Re: [pct-l] the Pacific Crest Trail

[Dude Spellings <dude1@pdq.net>]

> We had a great time and my personal aim is to do it again, solo. I am
> considering the JMT and the Tahoe-Yosemite at the same time.  What were your
> experiences? Did you go North to South? How did you resupply?

That is what I did.  First, I did the Tahoe-Yosemite.  Then I did the JMT.  We
did go North to South.  I started in Meeks Bay, Lake Tahoe and finished at The
Whitney Portal.  I didn't do them exactly back to back because I had only
planned to do the TYT.  When I got back, I received a post from this list from
someone looking for a partner to do the JMT.  I was so pumped about the TYT,
that I immediately responded to the post and drove back out two weeks later to
start the JMT.  I had a GREAT time on both trails.  I met several through-hikers
and learned a lot about myself and hiking in general.  The weather was extremely
different on the two trails.  The TYT was much warmer, as it is roughly about
3000ft lower than the JMT.  Also, we did the JMT a little later in the season
(Sep. 2- 15).  Also, it rained 7 of 12 days on the JMT and was overcast and cold
10 of the 12 days.  The TYT was beautiful, sunny, not a cloud in the sky, except
for the lsat day it rained for about 1 hour in the afternoon.  We actually saw
much more snow on the TYT, maybe because it is farther north?  The abundant snow
this past winter made for beautiful hiking: There were lots of flowers and
vegetation, as well as an abundance of water for drinking.  The rain also, added
to the mosquito problem.  The absolute worst place on the whole trip for
mosquitoes was the meadow just south of Smedberg Lake about 20 miles north of
Glen Aulin.  They were so thick there that we were running through the meadow
swatting at the mosquitoes with our hats and i still managed to swallow 100's of
them with my mouth closed.  There were really dense clouds and clouds of the
little critters - it was a nightmare.  We saw absolutely no bears on the TYT and
only one on the JMT, at Cathedral Lakes between Yosemite Village and Toulumne
Meadows(they are notorious along this stretch of trail).  I am not condoning any
particular method of food storage. But I will say what worked for me:  Sleeping
with the food, no cooking in camp, no campfires, and no camping in popular
campsites(as discussed in Jardine's book).

Also, I hiked the TYT with conventional backpacking techniques, and did the JMT
using Ultra-Light techniques, mostly found in Jardine's book and from talking to
other hikers.  I liked the pack-weight and the ease of packing with less gear,
etc.  I will continue to use many of these techniques, as well as the
smaller/lighter pack that I bought(Osprey Aether, 1lb 9 oz).  However, I didn't
like using running shoes instead of boots.  The soles of the shoes are just not
stiff enough to protect my feet from the sharp, pointy rocks that are so
abundant in the Sierras.  Also, walking in the snow with the running shoes was
quite uncomfortable and scary at times.  In comparing the bottom line in
footwear performance, my feet felt better at the end of the day wearing the
boots than wearing the running shoes.  That is the bottom line for me: which one
feels better on my feet.  I liked the waterproofness that boots provide as well
as the protection from the rough terrain.  In addition, the sole of the running
shoe did not give me as much confidence as the boots.  I think that I will try
some of the new "Trail-Blazer"  type shoes that look like running shoes, but
incorporate stiffer materials for the harsher terrain on mountain travel.  Does
anyone have anything to offer on this topic, like direct experience using these
types of shoes?

As far as resupply points go, I have two different points of view here too.  On
the TYT, I planned everything out ahead of time and mailed packages to Three
different supply points.  During the JMT hike, we just started hiking and bought
food at the grocery stores in the small towns along the way.  There are plusses
and minuses to both styles.  I liked knowing that our next stop would have the
food I sent and that it would be suited for the trip since I sent it.  But going
to the grocery store didn't really cause any problems, and we had enough food
and really always found a store.  I lost 15lbs on the JMT when we relied on
grocery stores, but when I sent my food ahead I didn't seem to loose as much
weight.  However, the weight loss could be due to the fact that the JMT was
basically the second leg of the trip and simply the product of spending 26 days
in the back country as opposed to the first 14 days for the TYT.  The downfall
to sending the food ahead was that one of our hikers quit and Day 5, so we had a
ton of extra food at every stop.  We didn't have to carry it, but it cost a lot
and was a hassle to send it back when the place didn't have a hiker's box.
Also, when you send the food ahead, you take the risk of growing tired of the
food that you have.  That happened to us.  When we relied on the grocery stores,
we could change what we ate very stop rather than being stuck with what we sent.

As far as the actual locations of the resupply points, they are as follows:

TYT:
1.  Echo Lakes Resort
2.  Lake Alpine Resort
3.  Kennedy Meadows Resort(not the one south of the Sierras, this one is on
Highway 108 west of Sonora Pass)

JMT:
1.  Tuolumne Meadows
2.  Red's Meadow/Mammoth Lakes
3.  Vermillion Bay Resort - http://www.edisonlake.com
4.  City of Independence on 395

If you need more info on the resupply points, I have all the addresses and phone
numbers for the TYT resupplies.  Let me know if anyone needs it and I will find
the info and post it.


peace,
Dude in TX

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