[pct-l] PCT NOBO Campo in August????

[Paint Your Wagon]

Cheers mate!

I did the desert/PCT, the last 3 years in a row.

One disclaimer- 
I worked in Iraq, 
and Afghanistan, 
for 40 months, 
prior to hiking. 
Those two places were two of the hottest places I have ever worked and lived in, 
so I gained some desert break in time on the job. 
It routinely got up to 140 degrees on the base, 
due to high compound walls, 
acres and acres of asphalt, 
concrete, 
rock and sand. 
Kind of like a desert. 
lol. 
It was so hot, 
if you didn’t have continual work to perform your mind would immediately turn to/focus on, 
the suffocating weather surrounding your position. 
We could sit in our trucks and run the air conditioner, 
if they had a/c. 
Otherwise, 
we would find newly constructed tents that had a/c units installed, 
and we would lay on the cool concrete floors for relief. 
Like hiking, 
we would bust our butts from 6am until noon, 
lay low until the heat broke around 4pm, 
then bust our butts again until 7pm.  

2012- Southern border departure Apr. 28th., 
to Tyndall Creek, 
mile 775, 
exiting the trail via Shepherd’s Pass, 
to Independence, 
exiting the trail mid October. 

2013- Southern border departure Jun. 20th., 
to Whitewater Creek, 
mile 210, 
then off trail with an injury, 
returning mid July, 
to Kennedy Meadows, 
to Sonora Pass, 
mile 1,018, 
exiting the trail early October.

As a rookie, 
I carried 8 quarts/liters of water as a matter of routine, 
yet I still ran out of water 6 times (dry camping.) 
I hiked in the dark- early am, 
I slept in and hiked during the heat of the day, 
laying up when I could find shade, 
and sometimes forced to hike on as there wasn’t any shade to be had. 
I would sometimes stick my ground cloth in the chaparral, 
trying to create shade, 
but the temperature differential was marginal at best, 
and I’d start roasting after 10-15 minutes, 
so I’d take off again in pursuit of more shade. 
If I could lay up near water and have some shade for relief, 
I would often do that, 
and camel up while I was at it. 
In an experiment, 
I drank four liters of water... 
it took me an hour to get it all down, 
and then I proceeded to urinate out much of it, 
continuously over the next 5 hours.
Sometimes I would crawl under a bush so small, 
that it only provided shade to my head and torso, 
giving me only so much relief. 
My lower torso and legs would begin heating up, 
so again the benefit of taking partial shade was a wash, 
and I’d get back up and take off, 
mostly gaining rest to my legs but little in the way of cooling down. 
I also hiked into the night, 
and sometimes throughout the night. 
The San Felipe hills was one of those times I hiked all night, 
taking refuge at the 3rd gate water cache, 
hunkering under a tarp tied to brush that shielded some of the water cache. 

2014 Southern border departure Mar. 25th., 
to Mammoth Lakes, 
mile 906, 
then back south to Kearsarge Pass, 
to Independence, 
exiting the trail late October.

The main things I’ve found are: 
carry lots of water,
carry even more flavored drinks,
because you will get sick of drinking water,
especially warm water,
no,
make that hot water,
canned peaches,
buried in your pack,
are a great daytime food,
damn the weight penalty,
don’t pass up a water hole,
unless you are overloaded with water already, 
take shade where you can, 
make shade otherwise, 
hike early, 
hike late, 
carry extra batteries for the higher headlamp use, 
do some overnights when it’s really exposed terrain,
if you have to hike in the heat of the day,
hike smart, 
keep your head about you, 
enjoy the ride, 
take advantage of the swimming holes and swimming pools along the way- 
and have yourself a great hike. 
August? 
No problem!

PaintYW