When you are making a dry camp by yourself (solo) on the trail…………do you hide your camp from the trail if possible ? Or do you camp
in plain view of the trail ? I can see advantages on both sides……….i.e. if hidden then you are not as likely to bothered by strangers or large
animals using the trail at night…….whereas if you are in plain view and need help then you could hail someone on the trail or rescuers
could find you easier…………
Which is the better strategy ?
thanks
Maybe
I never felt a need to hide for safety. Campsites should be located a respectful distance from the trail. Your camp shouldn’t become part of someone else’s trail experience. I’d be more concerned about proximity to roads, rather than the trail, for safety. Anyone out really hiking the backcountry isn’t going to be out to “get you”. Same with animals if you don’t use your food bag as a pillow.
There’s always the social aspect of a long hike. Some hikers like to hike alone, but socialize at the end of the day. You might pitch your camp so it can be seen by friendly hikers.
I think most PCT hikers have ended up pitching right in the middle of the trail at least once. There are some very long traverses of steep hillsides, like around Shasta, with no available camping. After sunset, a section of wide trail or rare switchback is a welcome sight. Get up early and no one will ever know. There really aren’t that many people out there.
I don’t quite understand the second part of the question–why would you need help after pitching camp? But if you’re concerned about sudden illness or trauma in camp, by all means camp accordingly.
Garlic
A lot of jurisdictions want you to camp 100 or even 200 feet away from the trail. In Washington’s Wenatchee NF-Naches Ranger District there is a wilderness ranger (known locally as Barry the B****) who uses a tape measure!
grannyhiker
Most PCT hikers have done some kind of night hiking, therefore you will most likely have people walking through your camp at night if you trail camp often. If you don’t know the hikers it’s sort of an odd sensation to walk through someone’s trail camp while night hiking (vice-versa… to have someone walk through yours.)
A lot of animals use the trail at night to hunt/forage for food. Not that these animals will ignore you, but you will take yourself out of their direct path by camping 100 yards from the trail. Many over used campsites also suffer from local animal invasions at night. My major concern for animals is they destroy gear and eat supplies.
I guess you have to worry about rangers, it is pretty standard for the accepted limit of camp to be 100-200 yards from trail, and you can get a ticket. But if you plop down in the middle of the trail, in the middle of the day, you’re a moron. Just do it at sundown. Chances a ranger is roaming at this time of day is about nill unless you’re someplace like Yosemite or Whitney. And if they stumble on you, use the defenseless- PCT- hiker- who-got- in- over- his/her- head- routine. In this case (e.g.) “I was hiking and I couldn’t find a spot anywhere so I kept hiking, (sound worried here) then it was getting darker and darker and I kept going faster and faster but still no spots, (look exasperated here) and so I just had to plop down here cause I was kinda lost, my map said there was a camping spot that I must of missed and I didn’t want to stumble and fall in the dark, mister/miss ranger.” Will usually work.
If you are worried that something bad will happen to you during the middle of the night, well that is the dilemma that all hikers face. I’m not a purist and therefore I often stray from the PCT2000 which often leads to some crazy bushwhacks. These bushwhacks are notorious for leading me to some odd, remote, trail-less campsites where I wonder if anyone would ever find my remains if I were to disappear here during the night. That being said, If you can’t crawl or yell 100 yards back to the trail you probably will not make it even if you had been on the trail when this awful event happened.
Which means it’s all in your head…
(x=wuss, y=balls)
A. if you camp on trail…
Ax. …You’re afraid of the woods
Ay. …You’re not afraid of any po-po (not poo-poo)
B. if you camp 100 yds from trail…
Bx. …You’re paranoid that the po-po and/or redneck hunters are out to get you.
By. …You’re a big boy now and you can sleep in the woods if you want to.
BigBaby
I’m on my second PCT hike now, as far as trail cred, I guess you could say I have a significant amount.
It seems that along the PCT there are a ton of crash pads/ tent sites right along the route, steps from the trail. For the most part It seems to be ok to camp close to the trail. Especially since on most of the trail vegetaition/ topography keeps you from wondering to far off of it to find a good site. Also if there is already camper impact at a site the chances of a PCT’r disturbing the environment is less at a near trail site then if you bushwack 200 ft away and create your own site. In the Sierra Nevada it is very pleasent to walk off trail down the granite benches and find private places to camp on the sandy decomposing granite. Though if your thruhiking and tired usually hikers will plop down just near the trail at an already used site.
It’s nice to be by the trail if you sleep in, or dilly dally in camp, and you can call other hikers over to visit you. Most times it seems that even if your close to the trail, unless you say hi, people wont even notice you there. You will want to socialize if your alone, as will other hikers who see you.
While night hiking the SoCal area, there always seems to be people camped on the trail, due to vegetaion and such. I never thought it was awkward to quietly pass some one and let them sleep. We camped on trail a day past the Andersons, and didnt see a soul till we we’re packed up.
Base your descions on where to camp on convienence to you, and impact your camp will due to the location. Remember you will be out of camp before any one else walks by anyway in the morning, so you wont offend any one. Also the rangers wont be out at 6AM anyway. Don’t worry about needing help. If you actually did need help, say if you broke your ankle, then the decision on where to camp would be obvious.
Have fun, and know there aint nothing bad gonna happen to you out here.
Guino
One more thing. Try not to camp at the only water source in 20 miles. You will get disturbed by people. When I got to the water fountain at 10PM at the bottom of San Jacinto this year, there was a group of about a dozen fools all within feet of it. One lady was under the stream of water coming out of the fountain, so I did take small pleasure when the water squirted her a little. I had to rearrange my dinner plans from cooking right by the water, because the group was ignorantly camped. Even though there are many sites in the area. You will know a good site when you see it. :cheers
Guino
Hey Guino. You’re hiking on PCT again this year? nice dude. I’m only able to do 2 weeks in Glacier this summer. Trying to plan for CDT next year though. Any interest in joining me and Rivers? Lost Hydro’s number give me a buzz next time in town and drinking jim beam while eating KFC(914-826-0460)
CanyonMan
The stretch between White and Chinook Passes in Washington has restrictions on camping within 100 feet of the PCT and 100 feet of any “lake”.
You can camp within 100 feet of a stream, but not a lake. What’s up with that??
Like Granny says, there is a very aggressive ranger who works that area and has all the possible campsites plotted out and measured. If you are in a non-conforming site, establish a new site, or camp in the middle of the trail, Barry will find you and write a ticket.
Just be aware of this, OK? I’d hate to see someones experience tarnished by a hefty fine, but I suppose that would just be part of the deal, were it to happen.
Jimmy
As a general rule, it’s better to go out of your way - well off trail - to camp where no one else has camped nor would ever be likely to camp again, (ie, stealth camp) than to use an unofficial “squatter’s site” directly along the trail and contribute to its further negative impact on the environment and trail experience. This is the conventional wisdom on a trail that receives sufficient use that all should be committed to reducing cumulative impacts. Conventional wisdom also sometimes states that a well established, heavily impacted site is a preferable choice to stealth camping, since the impacts are thereby concentrated at “sacrifice zones,” but since the PCT has so few officially established camps and runs a high risk of the many small squatter’s camps growing to irresistible proportions, stealth camping is probably the better choice much of the time.
Camping directly ON the trail itself is somewhat a different matter, but it’s obviously only appropriate for late arrivals and early departures.
blisterfree
to the stealth, whether on the AT or PCT. It always seemed to me that is what it is mostly about. After being on trail for days with many people I enjoy a night “Atko” with my woods and its creatures.
fishngame