[pct-l] Walker pass to Kennedy Meadows - advise

[John Casterline]

I and several others saw bears south of Walker Pass in 2011

On Sat, Nov 17, 2012 at 3:24 PM, CHUCK CHELIN <steeleye at wildblue.net> wrote:

> Good afternoon, Moshe,
>
> According to the SIBBG map at
> http://sierrawild.gov/bears/food-storage-mapa bear ‘can isn’t required
> until approximately Cottonwood Pass which is
> more than 50 PCT-miles north of Kennedy Meadows.  I’ve not seen a bear
> south of Kennedy Meadows although I did once see a fresh set of tracks in
> the trail dust.
>
> In addition to one’s mileage, water to carry depends much on the
> temperature, one’s personal preference, and one’s appetite for risk –
> meaning whether one is willing to arrive at the next water source empty and
> thirsty.  On the average, in round numbers, I get about 10 miles per
> gallon, however, I may not have to carry that much if I can hydrate well
> before leaving one water point, then rehydrate well once I arrive at the
> next.
>
> A bit more care must be taken if one must make a dry camp before reaching
> the next water.  I generally want to have at least one additional liter for
> overnight compared to what may be indicated by the mileage to be covered.
>
> My hikes in that area have been in late May -- the typical thru-hiker
> season -- and I haven’t found water to be a problem.  Walker Pass itself
> really doesn’t have readily-available water so I would tank-up before
> arriving at the trail head.  I once approached the only car-camper at
> Walker Pass and asked if he could supply me with some water to which he
> said, “No problem” but he gave me one little 4-ounce DixieCup about ¾ full.
>
> I would plan to start early in the day if possible because the first few
> miles north of the Pass into the Owens Peak area are on a steep, wide-open,
> southern aspect which can get a bit warm in the afternoon.
>
> Specific water conditions – aimed mostly at early season hikers – can be
> found in HalfMile’s water report at:  http://www.pctwater.com/
>
> Enjoy your hike,
>
> Steel-Eye
>
> -Hiking the Pct since before it was the PCT – 1965
>
> http://www.trailjournals.com/steel-eye
>
> http://www.trailjournals.com/SteelEye09/
>
>
> On Sat, Nov 17, 2012 at 11:39 AM, Moshe <myalo at yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> > First time hiking this section soon.
> > Is bear canister needed? Bear activity in this section?
> > Slow hiker about 10-12 miles a day. How much water to carry from water
> > source to water source?
> > Is there snow already in this section?
> > Thanks
> > Myalo
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-- 
John Caster____

 lungcancerhike.org