[pct-l] Neck Burn?

[William Skaggs]

From: "Kathleen Salmon" ksalmon at wesleyan.edu

> I am all set to hike through the desert with UPF pants, long sleeve shirt,
> hat and glove-like things. Does anyone find that the sun reflects off the
> sand and burns people's necks/chin area? Is there enough sand for that to
> happen?

Hopefully *loose* pants and shirt.  You should realize that although
the desert is a lot hotter than the mountains, you actually get far
more intense sun exposure at high altitudes, especially when you
are going across snow.  The reason for covering yourself in the desert
is not so much to keep from burning, as to keep the direct sun on your
skin from overheating you.  But yes, you can get burned by reflections --
probably better to use sunscreen than try to cover everything, though.

And I would forget the glove-like things -- once your hands start sweating,
you'll find that you can't stand anything like that.

> I haven't read anything about avalanche-prone areas on the PCT (except for
> the reroute spot). I'm trying to research how concerned I should be about
> avalanche-safety. Should I be concerned? Are there any dangerous areas I
> should be aware of?

Even the earliest reasonable PCT trip is long after the season of
avalanche danger.

> Also, I haven't read anything about flash-floods while fording streams.
> Is this also something I should be more concerned about?

Generally you don't spend enough time next to a stream
to make this worth worrying about.  You should exercise a
bit of care about *camping* next to a stream if there are
thunderstorms in the vicinity, though.  It's no fun to wake
up underwater.

  -- Bill