[pct-l] Re: slugs, water near Upper Shake cg, shoe size

["Christine Kudija" <cmkudija@earthlink.net>]

How's that for a subject line!  This is what I get for subscribing to the
digest instead of the undigested version...lots to respond to!
Re: slugs - maybe somebody in Santa Cruz, CA could start a business...y'know
the mascot for UC Santa Cruz is the banana slug....
Re: water near Upper Shake cg (Sawmill Mtn area around Lake Elizabethish...)
This info is from Pete Fish, who sent it to me today:

"I can't add much about water availability at Upper Shake Campground (map
E-7), nothing has changed and  if the coming season is dry it could be hit
or miss, as you know.    During early season for the last couple of years I
have noticed trickles of  water crossing the PCT in the drainage
re-entrants SE, S, and SW above U. Shake Campground but i would not count on
it.

I would recommend northbounders having plenty of water when they leave
Elizabeth Canyon Road (and Lake Hughes), or for southbounders when you
start up from Pine Canyon Road.  You might luck out as I did and find a
camper in the Sawmill Campground who gave me a gallon of cold water on a
hot day."

Last - shoe size - Like bj, I do the pumps & pantyhose thing at work (ok,
guys, you don't have to read this far!)  Right after getting back to work in
'94 I could barely squeeze into my dress shoes.  However, my feet gradually
"shrank" - stopping the sledgehammer of the trail probably made a
difference! - and the dress shoes fit fine (although they are NEVER
comfortable and I avoid them when I can!) by November or December.  So Deb,
don't worry about your feet staying "stretched."
However, on the trail I did try the Jardine way - using New Balance trail
running shoes.  These worked fine for everything except snow & the somewhat
rockier trails in the Sierra.  And I have extremely wimpy feet. There are so
many more options (even for us female-types) out there in trail running
shoes that I'd definitely use them again.  I grew to like having the ankle
flexibility!  I used lightweight onesport (now Montrail, I think) boots for
the Sierras, but found that my feet hurt & cramped much more in them.  The
low-cut hiking shoes I have now (onesport "vitesse" I think) are heavier
than a trail running shoe but have good flexibility.  I'd definitely look
into using these for another distance hike.

Go slugs!

Christine Kudija
0951 Palatine Hill Road
Portland, OR  97219
503.697.7395

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