[pct-l] Is it too late for Southern Ca?

[Diane Soini of Santa Barbara Hikes]

What kind of heat can you handle? It's 100 degrees in Palm Springs  
these days. You'll be hiking at the same altitude in at least one  
place. The good news is that it was a wet winter so there's a lot of  
water compared to drier years.

I don't know what it's like south of Highway 74, but a couple weeks  
ago we hiked in the San Jacintos and there was plenty of water up  
there and even some water still flowing in the desert on the way down  
to Snow Creek. Might be dry by July, though, but you have the faucet  
and the hose at the windmills.

I know someone considering hiking Section C from Cabazon to  
Wrightwood in July. I think it'll be hot but completely doable.  
There's water in Whitewater and Mission Creeks and plenty of water in  
the Big Bear area and the creek beyond Deep Creek was flowing nicely  
just a month ago so ought to still have some water in July. It might  
be a little tough between Cleghorn Peak and wherever the next  
drinkable water is before Wrightwood, but there's the McDonalds to  
help out and water could be cached ahead of time at Swarthout Cyn Rd.

So if you really can handle upper 90s and low 100s, I think this is a  
good year to summer hike in So Cal. A lot of people will think I'm  
nuts, but there really are people who hike in those kinds of  
temperatures. Trailhacker is one of them, sometimes purposefully  
going out on crazy hiking trips when it's over 100, carrying a gallon  
of water and going out with his loppers to hack away at Hurricane  
Deck in the Los Padres (notorious waterless overgrown trail) even  
when he doesn't feel well. He's nuts.

Diane

On Jun 18, 2011, at 10:00 AM, pct-l-request at backcountry.net wrote:

> We're 60-yr-old section hikers-- we cover?about 350 miles of the  
> PCT in 3 or 4
> weeks each summer (until we retire and can become thru-hikers).? We  
> can only get
> vacation time in July.?
>
>
> We?had planned to hike from Crater Lake to Mt. Rainier this year,  
> but due
> to?snow levels, we've canceled that.??
>
> The only remaining portions of the trail we haven't hiked yet?=? 
> Campo to?Walker
> Pass. I'm looking through the guide book, trying to find the "least  
> hot"
> segment.? Would we be crazy to try to hike California Sections B,  
> C, and D in
> July?? I'd rather?hike in?heat than in snow!
>
>
> Thanks for your ideas,
>
> Sole Doctor and Boom Done