[pct-l] Contemplating Going alone

[Scott Bryce]

On 1/11/2012 7:53 AM, Florence Aza-selinger wrote:
> Hi everyone,
> I was wondering if anyone has any advice on whether it would be a
> good idea for me to hike part of the PCT alone.

If you start any time in the last two weeks of April (or possibly even
earlier, if this is a low snow year) you won't be alone. About 400
people will attempt to hike the entire PCT, and others will attempt to
hike the southern section, most of them starting within a 3-week window
from mid April to early May.

Start the trail alone, and expect to meet up with other hikers on the
way. You should have no problem meeting other hikers whose
pace/personality/hiking style match yours. Loose partnerships form and
break all along the trail.

If you don't meet hikers while you are hiking, it may only mean that you
are headed in the same direction at the same pace. You will meet them at
water sources, resupply points and popular camping spots, especially if
two or three coincide, like Lake Morena (camping, water) or Mount Laguna
(resupply, water). Hikers also tend to congregate around shade, food and
beds.

Partnerships created prior to the hike tend not to last. Your odds of
finding a compatible partner are better if you meet someone on the trail.