[pct-l] Insulation layer

[Diane Soini of Santa Barbara Hikes]

It's probably a good idea to have something for rain just in case.

Here's a way to handle So Cal weather. When you go to a trail town,  
the Los Angeles Times will have a weather page covering all of  
Southern California. Look at the High Desert for the temperatures and  
then subtract a little bit from the highs. A high of 93 will probably  
be closer to 87. The lows will probably be a little lower. The paper  
is better than the web site. The web site doesn't have the locations  
you need.

The general regional forecast for rain will likely be pretty  
accurate. The mountains you'll be walking in form a margin between  
the moister, cooler coast and the hot dry deserts. They tend to be  
really super windy but they don't tend to form their own weather like  
the Sierras. So you won't have daily afternoon thunder storms. But if  
the coast or high desert is forecasting rain, you'll get rain and  
possibly snow.

Towns to look for on the weather report include San Bernardino, Palm  
Springs, Hemet, Lancaster. These are lower in elevation than you and  
some are in the desert to the east (despite what everyone says here,  
you aren't exactly in what Southern Californians consider "the  
desert"), but they are closest to you.

If you are really daring, you can bounce your hard-core rain gear 5  
days ahead and rely on the 5-day forecast and soft-core rain gear  
like your tent, an umbrella and waiting it out.

I would NOT bounce any warm layers. Southern California isn't really  
as warm as the TV wants you to believe. The mountains in So Cal will  
be colder than anywhere else on the trail. In So Cal as soon as the  
sun drops behind a ridge the temperature drops. It's not uncommon for  
the range for a single day to be 80 degrees. 20 at night, 100 during  
the day.

Get the 5-day forecast before you get to Campo if possible. If you  
get the San Diego paper, Julian is the closest town for the forecast.  
If they have Pine Valley, Mt. Laguna and Warner Springs, all the better.

On Feb 11, 2011, at 3:19 PM, pct-l-request at backcountry.net wrote:

>
> Hi Melanie, I don't think relying on your tent fly is the best idea  
> - my son tried relying on a trash bag with arm holes cut out while  
> southbound from Big Bear but got into an ice storm on Fuller Ridge  
> and had to retreat off the trail. He was lucky to be fit enough to  
> be able to hike out after an already long day. There are a lot of  
> better liteweight options for storm protection. I know you could  
> wrap a fly around you or set up your tent and wait out a storm - I  
> think you would do better with a jacket in order to continue down  
> the trail in some rain and wind. I currently use a TNF Event anorak  
> (6.4 oz, I think) that breathable enough to use just for a warmth  
> and/or wind layer.
> Cruz Control
>>
>> Melanie,
>> In April 2010 Campo had 8 days of rain. That's way more than normal.
>> Here is the Campo weather history for the past 5 years from the
>> National Weather Service:
>> http://pctn.us/hDVVjr
>> -Halfmile
>>
>>
>> On Fri, Feb 11, 2011 at 8:47 AM, Melanie Clarke
>> <melaniekclarke at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> How much does it rain in Southern California, Diane or anyone??? ? 
>>> I lived in
>>> So. Cal for about 6-7 years and I never remember it raining past  
>>> March.
>>