[pct-l] Sunscreen on the Trail

[Diane Soini of Santa Barbara Hikes]

Sunscreen will be needed more in the High Sierra than anywhere else  
on the PCT. There's way more solar radiation up there. You can  
actually sit there and feel it burning into you. I think you can even  
hear your skin crackling. Once you get to Nor Cal and northward, you  
have a lot more shade from trees.

That said, I used almost no sunscreen the entire way. I prefer long  
pants and shirt and a wide-brimmed hat. Sunscreen/lip balm with  
sunblock was only necessary for me in the High Sierra, mostly because  
it radiates off the snow and burns the inside of my lips (from  
breathing with my mouth open in the thin air).

On Feb 13, 2013, at 7:44 AM, pct-l-request at backcountry.net wrote:

> Sent: Tuesday, February 12, 2013 6:07:58 PM
> Subject: [pct-l] Sunscreen on the Trail
>
> Hey everyone,
>
> I'm wondering what your thoughts are on the necessity of carrying  
> and using
> sunscreen throughout the trail. Should I expect to use it just in the
> desert section or count on using it the entire length of the PCT? As a
> non-sunscreen wearer in general, my inclination is to just pack  
> some for
> southern California, but I'm curious what others have had luck with in
> terms of sun protection.
>
> Thanks!