I am looking to thru-hike the PCT next year, but I cannot start until June 1. I am looking for some advice about possible flip flop dates and locations. My original thought was to start about 400 miles into the trail on June 1 and hopefully hike thru to Canada, then come back and finish the southern 400 miles in the fall. Any suggestions are welcome.
jym beam
BTW, i’m planning on hiking the PCT with yo-yo in '05 also. the schedule i’ve sort of worked out puts me at agua dulce right around june 1. if i’m not mistaken, agua dulce is not super far from LA and you could potentially fly to LA and then jump on the trail at agua dulce. the desert folks could correct me on this, but i think if you finish in september, southern california might be in its rainy season when you get back there.
zero
I would probably wait a week or more (until at least June 7) and then start at Walker Pass, which is kind of the gateway to the Sierras. We were at Agua Dulce on May 19 and it was HOT. June 1 would be even hotter. We were acclimated to the heat, so it was bearable. Unless you go to school in a really hot climate, you won’t be used to the heat and you risk having serious heat problems and dehydration. OTOH We were at Kennedy Meadows on June 1, too early, and had a lot of snow and snowmelt. Walker Pass is only a couple of days south of KM. But a week south is Mojave - which is both very hot and windy. So all in all, I’d wait and start at Walker Pass around June 10.
Spirit Walker
Yeah this is Jym Beam who hike the AT in '01. Hoping to do the PCT next year after I finish up with school.
jym beam
not to discourage you but… i live in southern california and without having almanac data in front of me i’d say rainy season in the deserts here is something like nov/dec to march/april. it can also still be warm (80’s) in september.
the weather channel web site could provide objective data.
mojave red