Im planning my hike for 05, and I am wondering what degree bags should be used, and when to switch. How cold at nights in the desert, how cold in the sierras? are trail runners fine, even in snow? and most importantly can I night hike in the desert without worrying about getting off the trail? thanks
topknot
The answers to this one vary for the individual. When are you starting, when will you finish, how cold do you sleep? We had cold rain our second day out, and ran into snow in the San Gorgonios. We got snowed on in the Sierras and again two or three times in Washington. We used a 20 degree bag the whole way. We were fine in southern California, hot in northern Cal, and occasionally cold in Washington. We used a tent, so it was easy enough to sleep on top of the bag when it was hot without getting eaten by bugs.
I used running shoes in southern Cal., switched to boots in the snow - we were early season and had a lot of snow. People who were a week or two later, who didn’t have to kick steps in hard snow, were fine with running shoes. I prefer the warmth of leather for cold rivers and snow, plus the edges that make it easier to grip snow. But a lot of people don’t seem to think that matters. Train with running shoes so you can see how your feet handle them. My husband can’t hike more than a few miles in runners. We tried before the trail, and then again in northern California. He was miserable both times. We also had the problem of running shoes that started to fall apart within a week. Not happiness.
We only night hiked once and that was along the aqueduct where navigation wasn’t an issue. In places where there is sidehill, you won’t have to worry about getting lost. In flatter sections, you might get off trail. But generally it is pretty obvious - a brushy green tunnel. One concern I had is you can’t see the rattlesnakes that like to stretch out in the middle of the trail. You also can’t see the poison oak that sometimes lines the trail. Generally we would start the day very early, as day was dawning, hike until 11:30 or so, rest in the shade, such as it was, for a couple of hours, then take off about 2:00 or so and hike until 8:00 or so.
Ginny
Pick up Yogi’s PCT Handbook www.pcthandbook.com
It’s got lots of hiker opinions on all types of gear. A bunch of 2002-2003 hikers contributed to the book, and nobody held back. They say what they think works and what is crap. You’ve got questions, this book has answers.
Rocketgirl
Rocketgirl
Assuming you are hiking during the main pack -
BAG- a good quality 20 degree down bag will be fine for the whole trail. a lot of folks liked the silk bag liners for extra warmth and to keep the bag cleaner but i never wanted to fork out the money. The coldest nights were in the higher elevations of the desert (low 30s) and the high sierra ( high teens/ low 20s on a couple nights) most of the time it was very comfortable. there were a few hot nights with bugs in northern cal and Or. If i were to do the trail again I would switch out my down bag when i got to cascade locks (and pick up a fleece top if you don’t have one by this point already) and use a 15 or 20 degree synthetic bag. it rained a lot in Washington and its no fun to be cold with a useless wet down bag.
SHOES IN SNOW- if you like trail runners already, I would use them all the way. My feet would get wet with the snow and the fords everyday in the high sierra but aside from a little mildew smell, the runners worked great.
NIGHT HIKING, like most people I hiked at least an hour after sunset most days in the desert and never really had a problem staying on the trail. Use a decent headlamp- IE Princton Aroura or Petzel Tikka. the few times when it was a bit hard to make out the trail I would just call it a night -there are many places to throw down your camp in the desert.
LaundroMat