[pct-l] PCT advice

[ROYROBIN at aol.com (ROYROBIN@aol.com)]

ninskyaroo@hotmail.com writes:

> I'm going to be thru-hiking the PCT in 2005, and I have a couple questions 
> I 
> would love for you guys to answer...
> 
> First, I'm about to order my sleeping bag from Feathered Friends, and I was 
> wondering if it would be better to get the Quantum Pertex fabric, which is 
> the lightest they have, or the Epic, which is heavier but much more 
> waterproof and durable. I'm going to be hiking with my dog, who I'm sure 
> will be walking and sleeping on it quite often also, so I'm not sure if the 
> Quantum will hold up well enough.

I have a Swallow on order, and was going with the Pertex until I was told the 
color choices were powder blue or nothing.  They also quit carrying the .85 
ounce nylon.  I finally chose the 1.1 ounce nylon for inside and out.  However, 
my most important consideration in a bag is weight, not waterproofness. 
> 
> Second, is the Katadyn Mini Filter an OK choice for a filter?

Again, just my personal preference, for what it's worth:  I would carry 
AquaMira and leave the filter at home.
> 
> Third, I would love to have some dog advice...most of the books I read are 
> far from helpful, being almost offensive. He will be two years old when we 
> hike it and in extremely good shape. He climbs mountains about three to four 
> 
> times a week in the summer and two to three times in the winter and 
> absolutely loves it...he can handle class 2 stuff fine and a little class 3. 
> 
> He has also done fine doing really long mileages with lots of elevation 
> gain...like yesterday was like 20 miles with over 9000 ft total elevation 
> gain and he did awesome. So, I'm not too worried about him being fit enough, 
> 
> but I'm not sure what to do about his feet, backpack, or food.  Where in the 
> 
> world do you get ultra-light hiking gear for dogs? What is the lightest and 
> best food? Are boots enough, or does he need extra foot care? If anyone has 
> hiked the PCT with their dog, I would love to correspond with you!!!

It disturbs me to see dogs on the trail that are sore and unhappy.  Most of 
them don't want to be out there.  However, yours may be the exception.  Just be 
aware of your pet's condition and take care of it's needs.  The worst hassle 
with hiking the PCT with a dog seems to be the logistics of getting it around 
the areas (National Parks, mostly) where dogs are not allowed.  There is a lot 
of correspondence about all this in the archives, including some suggestions 
for boarding and transporting hikers' dogs.