[pct-l] Endangered species detour

[Jennifer Zimmerman]

Hello list,

We will encounter the endangered species detour on our next section and
were hoping to get some feedback from past hikers.  The guidebook is pretty
unenthusiastic about the condition of the detour trail and Halfmile's maps
show that it is possible to hike the old route, which includes a 3-mile
roadwalk on the now-open Hwy 2.  We're thinking about taking the old route,
but given how narrow the shoulder was on that road at Inspiration Point
(the first crossing and jump-off point for Wrightwood) I think a roadwalk
could be pretty nerve-wracking. On the other hand, there was very little
traffic on the road on a weekday afternoon.

Could any past hikers comment on what they did for this stretch and what
they thought about it after the fact?  Is the detour trail in better
condition than it sounds?  We're not at all opposed to doing the miles, but
on the last stretch before town (coming through the ski area) we
fought very high winds and I would be worried about hiking the exposed
detour trail in similar conditions.

Thanks for any insight you can provide!

JZ