[pct-l] General advice for a newcomer

[malcolm pryke]

Hi All
 
 
I live in Austria and would like to attempt the PCT next year.  In preparation for this I thought I could visit this year and do the John Muir Trail. My problem is, I do not really know too much about the logistics of doing this, and so I thought I would ask for some help and for some general advice.
 
1) I would like to hike the JMT in August, is this advisable or should I do it earlier/later?
2) If I wanted to hike South to North, which is the best International airport to fly to?
3) Would it be advantageous to also take an internal flight to a nearer airport or is public transport sufficient to get me to the trail head
4)Where can I get my pass to enter the parks.  I fear I am too late to reserve a pass for this year, so what are the odds of getting a pass if I just turn up 1 day before and try to get one of  the remaining non allocated passes.
 
 
Many thanks in advance for your help, I really appreciate it
 
Mal