[pct-l] Cheat Grass!

[CHUCK CHELIN]

Good morning, Little Brown,

Cheatgrass is pervasive in appropriate habitat throughout the length of the
PCT, but S. California is probably the worst.  Usually the trail tread is
sufficiently wide so it’s not necessary to brush feet through it and
collect seeds.

I wear gaiters which keep most of the trash out.  Without gaiters about the
only thing that works for me is to wear Chaco sandals without socks. That
way the seeds tend to fall out as soon as they get in, and there’s no sock
fabric to hold the seed points against my feet.

Steel-Eye

-Hiking the Pct since before it was the PCT – 1965

http://www.trailjournals.com/steel-eye

http://www.trailjournals.com/SteelEye09/


On Mon, Apr 30, 2012 at 9:49 PM, William Canavan <wecanavan at gmail.com>wrote:

> Arrghhgh!  I just finished the section to Warner Springs and I tried hiking
> without gaiters for heat considerations.  Bad idea!!!  I was always
> stopping to pick cheat grass out of my shoes and socks the entire way
> north.  I hate cheat grass (for you nerd heads out there I think it's
> actually called downy brome).  There is so much of this stuff along the
> trail that if it all disappeared overnight the state of California would
> probably fall off into the sea.
>
> So does anyone have an idea about how to avoid the cheat grass and not wear
> gaiters at the same time?  And how far north will we still be encountering
> this stuff?
>
> Thanks,
> Little Brown
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