[pct-l] Ultralight tents

[Scott Williams]

In 2010 we were snowed on three times in the deserts and southern mountains
in April and May and had several days of rain as well.  The coldest nights
on trail were in the deserts and that counts 5 weeks of negotiating a lot
of snow in the High Sierra.  It wasn't as cold to me up there than it was
much further south.  You may not need a tent if you're lucky, but most of
us used ours at least a few times.  When you need it, it could be that you
really need it.  The deserts in CA are not all heat and dry in April and
May.  They are high desert with much higher mountain sections where it
really gets cold even though you're looking down at the lights of LA or
Palm Springs.  Treat them like any other 9,000 foot mountains you'd hike
anywhere else in early spring.

Shroomer


On Sat, Apr 20, 2013 at 9:50 AM, Diane Soini of Santa Barbara Hikes <
diane at santabarbarahikes.com> wrote:

> Bring a tent. Even though it's likely you will not see any rain, if
> you do see any rain, you will be very sorry. In 2008 I saw snow but
> not rain (I would have seen rain had I been lower) and in 2009 I saw
> a lot of rain -- every day for about 3 weeks. I did a weekend section
> in 2010 near the Anderson's and got rained on and saw snow. In 2010
> or 11 I did a section hike down near Big Bear and got rain that was
> actually falling 3 miles away but the wind blew it to me so I was
> sleeping under the stars with rain falling on me. Last year I did a
> section near Wrightwood and was rained on. I was getting the feeling
> the PCT hates me. Last weekend I did an overnight section south of
> Tehachapi and even though the forecast was not for rain, the clouds
> made me suspicious. It rained (and iced) a day or two later on
> TrailHacker who is out there right now making his way to Kennedy
> Meadows. Bring a tent or at least a tarp shelter.
>
> On Apr 20, 2013, at 8:10 AM, Lindsay Blythe wrote:
>
> > I was thinking I wouldn't take a tent for the first section. I've
> > spent some time in Joshua Tree (sad to hear about the vandalism),
> > and have camped outside many times, however I have been forced to
> > sleep in my car (I know) due to 60 mph winds. Maybe we've already
> > discussed this, but I'm curious about people's thoughts on sleeping
> > under the stars.
> >
> >
> >
> > ________________________________
> >  From: Diane Soini of Santa Barbara Hikes
> > <diane at santabarbarahikes.com>
> > To: pct-l at backcountry.net
> > Sent: Thursday, April 18, 2013 8:38 PM
> > Subject: Re: [pct-l] Ultralight tents
> >
> >
> > I used a Gossamer Gear One and I loved my tent.
> >
> > One thing about the PCT is almost everywhere you pitch your tent the
> > ground is too soft, not too hard. You end up needing very large rocks
> > over your stakes. This problem clears up a little once you have more
> > trees around you. It's a big problem in So Cal where it is windy
> > often. Really windy. You will come to recognize every little spot
> > anyone has ever camped in by the conspicuous 4 rocks arranged in a
> > square with two others front and rear.
> > _______________________________________________
> > Pct-L mailing list
> > Pct-L at backcountry.net
> > To unsubscribe, or change options visit:
> > http://mailman.backcountry.net/mailman/listinfo/pct-l
> >
> > List Archives:
> > http://mailman.backcountry.net/pipermail/pct-l/
> > All content is copyrighted by the respective authors.
> > Reproduction is prohibited without express permission.
>
> _______________________________________________
> Pct-L mailing list
> Pct-L at backcountry.net
> To unsubscribe, or change options visit:
> http://mailman.backcountry.net/mailman/listinfo/pct-l
>
> List Archives:
> http://mailman.backcountry.net/pipermail/pct-l/
> All content is copyrighted by the respective authors.
> Reproduction is prohibited without express permission.
>