[pct-l] PCT questions: the variety pack

[CHUCK CHELIN]

Good morning, Casey,

Question No. 1 -- Rivers:  Stream flow in the Sierra varies greatly with
the time of day, the day of the hiking season, and with a particular year’s
snowpack.  http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=265511

You didn’t say if you were a normal NoBo PCT hiker – or as “normal” as a
PCT hiker ever is – who crosses the Sierra early in the season, or if you
are a summer JMT-type who hikes after the greater part of the snowpack has
already melted.  You also didn’t say if you were hiking this year, which is
looking to be a very low snow season.

If you are hiking this year with the bulk of the NoBo' the answer to your
question is: there won’t be any treacherous crossings.  Maybe at the
Evolution Creek or Bear Creek crossings you will find knee-deep water in
the afternoon, but that’s about it.

Question No. 2 – Female Calories:  I’m a male.

Question No. 3 – Snakes in the bag:  I’ve been sleeping under the stars in
the mountain and desert West since the 1950’s and have never had – or even
heard of – a snake crawling in a sleeping bag. I’ve had a few ants now and
then if I didn’t select my bed-site with care, but never a snake, scorpion,
or any other such little folk.

Enjoy your planning,

Steel-Eye

-Hiking the Pct since before it was the PCT – 1965

http://www.trailjournals.com/steel-eye
http://www.trailjournals.com/SteelEye09/

On Wed, Apr 17, 2013 at 6:05 AM, Casey Mangnall <mangler06 at yahoo.com> wrote:

> 1. Rivers: Where are some of the more treacherous river crossings in the
> Sierras? (i.e. crossings where the water is swift and deep)
>
> 2. Calories: I'd like some feedback from female hikers regarding  how many
> calories they consumed per day and how many miles/day they hiked on their
> PCT thru-hike.
>
> 3. Snakes in a sleeping bag?: It sounds like a horrifying sequel to that
> other movie "Snakes on a Plane"...tell me it's an urban myth. Most of my
> time camping in the desert has been in the winter, so I've stayed in a
> tent. I prefer cowboy camping when I can, but I'm new to camping in the
> desert in late spring. It seems highly unlikely that I would wake up with a
> rattlesnake in my sleeping bag, but I've heard stories, so I just wanted to
> hear from others who cowboy camp that it is in fact perfectly fine to
> cowboy camp in the desert.
>
> 4. Ice axe and microspikes: I saw a question sent out earlier regarding
> this topic, but I don't remember reading any responses. Are other hikers
> carrying one or both of these items through the Sierras this year? Any
> input from previous thru-hikers? (I know how to use both an ice axe and
> trekking pole for self arrest, but I feel more confident in my skills with
> an ice axe.)
>
> Thanks!
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