Pacific Crest Trail 2016

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Pacific Crest Trail 2016

Postby digbyg » Mon 08 Feb, 2016 7:41 pm

Any other aussies planning for the pct this season. We're waiting on our permit for a 500 mile stretch of the sierras starting in mid July.
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Re: Pacific Crest Trail 2016

Postby tas-man » Thu 26 May, 2016 11:25 am

Forum member Norts had just flown to the US to complete the PCT starting from the point he stopped about 400 miles from the southern start last year. We wish him well and look forward to photos and progress reports.
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Re: Pacific Crest Trail 2016

Postby tas-man » Mon 27 Jun, 2016 5:04 pm

Update on Roger's progress.


21st June 2016. Camped at mile 761 Guyot Ck. Elevation 10361ft. That is nearly twice as high as Mt Ossa.
The scenery is stunning. The walking is hard. Going up and down a couple of 1000 ft at least twice in a 20 mile day.
Hopefully I can send these emails tomorrow as I plan to climb Mt Whitney and I am told there is mobile coverage on top. There should be it's the highest point lower 48.
Mt Whitney is a17 mile detour. I wasnt going to do it because I have been suffering with a bit of shortness of breath at these altitudes. I seem to be better so I am going to give it ago.
I am eating my dinner about 20 metres from tent as they say to keep food smells away from your tent. Not sure if that is far enough but she'll be right. No bear is a match for a Tasmanian protecting his food.

23rd June 2016. Kings Canyon NP. Mile 782.
I left Sequoia NP when I crossed through Forester Pass. The highest point on the PCT. The trail has now joined the John Muir Trail. Very famous trail. It runs concurrent for about 200miles.
I conquered Mt Whitney yesterday, the highest point in the lower 48. Took me 8.5hrs and its only 17 miles. They were hard miles though. And they dont count towards Canada.
It was good to get on top and an added bonus was I spoke to Mels.
As I type this there is a little chipmunk running around.
Back to the travelogue. The views on Whitney were amazing. These mountains are magnificent. As spectacular as Tassies (and you all know how parochial I am about Tassies mountains..
I am sitting on my bear canister. This is my view.
Most of the photos on Whitney will have to wait as they are on my camera.
Into town(Bishop) tomorrow for some good food; shower; laundry and recharge me.
Time for dinner, don't you just love freeze dried meals. Lasagna tonight.

Roger/Taz


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Re: Pacific Crest Trail 2016

Postby Turfa » Tue 28 Jun, 2016 7:39 pm

Awesome !!!

Great to hear that you are still on trail & having a good time. Hope you stay clear of the fires.
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Re: Pacific Crest Trail 2016

Postby tas-man » Tue 05 Jul, 2016 11:20 am

Another update from Roger - 28th June 2016
Mile 840. Just below the summit of Muir Pass.
Well the day started out good. Pleasant walking , saw a doe with a fawn (very young).
Thought I might be able to get my 20miles.
Muir Pass had other ideas. A hard climb and lots of snow. Just before the hut at the top of the pass (1/4 of a mile) a thunderstorm hit. Lightning and rain.
I sheltered under a rock ledge very nervously. I am not use to lightning in the mountains.
When the lightning stopped I bolted (not really I trudged through the snow) to the hut. Very interesting hut. I didnt get a photo. ( google a picture of it).
A few ppl sheltering in it. After I recovered and it looked like the storm had gone, I set off again. After about 2 miles I could see the storm coming back.
I am now camped on a large slab of granite with snow all around. There is another hiker also camped on It. It is raining hard but I am warm and dry.
It could be a cold night as I am at 11440 ft
Todays photo is heading up to Muir Pass in better times.


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Re: Pacific Crest Trail 2016

Postby tas-man » Tue 05 Jul, 2016 11:49 am

Another update from Roger - 3rd July 2016

Mile 917 Just before 1000 Island Lake.
Well I have had my zero in Mammoth Lakes. Glad to get out of there. I walked hard to get there too, I did a 24 mile day to get in on Friday.
On the walk on Friday I met a bloke I hadn't seen since Mt Moosilaki (not spelt right but it will do) on the AT. It was Owl and his wife doing the John Muir Trail.
Back to  Mammoth, it was crowded and full of the ppl that make me want to go bushwalking and live in a small country community.
Mammoth Lakes is a ski resort but over summer it becomes a mountain bike mecca. So it is busy all year round
I did get my resupply done, my walking poles repaired and my tent repaired.
Had a couple of good steaks too.
Todays photo is of just another mountain. I am sorry I can't name them. This walk would take me a year if I wanted to sit down with maps and work out what every mtn was that I see.
Time for dinner.

Roger/Taz


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Re: Pacific Crest Trail 2016

Postby north-north-west » Mon 11 Jul, 2016 11:08 am

Mt Moosilauke. I think. The spelling, that is - can't identify the unnamed peak.
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Re: Pacific Crest Trail 2016

Postby hobes » Fri 12 Aug, 2016 5:34 pm

Latest update from Roger:

Date: Wed, Aug 10, 2016

Mile 1508. 10 miles past Interstate 5.

