post Office hours for each food cache.  Mt. Laguna is a small town. PO hours are in the afternoon weekdays and Sat morning.  The PO clerk recommended that I send my package to the Mt. Laguna Lodge/store since it keeps longer hours.

Lesson #3: Send a food cache with adequate delivery time. I sent my package  4 days ahead by priority mail , and was assured it would arrive Monday.  Unfortunately the regular PO clerk was off for 4 days so the package was never taken next door to the lodge. Upon my return home, I called the clerk. She returned my package. I'll use this food cache on my next hike.

Lesson #4: Be flexible and keep a positive attitude.  WS Monty decided to cut his trip short by one day and spend the night at the lodge to prevent aggravation to a chronic foot problem.  Making a decision to take zero days for R & R can help physical aggravations ( I refer you to recent postings on this list)

Lesson #5: Unless you have specific dietary needs,  consider resupplying in a store. It helps to know if a store has good hiker resupply selections.   Over the past two years, the Mt. Laguna store owner has seen an increase in hiker traffic visiting his store. Thanks to WS Monty, he now has a copy of a PCT hiker food list and will continue to improve the food selection. I was able to quickly assemble 3 days of food with adequate calorie value.

Lesson #6: To ease water concerns, cache your own water.  We cached water at several places on our way from Warner Springs to Campo and left the extras at Scissor Crossing.  FYI. WS Monty has updated the PCT water report (http://www.4jeffrey.net/pct/a.htm ) from Campo to Sunrise Trailhead.  I sent my photos and report to AsABat for the section from Mason Valley Truck Trail to Warner Springs to update the water report.

Lesson #7. Learn to love the gentle PCT grade and tread conditions.  The PCT has the best trail grade I have hiked on. It offers great opportunities to take in the many views instead of concentrating on the tread and grade. Kudos to the original PCT design and trail builders.

Lesson #8: Carry multiple references to help locate the many water and route resources. I used the following references:

Pages from Wilderness Press’s Feb. 2007 edition “PCT - Southern California”.  Some may consider this reference too wordy, but I like the history snippets and thorough route explanations.

To supplement their B & W maps, I printed Halfmile’s free maps (http://www.pctmap.net  /).  However I lost a few along the way, fell out of my pocket. I posted a question to this list and received some good advice on securing maps: use of a pringles can, hip pockets, and quart size ziplocks.

 I forgot to take the PCT atlas demo(http://www.pctatlas.com). Having read some reviews on the PCT-L, I can see where this “no fluff” approach will be embraced by many hikers.

Lesson #9: With the added water loads, ramp up your mileage over the first week. We did 22, 26, and 28 miles over 3 days as a group, then I hiked 25 and 10 solo to finish section A.  Again, HYOH and YMMV.

Lesson #10: Change socks at each rest stop. I dried a pair on the outside of my pack. Ray Jardine made me a believer in this foot technique.  I used Injinji socks protected by liners with New Balance shoes and Montrail inserts. No blisters or sore feet.

Lesson #11: Aim for your lowest base pack weight. Over the years, I have moved from a traditional backpacker to a lightweight backpacker, and now embrace WS Monty’s saying: “when the weight goes down, the fun goes up”.  Selecting the right products from many excellent companies manufacturing LW gear and accessories (Gossamer Gear, ULA,  6 Moons Design, Golite, etc), I have been able to “move to the lite side”.  It has also been helpful to use eBay to recycle my old backpacking equipment.

Lesson #12: Consider getting up before the sun and birds. This is not something to do all the time, but a valid technique to employ if you know it’s going to be hot or you need to get a couple of extra miles in that day. We started one morning at 4:30 AM, and watched a beautiful sunrise from the trail.  We had a couple miles in before we stopped for breakfast.

Whether you are a section or thru-hiker, the PCT has something for everyone, but it does take a certain level of preparation, the right gear, attitude, and skill level to make for a positive and enlightening experience.

Happy Trails

Beeman





 




_________________________________________________________________
More immediate than e-mail? Get instant access with Windows Live Messenger.
http://www.windowslive.com/messenger/overview.html?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_Refresh_instantaccess_042008