[pct-l] Thru hiker questions, snow-related

Sat Jan 16 13:15:20 CST 2010

Hi, Ken!

Good questions.

We offer our Snow Courses to especially benefit thru hikers on the PCT and 
CDT. We have found that those immediately before a hiker's start date work 
best for them because they can attend the Course and carpool south to their 
border start. Most of the time several of the students in these courses are 
planning on doing the same, so it is easy to set them all into this carpool 
arrangement through group email communication.

At this point, the 4/16 Snow Course is full to the brim, but the 4/9 and 4/2 
weekends still have some room. 3/26 is nearly full.

What we encourage thru hikers to consider is starting their hikes earlier 
than the herd that typically leaves after the Kickoff at Morena with the 
rationale of, whether they encounter 6" or 6 feet of snow along the way, 
they'll have the knowledge, experience, and wisdom of having already trained 
in it, so hiking through it won't matter to their security and confidence. 
If they attend a Snow Course even as much as 2 or 4 weeks ahead of the KO, 
they can still hitch back to it from wherever they are on the northbound 
trail so they can enjoy its camaraderie and hitch back after to where they 
left the trail. Even arriving at KM ahead of the "ideal summer trail" date 
won't matter either. All in all, if they start "early," they will also be 
lowering their daily required mileage by extending the total length of their 
hiking season, and that can be a good thing.

It is very common for our students to fly into Reno, rent a car, and drive 
up to South Lake Tahoe, renting snowshoes and buying fuel in town before 
going up to the Echo Lake Sno-Park trailhead.

Take a look at the dates of the Snow Courses at 
http://postholer.com/SnowTravel and let us know which one works best for 
you!

Ned & Juliee Tibbits
Mountain Education
South Lake Tahoe, Ca

----- Original Message ----- 
From: <krb84108 at yahoo.com>
To: <ned at pacificcrestcustombuilders.com>
Sent: Friday, January 15, 2010 11:40 AM
Subject: Re: [pct-l] Thru hiker questions, snow-related

Hi Ned

Quick question about your course.  I notice you do one not too far from the 
kickoff. Is this typical?  Time off at work is nearly impossible to get (one 
of the many reason I want to get out and hike).  I'm thinking instead of 
flying I could take a bus to Tahoe then bus to Campo (or close to it anyway) 
from there.  Do you think this is possible?

Thanks

Ken

--- On Fri, 1/15/10, ned at pacificcrestcustombuilders.com 
<ned at pacificcrestcustombuilders.com> wrote:

> From: ned at pacificcrestcustombuilders.com 
> <ned at pacificcrestcustombuilders.com>
> Subject: Re: [pct-l] Thru hiker questions, snow-related
> To: krb84108 at yahoo.com
> Date: Friday, January 15, 2010, 10:59 AM
> Hi, Ken!
>
> Thanks for your encouragement. If we don't see you this
> season, we'll probably catch you at the KO...
>
> Ned
> ----- Original Message ----- From: <krb84108 at yahoo.com>
> To: <ned at pacificcrestcustombuilders.com>
> Sent: Friday, January 15, 2010 5:51 AM
> Subject: Re: [pct-l] Thru hiker questions, snow-related
>
>
> Excellent resource Mtn Ned! I hope I can make it to
> one of the courses prior to hiking. I think this would be
> very valuable. If it was closer to me I'd be at the
> next one for sure. Thanks again and hope to see you at
> one of the courses.
>
> Thanks again
>
> Ken
>
> --- On Thu, 1/14/10, ned at pacificcrestcustombuilders.com
> <ned at pacificcrestcustombuilders.com>
> wrote:
>
> > From: ned at pacificcrestcustombuilders.com
> <ned at pacificcrestcustombuilders.com>
> > Subject: Re: [pct-l] Thru hiker questions,
> snow-related
> > To: krb84108 at yahoo.com,
> pct-l at backcountry.net
> > Date: Thursday, January 14, 2010, 2:18 PM
> > Hi, Ken!
> >
> > For any of your snow-related questions, you'll find
> > relevant and practical answers at http://postholer.com/SnowTravel. We 
> > offer free, 3-day
> > snow skills training courses for all hikers who wish
> to
> > extend their backpacking season into and through the
> winter
> > months or those, like yourself, who will be
> thru-hiking a
> > long trail and won't be able to avoid large or long
> patches
> > of snow on the Passes (or worse). Ours is a
> non-profit
> > business that hopes to improve the pleasure, safety,
> and
> > enjoyment of your trip by practical skills training.
> >
> > Mtnned
> >
> > ----- Original Message ----- From: <krb84108 at yahoo.com>
> > To: <pct-l at backcountry.net>
> > Sent: Thursday, January 14, 2010 7:42 AM
> > Subject: [pct-l] Thru hiker questions
> >
> >
> > > Hello everyone!
> > >
> > > I am looking at doing a thru hike in 2011 and
> I’d
> > like to start getting budget/gear list together. I
> > have found a lot of information already but wanted to
> talk
> > to more people who have actually done it. I bought an
> > older version of Yogi’s handbook and am probably
> going to
> > get the PCT Atlas but wanted to get more beta and
> thoughts
> > than what are provided in these guides.
> > >
> > > -Are traction aids required starting in Kennedy
> > Meadow?
> > > -If so would Katoohla Micro Spikes meet this
> need?
> > > -Is an ice axe necessary and if so from where to
> where
> > on the trail?
> > > -I was looking at getting a bag that can take me
> down
> > to 25-30 F and still be warm. Is this a good target?
> > > -I was planning on using a Neoair for my pad.
> > Any thoughts on this surviving the trip or parts of
> the trip
> > (say North of Kennedy Meadows)?
> > > -About how many pairs of footwear should I budget
> for
> > the thru hike?
> > > -Is good replacement footwear easy to do on the
> trail
> > or do I need to plan on shipping myself some on the
> hike?
> > > -I will probably be using my esbit stove along
> the
> > trail I’m guessing I will need to plan on shipping
> myself
> > tabs along the way. Am I correct in this assumption?
> > > -I’ve seen a lot of estimates for cost to hike
> the
> > trail and while I admit it’s going to vary from
> person to
> > person, how much should I budget for assuming I have
> all my
> > gear to start out with? If you could break this into
> > approximate $ for food, hostels, etc and resupply
> gear
> > (shoes/socks/anything that breaks) it would be
> helpful.
> > >
> > > Thanks in advance for any help. If I’m posting
> > this in the wrong place please point me in the right
> > direction.
> > >
> > > Best
> > >
> > > Ken
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > _______________________________________________
> > > Pct-l mailing list
> > > Pct-l at backcountry.net
> > > http://mailman.backcountry.net/mailman/listinfo/pct-l
> > >
> >
> >
>
>
>
>
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