Had a good nero in Shasta. Got everything done I had planned.
Ran into a few ppl I hadnt seen for awhile. That is always nice. A few ppl have been resting up because of feet problems. Over half way through and still feet are giving ppl problems.

Really pleased with myself on Sunday when going into Shasta, I had 19 miles done by 1145. That was 7 1/2 hrs of walking. Town food is a great motivator for me. So I was in Shasta by 1230. After a Trail Angel took me and 2 others from the trail head to town.
Today I met up with Rick ( my back up man). He just happened to be going through Shasta on his way to Oregon to do some walking. Was nice to see him and also get a ride back to the trail head.

Todays photo is of Shasta and Mt Shasta. Neither are displayed very well in this photo. Much nicer than this photo would suggest.
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Re: Pacific Crest Trail 2016

Postby north-north-west » Tue 16 Aug, 2016 2:03 pm

hobes wrote:I had 19 miles done by 1145. That was 7 1/2 hrs of walking.

He started walking at 4:15am? :shock:
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Re: Pacific Crest Trail 2016

Postby norts » Sat 20 Aug, 2016 4:41 am

Sorry my maths isn't always good. It was 6 1/2 hrs. I was on the trail by 5.15. My usual start time . Although I am slowly pushing that to a later time as it is too dark to walk as the days get shorter. I dont want to walk into any poison oak in the half light. There is alot of it around.
I am now in Oregon in a town called Ashland having a zero and sending resupply packages ahead. Taz (norts)

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Re: Pacific Crest Trail 2016

Postby stepbystep » Sat 20 Aug, 2016 2:45 pm

Good stuff norts ... I'm hopeful to do this in the next 5 years. You're adding to my motivation :)
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Re: Pacific Crest Trail 2016

Postby hobes » Tue 13 Sep, 2016 5:52 pm

Latest update from Roger:

Mile 2144 Cascade Locks. Oregon.

Well I have just come done the Eagle Creek Trail (15 miles). It is an alternate trail for the PCT. The only reason it is not the real PCT is that horses can't negotiate it and the PCT has to be able to be used by horses as well as hikers.

The Eagle Creek Trail was great. I had wanted to walk this trail from the time I started to plan for the PCT. I had seen photos of the Tunnel Waterfall and wanted to walk through that tunnel. Well there is a lot more to see and it was beautiful. The trail goes down a rainforest covered gorge.

I am sitting in a motel with ice on my shin. I think I have shin splints. I am going to rest tomorrow and see how it goes. I will cross the Bridge of Gods into Washington when I leave here. My last state before Canada.
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Re: Pacific Crest Trail 2016

Postby tas-man » Tue 04 Oct, 2016 2:49 pm

The final update from Roger/Taz.

All done. Crossed the border at 3:30 2 Oct.
Excuse the bad selfie . Not use to taking them and there wasnt anyone around.

Roger/Taz


CONGRATULATIONS ROGER from all of us on Bushwalk.com!
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Re: Pacific Crest Trail 2016

Postby hobes » Tue 04 Oct, 2016 6:23 pm

Well done Roger!
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Re: Pacific Crest Trail 2016

Postby Turfa » Tue 04 Oct, 2016 6:29 pm

Congratulations Roger...a great effort. Time to give those feet a rest !

Looking forward to hearing more about the hike when you return.
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Re: Pacific Crest Trail 2016

Postby Stoick » Thu 13 Oct, 2016 6:20 pm

I did 900km on the PCT from Mt Hood Oregon to Manning Park BC this year, started 30 July finished 2 Sept with a few zero days in the middle to head down and check out Seattle etc. Totally awesome hike, loved every step, usually covered 20-25 miles day, lots of photos on my Facebook page if you are interested, happy to answer any queries.
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Re: Pacific Crest Trail 2016

Postby norts » Sun 16 Oct, 2016 8:18 pm

Thank you for your kind words and to Hobes and Tasman for posting my updates. Those updates usually go to a few friend s and so arent written for the broader public in mind.

First thoughts and highlights after finishing not in any order.

