[pct-l] Tarp-tent feasibility

[Timothy DenHerder-Thomas]

Hi all,

I've been listening in to this list for a few months, but here's my first
post.

I just finished section-hiking the Appalachian Trail over 8 years this last
September and am getting ready to start section hiking the PCT over the
next ~8 years in 350-400 mile chunks. I'm not really familiar with
West-Coast landscapes/ecosystems, so I'm trying to get a
good understanding of that. As a section-hiker, I'm choosing different
sections based on what seems to be the best season for water and avoiding
heavy snow, as well as my availability and scheduling. I've been getting
most of the info I needed about challenges I'm not as familiar with on the
AT (water, snow, bear-canisters etc.) from others posts but one thing came
up:

I've been hiking with a tarp-tent that rigs with rope and tent stakes (no
poles). I prefer not to hike with poles (has worked fine for me on all the
super rugged stuff at the north end of the AT, so I assume it will be fine
for what seems like a generally gentler PCT), so I usually rig the tarp
tent between two trees or use one tree and a stick for the second pole. It
is possible to use two sticks if there are no trees, but it's more work and
requires finding two pretty strong sticks at least 3-feet long. My question
is if there are any sections of the trail (I'm imagining particularly the
desert-like sections in the south and the alpine areas in the High Sierra)
where this strategy would not work either because there are no trees/easily
available strong sticks or the ground is two rocky/sandy to hold tent
stakes? If so, which areas will this approach be a problem?

I've seen a few people posting about using hammocks on the PCT, which
struck me as surprising since I would expect there would be areas without
adequate load-bearing trees. If one can hammock all the way along the PCT,
I'm pretty sure one could tarp tent as I am used to all the way along the
PCT, unless those who hammock are relying on spots with lots of shrubs and
other ground-cover between the trees.

I'm also pretty happy cowboy camping when the weather is good, but I'd
prefer to have some way of rigging shelter if there's a storm or at least a
mosquito net if there are lots of bugs.

I'm most likely starting late this August/ early September in a section
most likely from Castella CA to Willamette Pass OR (I have friends in OR),
so I assume this will not be a problem for this section, but I'd love
confirmation that it should be fine in this area as well as info on whether
I need to adjust my gear strategy for other sections (again, I assume
mainly the desert and high Sierra, but maybe there are other areas I'm
unaware of where this may be a problem).

Thanks all! It has been great being a fly on the wall.

Raven
(Timothy)