[pct-l] Re: Rocking the last half?

[griffin at u.washington.edu (Tom Griffin)]

I don't think anyone is going to be able to do 30 miles a day on the detour
that takes the PCT west of Glacier Peak. From what I hear, these are tough
Cascades trails, not the 15% graded PCT good for equestrian parties.

Here is a link to the official Forest Service detour. The Forest Service
says, "The trails along the detour route are not constructed and maintained
to the same high standard as the PCT. Users can expect high fords until mid
August, and trail sections that are steep, rough, brushy, and difficult to
follow. These trails require a higher skill level for hikers."

http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/wenatchee/pct/

Here is a link to Jonathan Ley's alternative to the official detour, which
he says is not suitable for horse parties either.

http://www.phlumf.com/pct/pctalt.htm

Tom Griffin
Seattle
PCT Pages: http://staff.washington.edu/griffin/pct.html

> From: David Paulson <d111@infostations.com>
> Date: Wed, 7 Jul 2004 19:01:46 -0700
> Subject: [pct-l] Re: pct-l Digest, Vol 15, Issue 7
> 
>> 
> Well, if I added it up right, you'll need to average around 32 miles a
> day from Ashland to Canada. If you really want to go for it (and
> since you just did your first 40+ miler, you apparently do want
> to go for it), you'll want to average 35 mpd in Oregon, then
> 30 mpd in Washington. And take no days off. Certainly doable
> if you are willing to work that hard. Oregon "is" easy compared
> to CA and WA.  Pace yourself using the daily mileage listed above,
> and you'll make it. I'd recommend "not" trying to hammer out any more
> 40 mile days, since the time it takes to recover from the effort might
> affect your overall mileage in the long run.
> 
> Someone else can now advise that you are nuts to even try this :-).
> 
> David Paulson (WalkOn)
> 
> Original message...
> 
>> Message: 7
>> Date: Tue, 6 Jul 2004 14:24:42 -0700
>> From: Garret Christensen <garretc@gmail.com>
>> Subject: [pct-l] Rocking the last half?
>> 
>> I'm on the trail in Ashland, having hiked here in 63 days from the
>> border.  I'm loving the trail, and I'd like to do it all in one
>> season, but I start grad school at Berkeley in early August, so I have
>> to finish on the 4th or 5th to get there in time.  I did the first
>> half in 50 days, and I'm wondering if I can do the second half in 43.
>> Just how easy IS Oregon?  I did my first 40+ day yesterday, but what
>> about the rest of the state?  And how much of a cushion do I have to
>> build up--I've heard it gets hard again in northern Washington.  How
>> hard?
>> Of course I won't be able to check my e-mail again for a while, but
>> I'll call my sister and get her to read the responses if anybody has
>> any helpful comments.
>> 
>> Thanks,
>> the Onion
>>