[pct-l] First Thru-Hike 2012; Start Date?

[Lee Staley]

Hey Jace, I second what Eric said, plus start getting out to the local mountains etc on the weekends and doing all the hiking that you can, overnighters and plus, to get used to your gear and used to hiking for multiple days.

Get a good headlamp and use it to hike some in the predawn hours and after evening-tide for an hour or 2 into the night.  You can still get in the miles in mid to late May by hiking in the cool early and late hours .  Like Eric indicated, don't rely on water caches, get fit enough to hike the big miles between natural water sources.  Be mentally prepared to go off the trail 1-2 miles to a natural source, when necessary.

Decide that you are really going to do this and get it all sorted out how it's going to happen by the end of January 2012.  Your primo thing is to graduate without too much senior-istists - and then to take off on the PCT as icing on the cake.  Expect obstacles and challenges...and stay flexible....

Best Luck, Cruz Control

 
On Jul 14, 2011, at 9:26 PM, Eric Lee wrote:

> As you've probably noticed some recent threads, there are a wide variety of opinions on start dates. Mid May is very doable, though not the most popular time. It'll be a little hotter and you'll have to walk a little faster, but you'll also have less snow to deal with.
> 
> As for water caches, you should never rely on them anyway. They're never guaranteed to be stocked at any time. Think of them as a nice bonus, not a survival mechanism.
> 
> Cost can be controlled to some extent if you avoid towns, but at a minimum you have to buy food and replace worn out gear (especially shoes). Average cost is probably around 1.5 to 2 dollars per mile all up, but can vary quite a lot.
> 
> Eric
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Jace Mullen
> Sent: Tuesday, July 12, 2011 2:52 PM
> To: pct-l at backcountry.net
> Subject: [pct-l] First Thru-Hike 2012; Start Date?
> 
> Hey Team.
> 
> I am 17 years old and am planning on (if I can save the money) to hike
> the PCT as soon as I graduate from high school. I live in San Diego so
> I can start pretty much the day after I graduate. The problem is that
> I don't graduate until mid-may. I am a little bit worried that this
> might be too late to start.
> 
> One of my worries is that because of the late start, the water caches
> that I have heard so many people rely on will be nonexistent.
> 
> My hope is that with a May 15-17th (ish) start I can catch up to the
> herd by kennedy meadows. Does this sound reasonable?
> 
> Are there any other issues that I will run into with such a late start?
> 
> Also, approximately how much should I be saving? I'm planning on
> getting a job at a gear shop or something to make money. I don't know
> if it will be enough though.
> 
> Thanks!
> 
> -Jace
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