[pct-l] 5 day trip for beginner

[Diane Soini of Santa Barbara Hikes]

Do you want to hike right now or in the Spring/summer months? Do you  
want to hike on the PCT or around Santa Barbara? If you want to hike  
right now and near Santa Barbara, get one of Bryan Conant's  
backcountry maps, either the San Rafael or Dick Smith, and get the  
Tom Harrison Sespe Wilderness map. Then plan out a 5-day trip of your  
choice. Daily mileage in the San Rafael/Dick Smith should be kept  
around 10 miles because the trails are not in good shape. Routes that  
involve hiking along rivers can be dangerous during storms.  
Otherwise, there are some great routes, including:
- Sisquock loop (San Rafael - Manzana trail and Sisquoc trail) or  
upper Sisquoc
- Anything involving Manzana trail and the part of Hurricane Deck  
between Potrero Trail and Manzana Schoolhouse (makes a nice loop)
- Sespe Trail (Sespe Wilderness - has hot springs)
- Piedra Blanca trail, including the Fishbowls (Sespe)

You probably know all this but I'm sharing in case anyone else is  
looking for some off-season hiking.

Otherwise, you could try section A on the PCT or wait for spring and  
try just about anything on the So Cal PCT or wait for summer and try  
just about anything in Central and Northern California. Your mileages  
can exceed 10 on the PCT way easier than on any trails near Santa  
Barbara, so the route is kinda up to you to make. If driving distance  
is no object and you want to see something other than the Sierras, my  
vote is for anywhere north of Sierra City in summer and anything  
around San Jacinto and Big Bear in spring.

Enjoy.

On Dec 15, 2011, at 10:00 AM, pct-l-request at backcountry.net wrote:

> Hello, I have just started getting into backpacking and am looking  
> for a good 5 day introduction hike to start me off. I am in good  
> condition and can easily cover over 20 miles a day. A hike within  
> California is preferable (I live in the Santa Barbara area). Any  
> suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
>
> -Travis