[pct-l] From a Newbie

[Sir Mixalot]

1. It may be entirely impossible to hike the entire trail in any way without
walking on snow, simply because there are some areas where the snow won't
melt.  It may sound counter-intuitive, but snow isn't really cold.  It's
icy, so you're walking on top of it most of the time...that is, when you're
not post-holing.  The cold part is having to slow cross a creek fed by snow
melt.  Even so, you warm up awfully quick.

2. That would be a very looooong answer with many permutations.

3. I would.  I also live in San Diego.  You could check out my gear.  I can
even pack different things on different trips so you can see more.  I'm
going to Cowles Mtn right now and will bring my smaller 2-4 day pack.  If
you're up for a walk this afternoon, I'll be the fat guy with the gray pack
and OR Sunrunner hat.  We can also plan to hike the Laguna Mtns in February
in hopes of getting some snow hiking in.  When it snows here, the snow
quickly becomes similar to what you'll see on a thru hike.  You'll hopefully
find that hiking in the snow isn't that bad...with one caveat.  The winter
nights here at this time of the year can get colder than what you'll
experience on a PCT thru hike.  So if you can do winter hiking here,
especially if you can do 20 mile days on short winter days, you'll be ready
for a thru hike.  The one thing San Diego doesn't really get you ready for
is rain.

Sir Mix-a-lot / Eugene

On Wed, Oct 5, 2011 at 11:37 AM, Joel Hawk <Joel at joelhawk.com> wrote:

>
>
> >From a Newbie.with the things I've done in life, that's just fun to say.
> But I am a newbie to this goal of section hiking PCT and although not fully
> committed to the 2650 miles yet, I'd like to ask the group a few questions.
> 1.      Will one "have" to walk through snow in order to complete the full
> 2600 or if given enough time and the right set of circumstances, could one
> complete those sections of the trail when there is no snow?  Yes, I'm cold
> adverse.
> 2.      Can anyone offer a checklist of items for the backpack?  With my
> approach, I would be able to juggle what I pack based on the specific
> segment I'd be hiking at the time.
> 3.      Is anyone out there interested in hiking the Southern PCT in 2 - 3
> day segments?  I live in San Diego, so my thoughts are to go the NoBo route
> with a focus on completing San Diego County in three attempts and then
> moving into Riverside County.
> I would call myself an entry to intermediate skill level without much
> overnight experience.  That's probably where I'll need the most advice.
> Thanks in advance.
>
> Joel Hawk
>
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