[pct-l] 2 car hiking

[goforth at cio.net (Joanne Lennox)]

I have done most of the continental divide by riding my single horse
forward, tying the horse and walking or hitchhiking back, driving forward
with my horse trailer, etc.  It takes a lot of time.  And you can get used
to it, so I think that the two car system would actually be an improvement.
 AND YOU COULD BE A PART TIME TRAIL ANGEL because there my well be trail
folk needing to get out to a store or medical facility, etc..  This is a
system that I have never thought of and am excited that you brought it to
my attention.

However it may not be so good thru areas of Washington, and Oregon.  In
these areas the highways all run east -west and you really have to drive a
long way to to get to a resuppy that is not many trail miles away.  Santiam
 and McKenzie and Barlow pass for instance.  I drove and  hitch hiked from
Ollalie thru Bretenbush to Detroit and then when I got to Santiam Pass,
Hitch hiked to detroit, and drove back.  It took about 4 hours each time,
for a total of 8 hours.  It does give you a an appreciation for the
territory that you have covered and a wider view of the surrounds of the
PCT.  I also would have to get my mind back into a mode that could drive
responsibily; which I regretted often times because it involved some real
dense holiday and weekend traffic on very winding roads and I do not think
the mindset helped my long distance hiking goals. Also when I have just
hiked 20 miles, I really am tired and not interested in driving. Certainly
you are going to spend more dollars in gas than you would if you sent a
resupply package. It is  also nice to sit down in a relatively quiet place
and sort through a resupply box and not have to go to a grocery store every
time.

You might think about using some resupply packages, and placing your two
cars where the access to grocery stores and trail is fairly close (Chester
and Sierra City maybe, Sonora Pass and Bridgeport, Elk Lake to Bend, and
then to Barlow Pass, Barlow Pass to Trout Lake - There are some good back
roads to White Pass, but none really betweeen Chinook and Snoqualmie).

Do you have any idea how long it takes to drive from Rainey Pass to
Manning. I 'd say about 7 hours with out any traffic problems and assuming
there is no border delay (Hiway 20 to Mt Vernon, thence to Bellingham or
Hiway 9 to Sumas, and the very winding road to Manning).

Joanne