[pct-l] pctl IS ALIVE again...

[Neil Lacey]

Since the list is alive ...

About a year ago I posted looking for ideas about how to deal with the 
high snow levels in the Sierra and got some great feedback from folks. 
So, here's how things went.

I started out on April 7 at Scout and Frodo's, they picked me up at the 
airport, provided dinner and breakfast, and a ride to the start the next 
morning. I'm just amazed at their kindness/generosity.

It had been a wet winter, water and wildflowers were abundant. A perfect 
year to hike southern California, it was incredibly beautiful. I had 
heard stories about crowding, partying, TP everywhere but as it turned 
out none of this was an issue. I mostly hiked alone through the day 
(being old & slow), and sometimes camped with others.  A couple of times 
camping spots were busy around water sources but it was easy enough to 
just move on a bit and find a place to pitch a tent. I met so many 
interesting folks from Germany, France, the UK, South Africa, Israel, 
Korea, China, India, Australia, New Zealand, and all over the US. I got 
to experience Hiker Heaven (Heather Anderson was there doing laundry!) 
and Casa de Luna before they shut down!

Anyway, about the snow, everyone was stressing about what to do. I wound 
up leaving Kennedy Meadows with 2 other older guys, Tim at 53, me at 64, 
and Elusive at 75. Elusive would head out early in the morning (yeah 
slower than me, but one tough cookie) and Tim and I would catch him 
later in the day.  A couple days out, an icy morning an a steep 
traverse, we stop to put on traction, Tim's crampon comes off, he drops 
his hiking pole, reaches for it, and goes head first down the slope into 
some rocks.  He's banged up pretty bad but can walk and winds up going 
off trail at Lone Pine for surgery on his hand.  Elusive and I head back 
out, up and over Forester Pass, it's spectacular! But the melt is on big 
time.  Early the next morning, he realizes he can't see, gone snow 
blind, but better after taking a zero, and we go out over Kearsarge 
Pass, and Elusive is done, heading home for a dentist.  I'm having a 
tough time in Bishop deciding what to do but wind up taking a bus up to 
Chester.

To make a long story short, the snow's not bad and the miles start 
clicking by, hit the border 3rd week of August then south from Chester 
back to Kearsarge Pass 3rd week of September.

Plan was to start the CDT April 23 ... but COVID-19, next year.

Thanks y'all
Neil aka Goldfish