Originally Posted by
colorado_rob
Sorry, that first part simply is NOT true. The PCTA does great things, and I do subscribe to their philosophies, but by the letter of the law, you do NOT NEED A PERMIT for those first 700 miles. This has been debated endlessly elsewhere, please those reading this, do due diligence and find out for yourself. Call the PCTA and ask them directly. Don't let them beat around the bush with their answer, ask them if it is legal to hike the first 700 miles with NO permits. It is, with a few minor camping restrictions.
Remember: the permit thing covers CAMPING, it has nothing directly to do with hiking, where all along the PCT, no permit is needed for hiking, I think, at least (I'm fuzzy further north). If you do NOT have a permit though, in say, Yosemite, and you have anything but a daypack, you'll get a citation. I've been checked there twice not, both times on the north side of Donahue pass. But it would be legal to, say, speed hike or run from Tuolumne to Donahue and back w/o a permit.
There are only a couple places in that first 700 miles where you need a permit to disperse camp, and those places are easy to either hike through (one is 10 miles) or to camp in a developed site (in the 25 miles just before Mt. Laguna).
That all being said, I do think it a good idea to follow along, play nice and get the permit, if you can. I wouldn't go so far as to say you're an Anarchist if you decide to start at Campo w/o a permit, but you are being at least recalcitrant....
The last part, about the new rules does appear to be true, and I think this is a good thing.