Re: [pct-l] pct through-hike questions, equipment list; some thoughts

["The Weathercarrot" <weathercarrot@hotmail.com>]

Hey there, 

you asked:


>2. what range of dates do the south-north through hikers plan to
   start on this year?  i was tentatively planning the first week
   in may?  i realize that we have to wait for april to see what
   the snow-pack is to be sure.  

The extreme range northbound is between late March and early June, with 
most leaving in the month between April 12th and May 12th. It all 
depends on the snow year. You don't want to leave too early because of 
left over snow, but you also don't want to leave too late because of 
less water (although some prefer those conditions, especially early 
season snow). This makes the window fairly small.

>3. how do you go about verifying that you can ship stuff to the drop
   points that ray's book lists?  do you call each one to make sure they 
are still accepting parcels?  (seems like a lot of work)  or
   does someone have a list of changes from what is in the last
   handbook?

For PO's it's fairly reliable each year, and for the rest of them, 
besides people on this list, the PCTA is a good source for updates, 
including Leslie's town guide (with '99 supplement).

>4. are there any web sites which have useful information for
   a through-hiker?  i've seen www.pcta.org, www.backpacking.net
   (very useful), www.rei.com, lots of other gear vendor's web
   pages, and ray's web page (don't have the  url on me).

There's also some other classics: Mark's pct snow page, Craig's planning 
guide, and ALDHA-West's site. I'm sure someone could write in those 
addresses for you. I'm a bit short on time to do the cut and paste thing 
right now... :-)

hope that helps,

wc

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