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[pct-l] Hello to list...and a few comments



Hello list!

I'm Chris Bailey and I thru-hiked the PCT last summer from Mexico to Canada along with my partner, Jenelle Wilhelm.  We're now on-line and wanted to say howdy to the list.  (I (Chris) also thru-hiked the AT in '95 using the trail name "Tahoma.")  We have a website which contains a lot of journals entries from over the course of our hike at http://www.skydivenet.com/pcthike if anyone's looking for some reading.  (The site has a few problems at the moment which I hope to work out in the next couple of weeks.)

To put my two cents in on a couple of threads:  

1)  Ice Axes and Self-Arrest:  No one ever mentions it, but if you're in a position where you might have to self-arrest, I think it's really good practice to wear gloves or mitts.  It will be less painful to grip your axe firmly and you'll be less likely to lose knuckle skin on icy slopes.  Gloves or mitts will be safer if they have a grippy palm.  Also, if you are well-practiced at the technique of "self-belaying," you may be able to avoid the ass-over-teakettle-type slides in the first place.  Finally, ski areas can  make a pretty good place to practice without tremendous risk:  steep, groomed slopes with a good run-out can simulate the kind of terrain where you might need ice axe skills.  Obviously, ski areas may not want you there (though if they are operating on Forest Service land, like Stevens Pass, Washington, they really can't tell you to leave unless you're wallowing around a busy run for hours on a Saturday), but after they close for the season they probably won't care and there will probably still be some icy slopes around for awhile.

2) Bears and Bear-Bagging:  If you're hiking outside of griz country (meaning where there is a confirmed population, not just theoretical range) and you're not travelling in areas where bears have become habituated and routinely cause problems, then my personal feeling is skip the bear-bagging and cylinders.  I dislike bagging because I think most determined bears still get the food and that just compounds the problem of habituated bears.  I would use a cylinder in problem areas and griz country despite the weight, though we didn't use one on our thru-hike (we were thru the KM to Tahoe stretch early in a heavy snow year).  It seems that in griz country, an entirely unique set of techniques are needed for how and when to cook, eat, and camp.  But in the vast bulk of U.S. backcountry, I feel better with my food nearby where I can keep an eye on it and protect it from rodents, black bears and other marauders.  Lots of very sauvy, experienced backcountry travellers disagree with me, I know, but I guess this is just one of those things you have to develop your own feel for.

3)  Camping Near Campo:  I hiked this stretch in both '97 and '98 and camped within a few miles of the highway in '97.  It will be pretty obvious where the illegals are travelling, and it often doesn't correspond with the PCT.  I think if you avoid their obvious paths (which often follow the bottoms of ravines) you can camp reasonably safely around here (and there are some nice spots, some with water nearby depending on the year).  I'd be a little wary of Hauser Canyon just due to the road traffic...we met some "interesting" -- though not threatening -- locals there in '98.  All this said, if you camp too near Campo, the helicopters, airplanes and patrol vehicles might disturb your first night's sleep.

I'll shut up now...  Chris
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