[pct-l] What's a Crowd

[Jay Bruins]

It’s really easy to avoid camping with people: dry camp. As an added bonus, you’ll be leaving less of a trace than if you don’t. It comes at the cost of one extra liter (at most) of water carried a quarter mile or so.

Likewise, I think the level of partying will depend entirely on you. On the trail, even where it’s crowded, most nights you can just fall asleep after a good days hike. Even the “partying” types don’t stay up that late on the trail, that’s more for town and around trail angels.

It’s also worth pointing out that partying takes time. The serious partiers tend to take longer to get to the finish. I took a few weeks off (2+1) due to foot issues. The nature of the crowd changed each time I got back on.

FWIW, I camped at Walker Pass that same night. Tents largely implies non-hikers, of which there were still a few camps despite it being a Sunday night. There was no good parking when I arrived, though one car of mountain bikes left shortly thereafter. The number of hikers was similar to 2015 and very few were left by 7:30 Monday morning.

Cheers,
Armstrong

PS And, yes, it was fun. Not because of any party (despite copious available beer), but because of the welcoming atmosphere from people who behave like lifelong friends just 30 seconds after meeting.

> On May 8, 2018, at 3:48 PM, Neil Lacey <neil.lacey at comcast.net> wrote:
> 
> I'm planning on hiking the PCT next year .. a lifelong dream (I'm 63) but I'm concerned about the crowds.  I'm not anti-social, but I'm no longer into partying ;-)
> 
> Ran into an AT thru hiker last summer while section hiking in VT who was saying that early on heading NB there were a lot of party types but they dropped off after a while.  There were a lot of thru hikers on the trail compared to years ago when it was an event to meet one out on the trail.  But not much partying 1600 miles in.
> 
> Another friend who did the PCT in 2016 recommended going SB to avoid the crowds, said she was competing for campsites through the desert.
> 
> But I like the idea of doing the desert early in the season, so I'm thinking of starting early, maybe mid-March, to beat the crowds and then maybe take a break depending on the snow pack.
> 
> Just thinking & planning at this point if anyone has any advice would appreciate it
> 
> Thx
> Neil
> 
>> On 5/8/2018 2:03 PM, timpnye wrote:
>> Not if you're hitching into Lake Isabella. Or, if you're looking for a room there.
>> This is the new normal.
>> On the positive side, it seemed as if half the hikers that came through Mt. Laguna's Burnt Rancheria were international. I think that changes the dynamic to less of a party atmosphere, but that remains to be shown over time.
>> -------- Original message --------From: Gary Schenk <gary at hbfun.org> Date: 5/8/18  8:22 AM  (GMT-08:00) To: PCT List <pct-l at backcountry.net> Subject: [pct-l] What's a Crowd
>> Sunday, on the way to bag a couple of peaks, we stopped at Walker Pass
>> campground to have a quick breakfast.
>> 
>> Tents everywhere! Must have been a minimum of 30 people camped out there.
>> That can't possible be fun, can it?
>> 
>> Gary
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> 
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