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Hello. My thru hike begins in July. SoBo.
I will be bringing my Galaxy Note 5, however do not want to rely on it for everything. Pictures, occasional music, communication while in town, water reports, etc will be the extent of it.
My concern is that I am new to hiking. This is a major thing for me. Am I being naive wanting to just rely on trail markings, maps, and a compass?
Also, what is the overall best map I can bring in my pack for the PCT?
Thank you!
Since I haven't done the PCT yet I can't speak from experience, but when I do attempt my thru-hike in a couple of years I will be going with Halfmile's maps...they have been recommended consistently by others who have done the trail. They are also free and you can download and print them yourself, then mail them ahead for the next section so you're only carrying a few maps at a time. Also good are Guthook and Halfmile's apps for the PCT
You will need maps and know how to use them if you are starting July 1st SOBO. You will be immediately greeted with miles of snow and you will quickly run your battery out if you plan on using a phone for navigation. I used Halfmile, postholer will also work just as well. Keep in mind that there are very few trail markings on the PCT, this is not the AT with white blazes every 50 yards.
For a PCT SOBO starting in early July I'd be employing Half Mile's paper maps and compass skills AND GPS. I'd likely bring along several pages of big pic "out" maps like Delormmes but I like paper maps and find map and compass navigation over snow challenging yet appealing. No way would I anticipate relying solely on blazes, trail signs, etc for a SOBO especially in remote places still with snow like Washington. You may well need that GN 5 for more than water reports and music. Snow will still be on the trail. In effect there will be no trail in places. It will still be under snow. To what degree ahh crystal ball looks cloudy today. :DQuote:
Originally Posted by Rybir
Additionally, I'd hit the hike in shape. It may be somewhat difficult for you to entirely duplicate training conditions coming from St Augustine. This is not the typical AT NOBO or even a PCT NOBO where one can more easily approach hiking themselves into thru-hiker shape and with a crowd around. I'd be getting my arse out to the deep soft sanded beaches and dunes decked out in PCT gear in prep. Might want to find some steep bridges to train on and hike in the water up to waist deep with a spare loaded pack.
The last paragraph was a good catch.... Unless you have hiked on real snow for hours on end you will be surprised how it will slow you down. The PCT starts off very remote and resupply is extremely limited with Rainy Pass and Stehekin being the first (unless you leave food at Harts for the return trip.) options for resupply. the remoteness combined with the snow normally slows SoBo hikers more than they expect. A SoBo PCT hike is not the place to gain your trail legs on trail.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dogwood
Today is Day 21 of 1 hour on the stair master with a 25 lb pack on, in addition to strength training and yoga. I am thinking trekking poles will be very helpful. I originally wasn't keen on them.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dogwood
I love the idea of wading ocean water. Going to walk 5 miles to the beach and start doing mini shakedown's with my gear. And train in the ocean like this. Excellent idea. At least it will give me mental confidence.
What is a big pic "out" map. Do you mean one's that unfold out of a book or something? I just bought a book on how to master maps and compasses. Very happy about this buy.
Halfmile's topos give ya the tight pic at a finer scale. Delormmes are for the big pic in that they have less detail such as finer topo lines but show a much larger area with things like roads in case ya get off trail or want to do an alternate… the "outs." I personally am open to approaching travel on snow over longer distances by hiking from pt to pt in the most efficient way possible rather than always having to follow a maintained supposed trail under possibly ft of snow. What I do depends on the extensiveness of the snow travel and conditions and if I'm also employing GPS.
Soft beach and in the water training are lower impact too. Good for those getting into hiking shape with lower stress. Both good for developing better overall balance and developing a weaker side of the body. I have a trampoline I like for lower impact training too.
I used to live in FL(Tampa, Ft Myers, and Pt Charlotte). What I describe to you is what I did. Just as one very well may not need a gym membership to work out one doesn't need maintained single track "hiking trails" to prep for hiking or "hills" to prep for mountainous hiking terrain. Work with what you have. You're doing this on a stair master. I would also walk the mud flats sinking up to my knee caps in Tampa at night wearing a headlamp at lower tides scooping up crabs and searching for shellfish with my bare feet wearing a backpack which was in essence hiking training. Toughened up my feet, increased balance, added to upper and lower body strength, gained greater comfortability night hiking, and in some ways simulated post holing.
Man, read my mind. I was driving by beach tonight and thought wading water at night would be perfect. Gain some confidence in the vast darkness as I build strength.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dogwood
Great map advice. Any links to Delormes maps relevant to the PCT? Beach wading will start tomorrow if there isn't too much lightning.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dogwood
I was referring to Delormme State Atlas books such as WA state. I'm still old school in that I sometimes like roughly drawing in the route on pages of the Delormme Atlas pages that cover maybe a 50-80 wide corridor swatch of the route for bailout, alternate, trail closure, etc purposes. I would look at the entire state of WA for example seeing the complete PCT route beforehand considering with other info like elev, sun exposure, prevailing weather/snowfall depth patterns, etc where I might encounter things like extensive snow or ice travel. In extensive snow sometimes I prefer to not follow or attempt to even find trail under snow. I'd rather just say manage 30 miles from pt to pt., repeat, repeat repeat,… My opinions on this are not attempting to constitute for you what is best though. This is just one approach.Quote:
Originally Posted by Rybir
When doing this it develops a real feel for and connection with footwork and balance. Don't underestimate the benefits of hiking deep soft beach sand dunes in trail runners or in gentler surf up to your waist in full PCT gear regalia. It's a lot like hiking in snow. You'll be strengthening muscles, joints, etc sometimes neglected. There's a noticeable mental strengthening aspect to it also. I try developing a natural rhythm when hiking beaches. I want to flow not it being all about a physical thing. Then, when the time arrives to ramp it up physically ya have some emotional, mental, and "spiritual?" gas ready to contribute to the forward progress.Quote:
Originally Posted by Rybir
I dig your style mang. On the stairmaster I actually count my breaths and block out the the time display to try and more so feel the rhythm and get more in a zone of focus. The gym is great as a challenge (fine girls walking back and forth etc)Quote:
Originally Posted by Dogwood