[pct-l] question re - PCT/JMT timing

[CHUCK CHELIN]

Good afternoon, Gideon,

“The herd” will likely be well spread out after the first 750 trail-miles,
but it’s likely they will be started into the Sierras around mid-June.

Timing may not be your biggest problem.  I can’t know how experienced and
well-conditioned your friend may be, or at what altitude she regularly
trains, but her task will be daunting.  Joining you at Lone Pine, she will
almost immediately be carrying a pack with gear and provisions for 150-200
miles at altitudes that seldom dip below 10,000 feet.  The day she starts
you will cross Trail Crest Pass, near Mt. Whitney at 13,000 feet, and
within a day or so after that she will have to ascend Forester Pass at well
over 13,000 feet altitude.  At those altitudes the air contains only about
60% of the oxygen that is found in the flat-lands.

Even if she avoids one of the forms of altitude sickness, she will find it
to be quite a struggle just to walk, let alone hike at a pace that
thru-hikers have come to expect.  Because of atmosphere and conditioning
the pace will be slow, which means more time will be required.  More time
means more days of food, which means heavier packs; which means an even
slower pace, etc.

It’s about 200 trail-miles from Lone Pine up to Tuolumne Meadows, and many
less-than-hard-core hikers can’t book more than about 10 miles/day under
those conditions.

Good luck with your trip,

Steel-Eye

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

http://www.trailjournals.com/steel-eye
http://www.trailjournals.com/SteelEye09/

On Thu, Feb 14, 2013 at 2:05 PM, Gideon Scher <gideonscher at gmail.com> wrote:

> Hi to all
>
> 1st of all, many thanks for all the numerous and informative responses to
> my question about the Big Agnes Fly Creek UL1.
>
> A friend would like to join me on my thru-hike on the section where the PCT
> and JMT run together. She is trying to time her leave from work to coincide
> as closely as possible with my thru-hike. Can anyone help us by giving a
> guesstimate when the herd will hit Lone Pine and how long it will take for
> it to reach Tuolumne (also taking into consideration expected snow levels).
> We are both aware that there are always unforeseen variables but would like
> to get some idea so that we can plan accordingly.
>
> Thanks again,
> Gideon
>