[pct-l] PCT - Hard Dirt?

[Bob Bankhead]

No matter where I go, I always carry at least one titanium nail stake;
usually two. 

Most of the time, it remains in the stake bag as my "extra and/or
replacement" stake (in case of loss), because I know how/take the time to
find a good camping spot. However, the Trail Gods don't always smile on me;
they laugh instead and plot against me.

Occasionally it is used to drill a pilot hole in very hard ground for one of
my other stakes.

Rarely, (Guitar Lake comes to mind) it is the only stake I can physically
get into the ground.

On one occasion, I had to hammer it into a downed log which I was forced to
use as a staking point. 


Those Easton hollow aluminum stakes that come with many shelter are fine in
most cases, but I have had they bend, split at the tip, or break; others
report the heads popping off when trying to remove them, but I've never
experienced that.

My stake of choice for the PCT, CDT, and CT is the MSR Groundhog. I have
never had a stake failure with them. Obviously, I don't try to use them in
snow or deep sand, although I could - buried horizontally as anchors with
rocks on top.