[pct-l] Late Season Hike of Sections A and B

[Tom Rogers <tfrogers@san.rr.com>]

Hello all.  I'm back on the list after a 17 day hike of sections A and
B.  First of all I'd like to thank all of you who answered my queries on
water status along the trail; that info was vital.  It's pretty dry out
there.  I'd also like to thank Paul Miller at Hikers' Oasis in Anza
(which I will describe in a separate post) for all his help.

Overall, it was an excellent hike, one I would characterize as an
unqualified success.  I think that several aspects of the hike may be of
interest to late season hikers, and for that matter, anyone leaving
Campo with the class of 2000.

1. Conditioning.  I hadn't done any substantial backpacking since
twisting a knee on a  trip in June, so I purposely planned to ease into
the hike and avoid any early overuse injuries.  After all, I wasn't
trying to get to Canada.  My solution was to hike only 10 miles per day
for the first 5 days, then ratchet up to 14-15.  Despite carrying extra
water weight, the results were outstanding.  I had no blisters, zero (I
also rotated socks and liners every 1-2 hours, and used Caldesene powder
on hot spots the first 2 days).  The low mileage and slow build-up also
resulted in negligible joint or muscle pain.

2. Water Sources.  Since on-trail water was so scarce, one of the
spin-offs of this trip was that I became much more comfortable making
dry camps.  In fact I only camped at water sources 3 nights the entire
hike.  I carried two 4 liter MSR Dromedary bags (an empty water bag is
also a very nice air pillow) and used a hydration tube and bite valve. 
I determined water usage at about 4 miles per liter drinking freely.  A
dry camp consumed 1.5 to 2 liters.  I only went dry once, about 1-2
miles south of Scissors Crossing.  On the Desert Divide, where the
springs are all well below the trail, I made my camps at trail elevation
and just carried water bags and filter to the sources.  The following is
a run down of current status of water sources (sorry about the length,
but it's complete): Campo Creek dry; "seasonal creeklet" at mile 3.5 is
flowing cool and clear (!) in its burned over ravine; Hauser Creek dry;
Lake Morena, Boulder Oaks, and Cibbits Flat Campgrounds have piped
water; Fred Canyon dry; Long Canyon Creek flowing nicely; Burnt
Rancheria closed; Desert View Picnic Area has running water; Pioneer
Mail has water at the spigot, but I tapped on the tank and it sounds
almost empty; I stashed 2 gallons of water about 6 miles north of
Pioneer Mail along Sunrise Highway to get through Chariot Canyon to
Scissors Crossing; Mason Valley Truck Trail firefighting water tank
spigot was covered and locked, but the concrete tank manway was not
locked and there appeared to be at least 2 ft of water in the bottom of
the tank; Chariot Canyon Creek dry, but there was some poor water a few
hundred yards upstream; Rodriguez Spur Truck Trail firefighting water
tank had good flow at the spigot, but the tank manway was locked (the
spigot was also lockable, so this source is not a sure bet); San Felipe
Creek (Scissors Crossing) running; Barrel Spring had a nice pencil
stream and the trough was full; Canada Verde Creek running; Agua
Caliente dry; Tule Spring burned over, but water available at the
spigot; Paul Miller (Hikers' Oasis) will stash water at the Anza Jeep
Road if you make prior arrangements; Tunnel Spring and Apache Spring
running adequately, I didn't visit Live Oak Spring or Cedar Spring;
Little Tahquitz Valley running; and Strawberry Cienaga running with a
nice catchable drop at the north side of the seep.

3. Fire Damage (since Robert Riess mentioned some concern).  There is a
recent chaparral burn that surrounds the Terminus Monument at Campo. 
When I was there, the aroma of the dusty smoke in the morning air seemed
to add a somber touch to the normal apprehension that marks the start of
a long hike.  A few miles down the trail, just across Campo Creek there
is a major burn that extends for a few miles.  The sandy PCT tread is
untouched as it winds through scorched earth following the contours that
stand out so plainly absent the chest high chaparral cover.  I don't
know exactly how long it's been since that fire, but tender new growth
is already sprouting from the scorched root crowns as the area is
rapidly refoliating.  Also, there is a very picturesque creeklet that
runs through the burn in a ravine lined with green grasses, cat tail
reeds, and poplars in their golden fall colors.  The most recent fire is
the chaparral burn north of Warner Springs that forced Marge off the
trail several weeks ago.  The net result was a few multi-acre areas on
hillsides within 100 yards of the trail are burned over, but there is no
impact to the trail itself.

4. Late Season.  If you want solitude, hike the trail in late season. 
Except for a few weekenders the trail was mine.  The weather was superb;
mostly 70's during the day and 40-50's at night.  Even the San Felipe
Hills didn't get over mid-80's.  The days are short so I had to start
early, be mindful of limited daylight and quit early.  The oaks in Long
Canyon, the Lagunas, and along the Desert Divide, as well as the
riparian species growing along many of the dry creeks were clothed in
gold in honor of fall, and the sound of leaves rustling on the trail is
a rarity in southern California.

Well, I guess that's a wrap.  It was a great trial for PCT2000.  Happy
trails, Tom
* From the Pacific Crest Trail Email List |  http://www.backcountry.net   *

==============================================================================