[pct-l] Start time

[Diane Soini]

In my opinion, doing So cal in July and August would be miserable. And 
potentially deadly. June is about the end of the season for us. The PCT 
doesn't stay high enough in altitude long enough to make for a good trip 
at that time of year.

Couple years ago it was unseasonably cool in end of June, beginning of 
July so TrailHacker decided to hike Section C (I-10 to Big Bear area) 
starting around July 4. Well, the day we got there the unseasonably cool 
weather was over. It was 108 at 5pm when we got to the trailhead. We 
hiked a few hours and camped on the trail. It was too hot all night to 
cover your body. It did finally cool off sometime in the night and was 
pleasant in the morning. I said good-bye to him and went home. Later I 
got a call and he sounded like he was dying.

It had been about 120 degrees with some kind of heat index making it 
feel like I don't know, 150 or something ridiculous like that. He tried 
to get to Mission Creek because he'd be okay since there would be water 
available all day as he hiked into the altitude. But he could not make 
it. He got all confused and sort of lost and took a heat-muddled 
brainstorm of a shortcut that nearly killed him, back to Whitewater 
creek where he hunkered down under some kind of driftwood shelter and 
alternated between sitting in the water and sitting under the shelter.

Yeah, you don't want to have to experience that. Go do a section hike of 
the CDT instead. I highly recommend the Winds. That's the most gorgeous 
place I have ever been.

On 02/04/2014 06:00 PM, pct-l-request at backcountry.net wrote:
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 13
> Date: Mon, 3 Feb 2014 15:00:43 -0800 (PST)
> From: CClark<dr_carolyn at yahoo.com>
> Subject: Re: [pct-l] Start time
>
>
> So the only time we can get time off work is from mid June to mid August. ?Yet we are very eager to hike SoCal [either Sections A-B-D or D-E-F] because we have completed all the other sections of the PCT except those six.?
>
> Would we be really foolish to try to complete D-E-F between about June 14 to July 4? We are old, but we are still able to hike 20 miles a day carrying a full load of water.
>
> Is the water report still being updated that late in the season??
>
> C Clark