I'm dreaming about the PCT in 2015. Which of you other HF'ers are thinking along these lines?
I'm dreaming about the PCT in 2015. Which of you other HF'ers are thinking along these lines?
It's a possibly/maybe for me, although I'm a little more inclined to skip the crowds and do the Sierra High Route. In which case I'd go to my ground setup.
I hear the PCT is hellish this year with everybody and their mother out there. If I do the PCT, it will be SOBO.
"eastern rain is made of skittles and one need only pack an appetite."
it sure does sound like there's a lot of hikers out there this year. haven't heard anyone saying it's hellish or even a bad thing. but i have seen a ton of concerned-parent traffic when people don't call Mommy on the expected intervals.
Rambling Hemlock and several others are hammocking the PCT this year. Here's her blog if you want hammock info.
Everyone ought to believe in something....I believe I'll go set up the hammock!
I'm planning on doing the HST in Aug 15...just have to figure out the car shuttle thing. East Sierra Transport (?) wants $800 for the shuttle...ouch.
You can see my gear list at http://postholer.com/slinging%20bull but I'll run down my setup for you here.
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[constructive] Feedback is always welcome.
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Still deciding what pack to take. Gonna get all my gear assembled and thoroughly vett it before I decide.
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Here's what I've got so far.
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05.6oz zPacks Asym Tarp, linelocs, Glowire, groundhogs, pr minibiners
00.7oz 3M polycryo window film "Welcome Mat"
06.6oz BIAS WeightWeenie Micro Hammock and Dynaglide Whoopies
04.4oz 5' Straps, Dutchclips & buckles, & a pair of dogbones
12.6oz Zpacks underquilt, 3/4-length, 20F
11.1oz hammockgear.com Burrow topquilt, short, 40F
07.0oz groundpad or bugnet-
so that's 3LBS TOTAL for shelter and insulation
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7oz ThermARest RidgeRest (plan to carry until I'm sure there's not too much competition for limited hanging spots. will drop at KM)
7oz NanoBuginator bugnet (probably will add at Kennedy Meadows for the buggy, buggy Sierra)
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I'll sleep with as many clothing items as required to make the light topquilt workable.
Did my first section, J, last September and I'll be doing Section H (Goat Rocks) next year. May or may not do K with partial snow. It would eat up a lot of Spring glacier skiing, which I'd rather be doing than drudging through fields in potential avy territory.
My section was pretty wet and it rocked the CA and TX thru-ers, many taking 0-days--or hittin' the hot springs! The Western WA and OR folk were right at home however. I found the hammock to be quite nice in the rain, so you'll be better off than most right off the bat! But you'll want to be able to set it up quickly, easily and likely in civil twilight depending on your mileage. That's pretty light gear already! What do you plan on averaging? I did notice an obvious difference in gear between the Cascadians and desert dwellers; I'd be sure to check out some gear lists by NW natives when you plan on going through here.
Most nights I found myself thanking ENO for a leak free tarp and DreamHammock for building a solid hammock that I had only laid in for 15 minutes. Because if something failed it would have been real rough, real quick. There's always the potential you'll end up bivying, so be ready for that. Like, actually do it before the trip. Maybe test your setup in a crummy weather this Fall/Winter? Mid-Late September through the Central and North Cascades is a gamble and primarily depends on your recent offerings to the rain shadow mistress of luck.
Thanks for that. I'm already wet- and cold- certified. Still trying to figure out what I can do that approximates my Lazy Slug Tube... without the 6.5 ounce weight penalty. Thinking a python-drybag-bishop sort of thing would be 2 or so ounces in cuben. But not sure that isn't kinda silly.
Sure have liked the LST on my weekend trips, though.
PCT Hammock Class of 2015, oh yeah! Daniel "Ratatouille" Hepokoski reporting for duty. Heading north from Campo sometime after Kick Off.
Been a hammock camper for 14 years. Ditched my bed 5 years ago. Recently hiked 300 miles of the PCT. Looking forward to doing the whole thing.
If I do any of the PCT this year, it'll probably be a fairly small section, close to home, from the Crystal Lake fish hatchery to Burney Falls. We're hoping to get the Scouts in shape enough to eventually hike the section between Castle Crags SP to McArthur/Burney Falls SP, but I don't think that'll happen this year.
“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”Ralph Waldo Emerson
--Guessing Emerson didn't practice Leave No Trace
In Nature there are neither rewards nor punishments, there are consequences. -- R.G. Ingersoll
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