Glad it is over, I am tired. Waking up( my alarm would go off at 430 am, earlier when in the desert and days were longer) and walking for 20-30 miles a day is very draining.
I made it before the first major snow storm , Phew!
I have climbed the highest mountain in the lower 48.
Northern Cascades are magnificent. I could spend a life time there exploring these mountains.
The PCT is at the moment going through growing pains. ie alot more ppl on the trail but there isnt the infrastructure to deal with them. The trail angels are doing there best but they are being overwhelmed.
I have seen some of the most beautiful places in the USA.
I enjoyed the desert even if it was *&%$#! hot at times.
There were a lot of Aussies on the trail. Even another Tasmanian.
I must be getting used to this long distance hiking, my feet are not as badly banged up as they were on the AT.
There was alot of yellow blazing - ie ppl skipping big hunks of the trail to get to the end before bad weather; their visa ran out; or just didnt want to do the hard yards.
If the PCT is on your bucket list, make it happen. It is worth it.
I disliked the tight schedule you have. Get thru the desert but dont hit the High Sierra too early or you get snow or swollen rivers because of snow melt. Then take off to get to Canada before the Autumn snow storms come. The AT has a much more forgiving time line.
The PCT is not as social as the AT, but you can still do alot of partying if that is your thing.
Australia needs a ultra long distance hike, even New Zealand has one.
I like walking along and being able to pick blueberries, huckleberries raspberries and blackberries. They are a distraction though, your mileage suddenly goes down. I needed blinkers.
At about 9000ft and beyond i start to notice the effects of less oxygen, mainly going up hill.
Hiking in the Nth Cascades and having F/A 18s blasting up the valleys sometimes lower than you made me smile. The noise bouncing off the mountains was shattering but I couldnt get angry about the my wilderness experience being lost. Just thinking about the pilots and what an adrenaline rush for them.
Hikers all sheltering under a bridge to get out of the midday sun in the Mojave. It was like a hobo camp( alot of them had hiked through the night to get to this spot, I had left the last camp at about 3am ) . Then at about 230pm a Trail Angel turned up with Pizza, cold sodas and bags of ice which she then turned into snow cones
That will do for now. Need to get to bed , jet lag!
If anyone has any questions I will try and answer them
I will do a bit of a gear list later

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Re: Pacific Crest Trail 2016

Postby Nuts » Wed 19 Oct, 2016 8:52 am

What an incredible adventure these must be. For all that is written and known, such a big personal challenge.
Well done Norts.
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Re: Pacific Crest Trail 2016

Postby mtrain » Sun 23 Oct, 2016 7:21 pm

Congratulations Norts!
I have a couple of logistical questions for you. What's you opinion on using half miles app on your phone for Nav solely or taking printed maps.
Second how did you organise getting a SIM card over there. Do you need an American address?
Did you bother using a Bouce box?
Looking forward to hearing more about your trip.
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Re: Pacific Crest Trail 2016

Postby norts » Sun 23 Oct, 2016 7:41 pm

G'day mtrain.
I used halfmiles and gut hooks

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Re: Pacific Crest Trail 2016

Postby norts » Sun 23 Oct, 2016 7:54 pm

Oops.
Yes guthook and halfmile apps.
I did carry paper maps and track notes all the way. These were half miles
I mainly used the paper track notes. These were the what I refered to the most. Had them in my pocket ready to c heck.
Didnt use the maps at all. But then my phone didnt fail.
I used half mile and guthook about the same amount. Both were handy depending what I wanted to know.
Sim card - i just went to AT&T. Our phones arent compatible with Verizon. They just used the address of the shop.
I didnt use a bounce box. I had a friend in the US who held my spare gear, maps etc.
The only problem with bounce boxes is that you have to work around Post Office opening hours.
Whenever I could ,when posting a resupply box further up the trail I would


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Re: Pacific Crest Trail 2016

Postby norts » Sun 23 Oct, 2016 7:58 pm

I hate typing on a phone!
I would use a business address that was open 7 days a week.

Hope that helps.

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Re: Pacific Crest Trail 2016

Postby mtrain » Mon 24 Oct, 2016 5:58 pm

Yes thanks Norts. I'm hoping to have a go next year if I can afford it otherwise the year after. I would like to avoid the bounce box if I can but wondered about just having a few thing s in there including all the excess maps and accessing it every three or four weeks. Anyway thanks again.
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Re: Pacific Crest Trail 2016

Postby jjoz58 » Mon 28 Nov, 2016 5:55 pm

Well done Norts, CDT next?

A friend of mine is doing this one next year and I have pointed him towards this site. I'll be the other side of the country flying into Atlanta on the 10th Mar for a 13th Mar start.
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Re: Pacific Crest Trail 2016

Postby norts » Mon 28 Nov, 2016 6:36 pm

You doing the AT?
Give yourself a bit of time in Atlanta. I didnt and was a zombie on the first day.


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Re: Pacific Crest Trail 2016

Postby jjoz58 » Mon 28 Nov, 2016 11:37 pm

Yes doing the AT. I have 3 days in LA before going to Atlanta then 2 days there before shuttling to Springer.
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Re: Pacific Crest Trail 2016

Postby norts » Tue 29 Nov, 2016 5:58 pm

If you have any queries send me a msg and I may be able to help. I did the AT in 2014.
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Re: Pacific Crest Trail 2016

Postby jjoz58 » Wed 30 Nov, 2016 3:23 pm

Thanks Norts - I think I read some of your stuff "Taz" wasn't it.
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Re: Pacific Crest Trail 2016

Postby jjoz58 » Wed 30 Nov, 2016 3:23 pm

norts wrote:If you have any queries send me a msg and I may be able to help. I did the AT in 2014.


Did you buy a Verizon phone over there?
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Re: Pacific Crest Trail 2016

Postby norts » Wed 30 Nov, 2016 3:28 pm

No I took my phone from here and bought a sim card from AT&T. Australian phones wont work on Verizon.
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