[pct-l] Start Date

[CHUCK CHELIN]

Good morning, Dave,



Starting at Walker Pass is a good option, but with that travel plan consider
beginning your hitch with sufficient water to get you to Joshua Tree Spring,
about 10-12 miles up the trail.  Water availability at Walker Pass is “iffy”
and a bit of a nuisance to find -- even at the campground -- and there may
or may not be a water cache where the trail crosses the highway.



Depending upon exactly where you begin hitching you may need a half-day’s
water just to get to Walker Pass.  Then is the hike to the next available
water at Joshua Tree Spring:  This spring is well marked, easy to find near
the trail, and it reliably offers abundant water, but the first three miles
up from Walker Pass into the Owens Peak Wilderness is fairly steep and
unrelenting, and it is mostly on a very open, hot south-facing aspect.  Just
be patient, drink lots of water, and grind out the miles.



Enjoy….



Steel-Eye

Hiking the Pct since before it was the PCT – 1965

http://www.trailjournals.com/steel-eye

http://www.trailjournals.com/SteelEye09