[pct-l] Campo vs Manning

[spiritbear2k@hotmail.com (Ginny & Jim Owen)]

We met several southbound hikers last year - I don't think any of them 
finished though.  Usually there is enough snow in Washington that southbound 
hikers have to wait until the end of June, and even then, they're starting 
in heavy snow. This year, you might be able to start a little earlier, but 
probably not much. That means finishing in November.  Not everyone is 
willing to hike that late in the year.  The hardest part, for me, would be 
ending the trail in Southern California.  As a northbounder, we were really 
looking forward to Washington State.  On the bad days, we could say, "Just 
wait until the Cascades, that's really beautiful country."  Heading south, 
once you pass the Sierras, the trail would seem awfully anti-climactic.  
There are nice stretches, such as the San Jacintos, but I would think that 
all the winding trail would get to you more at the end of the hike than at 
the beginning, when you can tell yourself it's warmup time and you have the 
distraction of spring flowers.  The temptation would be to just "get it over 
with" and roadwalk to Campo.  Also, chances are there would be a lot of dry 
springs in the south in the fall. California tends to get most of its 
precipitation in the winter, with very little during the summer. Any 
southbounders out there?
Ginny
_________________________________________________________________
Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com