Section hiking the PCT desert - NoBo

[poorboystooge]

Some friends of mine are hiking the PCT this year going NoBo. I have the opportunity to join them, but I only have a month or so of time to do it. I could join them anytime, but I thought it'd be easiest for me to join them at the beginning before they've really gotten strong trail legs. I've lived in Arizona and Nevada for almost 10 years so I'm plenty familiar with desert hiking. Plus, by only doing the beginning I could avoid all of the snow this year

I've seen on this forum and read elsewhere online that it is possible to hike the desert section with a hammock - but would it be worth the struggle if I'm traveling with two others who are sharing a tent? The three of us are likely capable of hiking 20-30 miles a day once we get into it a bit. I've heard there can be some long stretches in between two hang sites.

I have 12 ft kevlar straps - would these be long enough for me to find a hang site or should I plan to get something longer?

Thanks for any help you can provide!

[Chop]

Hi PBS. Quite often I (or myself and wife) are hammocking with friends that are using a tent. Nearly all of the time we were able to camp with them or not too far away on the PCT . If you love hammocking, I'd take your hammock. If you choose on hiking the desert, carry a pad with you. I've mentioned my all terrain setup in this thread earlier.

With the choice on where to hike: This is a tough question. While you are correct that it may be easier to start with them and get your trail legs together, if you feel like you'd like a different experience than the desert, some other sections may be worth considering. The desert section of the PCT is different than the Arizona hiking I have done, which is limited to the AZT....so you will most likely still have a different experience.

However, if you can train daily and get into shape in the month leading up to your hike, you can be doing the miles they do starting somewhere further up the trail. Depending on their timing and if/when they skip ahead to avoid the snow, it could be pretty cool to join them for the Sierras (if they end up skipping and returning to them with less snow) or Washington, if they are on the early end of the year (it tends to rain more the further you get into September).

With the length of the straps, your 12 footers should be good most of the time. I tried to limit myself to just my 8 foot tree straps as much as I could and then use 1 whoopie sling if needed. Maybe carrying a single whoopie sling would be a good augmentation to your setup.

Sent from my XT1095 using Tapatalk

[poorboystooge]

Thanks for the helpful insight Chop!

If I did not join them at the beginning portion, the other possibility is to meet up with them in the Tahoe/Truckee region. I was planning on doing the TRT this summer. I could potentially time it out that I'd finish the TRT, take a day or so off, and then meet up with them and head North. In your opinion, does this sound like a better plan?

I'm reading through the other PCT thread now - very helpful.

[poorboystooge]

Would a bug net be necessary for the first 500 miles or so? I have a Dream Hammock Darien but am considering going netless and just using a headnet if the bugs are bad. Any opinions?

Planning to start with them in Campo and end somewhere near Lake Hughes.