[pct-l] Pictures from my hike last May near Big Bear

[Diane Soini of Santa Barbara Hikes]

Yes, I agree. People should prepare for rain and snow on the PCT in  
So Cal! That was my whole point. Whenever someone asks about the 700  
miles of desert I always try to get that whole idea out of their  
heads. I was so worked up about the desert I was afraid I'd broil to  
death and die of dehydration. And I'm a Southern California life-long  
resident! When I got out there and saw that it wasn't desert, I  
almost felt cheated.

Anyway, my umbrella was packed but must have fallen out of its pocket  
on the drive in. I didn't notice until too late. I believe in NOT  
relying solely upon gear to solve all your problems but instead to  
cultivate a McGuyver sense of creativity. I was happy I was able to  
solve my problem well using the tools I had. Other people would have  
laid down and froze to death or called for a helicopter. I simply  
fashioned a rain shawl and kept moving. You get wet in the rain  
anyway. What worried me more than not having my umbrella was not  
being able to keep my tent standing up in the 55mph winds.

Diane
On Sep 10, 2011, at 1:40 PM, david woods wrote:

> Very nice and well captioned pictures. They really tell the story  
> of your
> hike.
>
> Given your prior PCT hiking I was surprised that you were caught  
> out with no
> cold/wet weather gear. Hopefully future hikers will take note of your
> experience.
>
> When my son and I attempted the trail in late April of 2005 several  
> people
> and been pulled off the trail around Mount Laguna with hypothermia  
> and John
> Donovan had died after getting lost in a snow storm on San Jacinto  
> the week
> before we started.
>
> People, especially those coming to SoCal from wetter and cooler  
> climates
> often seem to assume that "desert" means warm and dry. Much/most of  
> the
> trail in Socal while semi or just plain arid is above 5000 feet (as  
> high as
> 9000) and before mid-June/July can be both wet and/or very cold and/ 
> or very
> windy. At the risk of being pedantic I will say that most years it is
> probably not prudent to leave the border at Campo in those months  
> without at
> least a rain jacket. Some long pants and a down or synthetic jacket  
> of some
> sort and even a pair of gloves is not a bad idea either.  
> Hypothermia can
> ruin your day.
>
> Be prepared.