[pct-l] G'day and some questions

[Diane at Santa Barbara Hikes dot com]

On Mar 1, 2010, at 2:55 AM, pct-l-request at backcountry.net wrote:
>
> My first is to do with sleeping bags.
We usually talk in fahrenheit. It can be below freezing or close to  
it in the southern portion of the trail. The coldest night I ever  
spent on the trail was at Lake Morena, which is most people's 1st or  
2nd stop on the trail. I was snowed on for several days in the  
Wrightwood area.

I've been in Death Valley in April and been well below freezing at  
night. The desert everyone talks about is much higher than Death  
Valley and further inland from the coast than Los Angeles which has  
its temperatures moderated by the ocean.

You Aussies might be more hard core than many of us Merkins, so you  
might do ok with a 40 degree bag, but I would expect most nights for  
the first 2 months to be at or well below 40 degrees. If you can  
bring insulated pants to sleep in, the 40 degree bag might actually  
be ideal since you can go without the pants in July when it is warmer.

>
> My next question is to do with Gaitors.
Low gaiters are fine. High ones might be too hot, but I have a friend  
who always wears high gaiters so if you like them, then bring them.  
You mainly want them to keep stuff out of your shoes. You can go  
without them entirely, too.

I wouldn't worry about rattlesnakes. They will warn you long before  
they strike, and they are very reluctant to strike. Most people who  
get bitten get bitten on their hands and have alcohol on their  
breath. Last words being, "Hey Bubba, watch this!" You can simply  
wait for them to pass or toss a few rocks in their direction. I  
actually saw/heard very few rattlesnakes. I was surprised by that. I  
saw more rosy boas than rattlesnakes, and those are supposed to be rare.

You'll likely not be very much alone when you begin. I thought I was  
going to the wilderness to hike alone for a while and was really  
surprised the first 700 miles was more like a party on foot. I met  
people every day and camped alone only once or twice the first 700  
miles.

I met a man in 2008 from Italy who brought a full SLR camera and  
lenses. I bet he got amazing pictures. This trail is designed for  
cameras, that's for sure.

Good luck!
Diane