[pct-l] Late Season Hiking

[Maxine Weyant]

I've gone south from Tuolumne starting early August and it was great!  But unless you're totally broken in and trail-worthy, I wouldn't plan on a 25 mile/day pace in that first week at those altitudes.  The water sources in the Sierras were abundant and all the resupply places were going full force because of all the JMT hikers that time of year.  I suggest you go to Muir Trail Ranch instead of VVR to save time.  It's just a mile or so off the trail and their hiker "box" consisted of multiple large buckets of various foods, TP, and soap, etc, that could get you by until you got to your next place.  If you ship a resupply to Muir Ranch, it's expensive and has to be shipped in a plastic bucket.  I didn't go beyond the Sierras that trip so I can't comment on the desert and SoCal sections for that time of year, but I'd imagine they'd be blazingly hot in August.  The Sierras are so beautiful in August, you should consider allowing yourself more time to enjoy it and maybe do the most southernmost sections of CA at a more opportune time.  Just my 2cents.  Cheers,  Dys-feng shui-nal