[pct-l] late start with a flip-flop?

[Scott Williams]

It is doable.  I had to miss Cabazon to Agua Dulce due to a wedding I was
catering, and couldn't get out of, so I rejoined my party further up the
trail and finished at Manning Park on Sept 17th.  I then took a weeks
vacation with my long suffering wife, (damn it was good to still be married
when I finished) and then finished the sections I'd missed, actually
completing the trail on Oct 14th.

There was a lot less water than there had been in Spring, and I had to be
much more conscious of that, at times carrying more than before, but the
beauty of the desert in fall was stunning.  The trail was littered in
millions of delicious pine nuts, and the holly leaf cherries and several
other desert fruits were ripe and also good to feast on.  I kind of eat my
way across a landscape, so that was a great change from the spring goodies.


I can't imagine loathing the desert as I found it wonderful and incredibly
beautiful in spring and fall.  Summer might be a bit tough, but finishing in
fall is not impossible in the least.  Sounds like a good plan to me if
you're set on actually hiking the whole trail in one season. You might
actually want to start further up, and across the Mojave or Tehachapis, as
those will be pretty darn hot in mid May.  Just a thought.

Shroomer