[pct-l] Desolation Wilderness July 4th

[Timothy Nye]

Alan,

The sad truth is that this section of the trail is the most populated of any on the PCT. Add to this that the Fourth of July weekend will stand an excellent chance of being the most popular to enter this already overcrowded "wilderness" and I'm afraid that this unrepresentative segment may have the opposite of the intended effect causing you questioning your goal rather than whetting your hiker appetite. There's not much to be seen hiking in a day and a half from Echo and the turning around.

On the other hand, if you have little experience this could be a bridge experience for you. But I would urge you to expand the scope beyond 3 days and head South either from Echo or Carson. There are a few highway trail heads South that make it practical. I don't know what mileage you're thinking about, but it's 15 miles from Echo to Carson Pass, but a bit of a climb out of Echo. From Carson to Ebbets is a nice hike.

If you intend to go through Desolation There is a Forest Service office on Hwy 50 past Placerville for permits, however, I wouldn't wait until the last minute for fear they may be at capacity. A permit isn't required heading South. 

Gourmet

Sent from my iPad

On May 24, 2013, at 12:14 PM, Alan Miller <alan.miller401 at gmail.com> wrote:

> Hi all.  My wife and I both love to hike and I have done several
> backpacking trips ranging from an overnight in the Grand Canyon to a week
> in Yellowstone.  It has been a dream of ours to someday hike the PCT.
> Earlier this year, we decided that 2014 is the year we finally make it
> happen!  We both have some time off around the 4th of July this year and we
> decided we would spend it on the PCT to test gear and meal plans, and to
> just refuel our excitement for the trail.  We have tentatively decided on 3
> nights through the Desolation Wilderness. We will be beginning and ending
> our hike from Echo Lake.  We are trying to do the whole trip without
> renting a car from the airport, but I can't seem to figure out how to make
> the public transportation work to get us from either Sacramento or Reno
> airports.  Is there anyway to get close to the trailhead with public
> transportation or should I just bite the bullet and rent a car?  Thanks
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