[pct-l] PCT Hiker Charter Inquiry

[dsaufley at sprynet.com (dsaufley@sprynet.com)]

Greetings! 

My name is Donna Saufley and my husband Jeff and I are hosts on the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), in Agua Dulce, California.  We put up hikers and offer a myriad of support services to them, at no charge.  We average 250+/- hikers a season, which for our sections of the PCT (D & E) thru-hiking season falls in May and June.  

There has been a tremendous amount of speculation about the snow pack in the Sierras this year, and many who have planned their hike this year are somewhat doubtful that a contiguous hike from the Mexican border north to Canada is going to be possible.  Some are planning to go the opposite way (southbound), but many are considering a "flip-flop", hiking north until (and if)  the snow stops them and then jumping up to the northern terminus and going south, giving time for the Sierra snow to melt.  They may decide to flip around to other points north, as well.

Right now it's anybody's guess what will happen with regard to additional snowfall and the speed of the snow melt-off.  Only time will tell.  So, most of the hikers who start heading north this year really won't know for sure until later on in the season, but are forming contingency plans now.  What's being discussed on a PCT email post group is coordinating transportation resources for those who opt to jump north, and Green Tortoise has been brought up a a possibility.  If a critical mass of hikers decides they want to flip-flop, arrangements can be made from our hostel.

Can you provide me with some general information on what you offer, specifically:

*     How far in advance does a charter need to be arranged?
*     What are the group size minimums and maximums?
*     What could fares potentially range from for a Kennedy Meadows pick-up (the southeastern Sierra Kennedy 
       Meadows) and a Manning Park, Canada drop off?  This I suspect would be a mufti-day journey.  
*     Would it also be possible for some hikers, who wish to get dropped off elsewhere, say perhaps in southern 
       Oregon, to do so?  

Thank you very much for taking the time to provide me with this information.  

-=Donna Saufley=-
Hiker Heaven, Agua Dulce, CA
661.268.1235