I’ve backpacked on most of the east coast trails.
Don’t have enough time to do the PCT. Someone I know suggested I try the Grand Enchatment Trail. I’m told that would give me the west coast backpacking experience.
Anybody have any advise or experiences to share?
Thanks
ThatGuy
Brett has a good website for the trail at http://www.simblissity.net/get/ and there is a yahoo group for it as well.
We hiked the westernmost section through the Superstitions and it was beautiful, if you like desert. The best time to hike is spring or fall as the trail does climb into snowy elevations and you hike through wet canyons in Aravaipa and the Gila.
The trail requires good navigation skills, even in the easiest section (Superstitions). The ARizona Trail is probably easier as it gets maintenance. The GET is a route, more than a trail.
Ginny
@ Thatguy - There’s always time on the PCT to get the west coast backpacking experience. No need to complete a thru-hike in order to accomplish a great deal and make some wonderful memories while gaining the kind of knowledge that would serve you well for further forays.
I wouldn’t recommend trying the GET, or even the AZT or CDT, as a first big hike out west. You probably wouldn’t enjoy it as much as the PCT, due to the significant challenges of routefinding, overgrown trails, roadwalking, harsh desert, and lack of infrastructure (social as well as logistical). It’s definitely an acquired taste, and the comparatively short length shouldn’t be the measure by which one gauges the feasibility of completing it.
Of course the GET could just as well turn about to be just you’re type of thing. But I wouldn’t necessarily bank on it either, especially if you’re just not sure and are seeking advice from other hikers.
blisterfree