[pct-l] Hiking Ideas for Spring

[montypct]

If a person watches the weather and takes extra warmth the first 150+ of the 
PCT is OK at times.
Not this weekend though.

I'm spending some weekends out in Anza Borrego Desert State Park for those 
in the San Diego area.

Warner Springs Monty


Lightweight Backpacking
The fun goes up when the weight goes down
-Warner Springs Monty

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "jason moores" <jmmoores at hotmail.com>
To: <pct-l at backcountry.net>
Sent: Thursday, February 05, 2009 11:13 AM
Subject: [pct-l] Hiking Ideas for Spring



March is the perfect season for hiking the SW and the Colorado Plateau has 
endless possibilities. Grand Canyon, Zion, Brice, Escalante, Arches, Canyon 
Lands, Capitol Reef. Also, as mentioned, the Arizona trail is an excellent, 
low volume distance trail. The Hayduke Trail connects almost all of these 
areas but can be a logistical nightmare with multiple food and water caches 
necessary (difficult to facilitate even if you live in the area). The 
Hayduke is for very experienced desert hikers, requiring orienteering and 
advanced route finding. Though this is not true of all the sections.
The Great Western Trail is a convoluted series of hiker trail, forest 
service and orv roads which runs all the way to Canada. You can pick it up 
at the end of the AZ trail and keep heading north until time runs out. The 
90 mile stretch across the Aquarius Plateau is some of the best high desert 
forest hiking that I've ever experienced. (true to its name the Aquarius is 
covered in hundreds of ponds, lakes & streams)
If you choose the AZ, GW or Hayduke be prepared to encounter snow above 8000 
even in May (North Rim, Aquarius) But in low snow years these high plateaus 
may be clear by April. Snowshoes and 4 season gear may be needed.
March and April are the time to be in the canyons. Consider this option: 
Travel to Escalante Utah and use this very hiker friendly town to stage 
several multi-day assaults on the canyons of the Escalante, the Kaparowitz 
Plateau, and the Aquarius. Escalante Outfitters on Main St. has tent site 
rentals and 7 basic no frills cabin for cheap, good food and beer, 
knowledgeable staff and owners that are very involved in preserving the 
area. You can load up 4WD with weeks worth of food and water and bounce from 
hike to hike and never come close to exhausting the possibilities of the 
Escalante area in 10 week, not even 10 years.
Also consider this hike in the Canyon: the Kanab Creek Wilderness to the 
Colorado to Deer Creek to Thunder River to Indian Hollow to Jump-Up back to 
Kanab.
The Tonto Trail or Tuck-Up Trail of Grand Canyon. All of these are 
multi-week trips.
I would strongly suggest renting a 4x4 as most trailheads in the south west

jason


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