[pct-l] Early start, early finish

[Diane Soini of Santa Barbara Hikes]

Yogi and everyone else are absolutely right. It's not worth it trying  
to start so early. The San Jacinto area can be really deadly and it's  
early on in the hike.

You could start in Jan, Feb or March but only go as far as Highway 79  
(Palm to Pines). Then come back April and continue on. I know  
somebody who did this, maybe it was Cuddles in 2008. This would give  
you a bit of a shakedown/warm-up. You'd need to keep track of the  
weather, though, because it can get nasty during storms and you've  
got the Lagunas right at the start. But if the weather has been mild,  
you wouldn't have much trouble, except for it being really super cold.

The reality is that there's plenty of time to do the hike, even if  
you are thinking you might be kind of slow. The PCT is easier to hike  
than you might think. You can make up way more time by not taking too  
many long town stops and by maximizing daily hours of hiking. You do  
not need to hike fast to hike the PCT. Also, it's not nearly as hot  
in April and May as most people fear.

On Dec 8, 2011, at 10:00 AM, pct-l-request at backcountry.net wrote:

> I am going to hike the PCT this coming spring. I was thinking about  
> leaving significantly earlier then the normal crowd. Most likely  
> around March 1st. I was looking for some feedback on this idea. Is  
> the snow going to be to difficult to cross? Or the avalanche danger  
> to high? I am planning on bringing snow shoes for almost the entire  
> trip at this point. Has anyone ever started this or early or know  
> anyone that has, I would love to get in touch with them. The reason  
> I want to leave so early is simply because I want to be back before  
> August. However, if the trip is going to be miserable then it is  
> not worth it and I would consider leaving at a later date.
> -Robert Shuman