[pct-l] Music on the Trail and Rain Gear

[gary_schenk at verizon.net]

On 02/19/13, Nathan A wrote:
>... In essence my question is how many days of rain did most people see from Campo to Kennedy Meadows. If I am only going to see a handful >of wet days it is easier to justify the reduced weight. If I see rain, hail, and snow every other day then of course it is needed. 
 
>However, I have never hiked the PCT so I am trying to learn from the mistakes of others. I have already heard back from a few people that hiked >last year that if they did the hike again they would follow the setup I suggested. 
 
Nathan, that's the heart of the issue here. You're not hiking the trail last year, you're hiking it this year. I don't know if it is true of other mountain ranges, but in the Southern California ranges, conditions are totally unpredictable. One winter I hiked up 10,064' Mt. San Antonio in late January and it felt and looked like August. Another year it could be covered in snow and ice into June. The Lagunas could be balmy and warm one April, and ice coated another. IMHO, you have to be prepared for a major late winter storm starting in Campo. YMMV, HYOH, etc.

Best of luck on your trip.

Gary