[pct-l] Tailend Charlie ???

[Karl Brandt <brandt@snf.Stanford.EDU>]

This weekend while out peak bagging near Sonora Pass, I ran across
what I believe to be the last northbound thru-hiker of the year. It
was Kristian Whitsett who was previously on this list. Due to school,
he was unable to leave Campo until June 9. 

After talking with him at the pass, he headed out about a minute ahead
of me while I continued to fool with my day pack. After about an
hour's worth of walking, I managed to catch back up on the switchback
before the Wolf Creek saddle. He said that I was the first person to
actually catch him the whole trip. Of course, I never would have been
able to do that with a full pack. :-)

He had been hiking alone the whole trip but was dealing with it fairly
well. Also, he said that he was shooting for a 4 month schedule and
was somewhat close to it. He was in good shape and didn't have any
serious problems. Still I suspect he's going to need a bit of luck
with the Fall weather in Washington to make it to Manning Park. I
certainly wish him the best of luck.

As far as trail conditions go, the trail was in good shape. There was
just a single patch of snow between Sonora Pass and the Wolf Creek
saddle. The snow patches on the east side of Sonora Peak which the
guide book describes as potentially hazardous were all small enough to
be easily crossed. 

-Karl

*********************************************************************
Karl "Birdman" Brandt PCT97 LT98                       (650) 725-3686
http://gump1.stanford.edu/kbrandt/

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