[pct-l] Winter Hiking the Mojave?

[Marian Harmon]

I live in the area...about 20 miles from the start of Section F at
HWY58/Cameron Canyon.It is *very* possible to hike out here, even preferred
by many, this time of year. In fact, this time of year is the "busy" season
out here for many outdoor enthusiasts. Primarily, you'll see mountain
bikers and off-roaders with their giant RVs and toy haulers, but there are
plenty of hikers and trail runners, too. The only thing to consider is that
it can, and does, snow. The trail saw a nice little snow storm the first
week of December and several of the roads were closed (Tehachapi/Willow
Springs) for a short time. It doesn't stick around long, though... and
right now, there really isn't any snow to be found in the area, even at the
higher elevations. We've had pretty warm weather the last week or so. Of
course, if you're overnighting outside... be prepared because our overnight
temps are well below freezing. I think that's really the biggest
consideration, really... the massive 30-50+ degree temperature swings. That
and the coyotes. We are coming up to the start of coyote mating season and
it's very possible to see pairs of coyotes together this time of year, and
the lack of water may increase your chance of encountering them near the
cow tanks or the aqueduct. Other than that, I wouldn't worry about them
much.

As a general rule, you can definitely hike out here, just be aware of the
weather report first because winter storms, with the wind, can make for
some pretty crazy conditions and most locals (outside of the ones living
right in the hills) are NOT equipped to handle winter weather travel, nor
do they even know how to drive in snow. The usual water caches exist,
though they are usually a lot smaller. Last I looked at the HWY58 cache,
there were about 6 gallons there. Also, most of the faucets and such are
often shut off for the winter or frozen. Honestly, though, there are so
many off-roaders out here this time of year that you shouldn't have any
trouble with water.


On Tue, Dec 31, 2013 at 10:38 AM, Ron Graybill <rgraybill44 at gmail.com>wrote:

> Would winter hiking be feasible from Highway 138 (Mile 517) up to Highway
> 58 (Mile 566)?  There is a patch that gets up to 6000 feet or more, so I
> suppose it depends on snow levels for that part?
> Ron "Slo Charger" Graybill
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