[pct-l] Southern CA Section E safety

[Diane at Santa Barbara Hikes dot com]

Hi Sarah,
It seemed to me that the guidebook author tended toward the dramatic  
(if you can't tell already by the flowery prose). He also called the  
San Felipe Hills dangerous. All he means is that there is not enough  
water and it's really hot when thru-hikers normally go through (end  
of May to sometime in June.) First rule of PCT hiking is to not let  
the hype scare you.

There's a possibility that there could be a very long distance  
without water, from Hikertown all the way to the Tiger shower if the  
faucet at the Cottonwood bridge is turned off and Tylerhorse canyon  
is dry.

For you, the faucet at Cottonwood bridge might be turned off. The  
nice man at Hikertown will know. He might even be willing to drive  
out some water for you.

For you it's very unlikely Tylerhorse canyon will be dry. We've had  
an excellent rain year. The last two years we had less rain and there  
was water both times I went through in early June.

There are feral dogs along the desert floor. Carry some rocks when  
you see them. There may be some weirdos peering out of the curtains  
as you pass by the scary-looking houses on the desert floor. Just  
keep moving. There may be ATV and motorcyclers as you rise into the  
Tehachapis. They will annoy you but probably not cause any problems,  
although their tracks can make following the trail confusing. Stay  
alert and look for the PCT emblem any time you have to make a  
decision at a fork. If you haven't seen the emblem in about 500  
yards, you probably went the wrong way.

The first time through Section E I thought it was awful The second  
time I really enjoyed it. You'll probably see wildflowers all  
throughout the entire Section E.

Keep notes when you hike this section and send a report of water  
conditions to asabat at 4jeffrey.net when you get home. Oh and one more  
thing: DO NOT take the detour they suggest across the Antelope Valley  
floor. Stick to the official PCT. The detour no longer exists.

Diane

On Mar 19, 2010, at 1:25 PM, pct-l-request at backcountry.net wrote:
>
> Hi, I'm a section hiker, thinking of doing?Section?E:Agua Dulce to  
> Highway 58 next month. The?Wilderness?Press guide calls it a "hot,  
> waterless, dangerous" section, but they never say what the dangers  
> are. Off-road enthusiasts? ?Weirdos?from the desert? I'm female and  
> going solo. ?Thanks!
> Sarah

Books I've written:
~ Piper's Flight
~ Adventure and Magic
~ Santa Barbara Hikes