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[pct-l] Where to start?

Sat, 13 Sep 1997 Josh Little <design@wave.co.nz> wrote:

>However, as I sit here in New Zealand I can't help wonder - where do I
start? 

Gidday Mate! 

The short answer is, of course, Campo California, about 30 miles east of
San Diego.

The Long Answer. You will need to buy at least two books: the wilderness
press PCT guide books, volume 1(California) and 2 (Oregon and Washington).
I would also suggest buying Jardine's PCT Hikers Handbook. They should give
you the big picture. You will need the guidebooks to do the hike, there is
NO WAY to do it without them. There is supposed to be a new Vol 2 out soon,
so you might want to wait till it is published. Vol 1 contains most of the
planning stuff you will need, so get it right away even if you decide to
wait on Vol 2.

If you have difficulty getting the books, you can order them from the PCTA
store See: http://www.gorp.com/pcta/store.htm for the selection and contact
info. They don't have online ordering, but they do have a fax number. If
you don't have web access, drop me a private note and I will help you out.

Also, have you seen the online resources on the PCTA web pages? I would
especially suggest the hikers pages in the PCTA Adventure Online section of
the links pages.

A few comments. I used to live down your way, in Wellington and Mt Cook,
and I can tell you there is NOTHING in your lovely country to prepare you
for the first 800-1000km of the trail. You just don't have desert like we
do. If you have ever done any tramping in Aus  in January, you might have a
vague hint of what you are getting into. 50km at 40C  without water is not
uncommon.

If you are planning on a trek in 98, be warned that Southern California is
expecting the wettest winter in recorded history due to an extreme El Nino
current in the Pacific. The last time this happened we got LOTS of snow in
the So-Cal mountains, but the Northern Sierra was below normal. This is of
concern because of snow on the trail's higher elevations.

This list is the right place to ask, so you will get good information 



--
Brick Robbins
San Diego, CA          
brick@ix.netcom.com              
http://www.netcom.com/~brick 
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