Oregon PCT

[illabelle]

Wicked good report, thanks for posting and sharing. If you make it back out to the PCT (CA) I recommend the 60+mile section between California 50 and I-80. Part of the trail runs through the Desolation Wilderness, I fly fish in the area frequently. Beautiful section and simple as far as logistics go.

Thank you for this recommendation. Looks like that section doesn't go through any burns except a short stretch at the southern end. Elevation profile looks doable. I see that a permit is required for Desolation, hopefully that one isn't hard to get. I've always wanted to see the weird tufa formations at Mono Lake, and that could be combined with this as a daytrip. Hmmmm, we won't make a decision anytime soon, but this does look like a reasonable section! Appreciate intel from a local.

[Gambit McCrae]

We tentatively thought maybe September this year we'd go to Washington ... but when I mentioned that to somebody, they said September is when Fire Season starts. Except they've already got fires going all over Oregon. California and Washington. A hiker named Amy posted: "The snow to fire season this year was so short. Washington was similar. Full of snow to on fire in a week. Devastating for the future of the trail."

I want to go to the Sierras, but the permit system is going to be an issue. With fire & smoke, snow-covered high mountain passes, permits, long distances between resupply points, it's so much more complicated than the AT. So, I don't know if it will happen or not. If you have a month, you have the flexibility to adjust somewhat if you have to evacuate an area. But if you've only got 10 days and have to be on a plane at a given point, it gets harder. Of course you hike so fast that you'll just outrun whatever the problem is....

I can relate to the increased logistics of out west hiking vs the AT. The AT you just fly into a nearby city, 1 hr your at the trail, hike for as long as you want and within a few hours of walking and cell service you can beat a road with a shuttle waiting for you to hop back to the airport! Very few sections on the AT hold you on them for longer than 8 miles with out a road access.

But it is worth the hassle in my opinion. I have found that everything I have experienced on the CDT so far has been worth the brutality I had to embrace to get there. Last trip was painstaking for me, having 3 solid days of hiking opportunity left, with great people, however the next section northbound was 85 miles to the next road so I had to pull the plug and call it done for the week. Looking back compared to where I am at now 2 months later I would have pushed on and had a 210 mile week. The folks I hiked with in New Mexico are up in Wyoming now, doing 40 mile days like they are 20's. But that's the way it goes, and I digress. I am excited to hear of you all's future PCT plans!

[Miner]

Nice write up. Though your plans changed, I'm glad you got to see some of the beauty there.

When I thru-hiked the PCT, I didn't arrive in Oregon until mid August and the mosquitos were almost gone. People 2-3 weeks in front of me told me how bad they could be. In part, due to a heat wave, I didn't really enjoy southern Oregon, except for Crater Lake NP. It wasn't until I got to the Sisters Wilderness in the center that I really started to enjoy the state. Everything seemed to get better the further north I went with the trail around Mt. Hood being the highlight. I know you said you had no interest in going back to Oregon, but the northern part of the state is excellent.

The same can be said for Washington. Things seemed to get better the further north I went in the state with the southern part being less interesting. I really enjoyed the part from Glacier Peak Wilderness to North Cascades NP by the border. As I hiked it in September (finishing on Oct 2), the fall colors were starting to come in nicely as I reached the northern part which added to the impression I got. The issue with Washington in September from the people I know is less the fires and more that the rain may start to come back in a big way. I know some PCT hikers who hiked most of Washington in the rain during September. I hiked it in great weather other than 1 rain storm in the middle and off and on snow at the border. People 2 weeks ahead of me had a lot more rain. But now that I think about it, there was a small fire closure in the middle of the state that had been allowed to burn out since late August (it was left to smolder after they got it contained).

If I had to re-hike a section of either state, it would be the northern part of each.

In California, the Sierra Neveda is definitely the highlight. Even the less popular part between Yosemite and Lake Tahoe is nice, though perhaps not as awesome as the JMT section. I've gone back there a few times and the permits aren't nearly as hard to get as a walk in as the JMT is; especially going south from Tahoe. As another mentioned, Desolation wilderness by Lake Tahoe has great scenery. You might consider the Tahoe Rim Trail that goes around the Lake which is easy on the logistics to hike as it's a loop; best time to hike the TRT is either just after the snow melts or in late September when the fall colors arrive. Going north from Castle Crags (I-5 near Dunsmuir in northern California) and going past Etna is really nice; or at least it was. I understand that fires have been happening in the area the last few years.

[illabelle]

Nice write up. Though your plans changed, I'm glad you got to see some of the beauty there.

When I thru-hiked the PCT, I didn't arrive in Oregon until mid August and the mosquitos were almost gone. People 2-3 weeks in front of me told me how bad they could be. In part, due to a heat wave, I didn't really enjoy southern Oregon, except for Crater Lake NP. It wasn't until I got to the Sisters Wilderness in the center that I really started to enjoy the state. Everything seemed to get better the further north I went with the trail around Mt. Hood being the highlight. I know you said you had no interest in going back to Oregon, but the northern part of the state is excellent.

The same can be said for Washington. Things seemed to get better the further north I went in the state with the southern part being less interesting. I really enjoyed the part from Glacier Peak Wilderness to North Cascades NP by the border. As I hiked it in September (finishing on Oct 2), the fall colors were starting to come in nicely as I reached the northern part which added to the impression I got. The issue with Washington in September from the people I know is less the fires and more that the rain may start to come back in a big way. I know some PCT hikers who hiked most of Washington in the rain during September. I hiked it in great weather other than 1 rain storm in the middle and off and on snow at the border. People 2 weeks ahead of me had a lot more rain. But now that I think about it, there was a small fire closure in the middle of the state that had been allowed to burn out since late August (it was left to smolder after they got it contained).

If I had to re-hike a section of either state, it would be the northern part of each.

In California, the Sierra Neveda is definitely the highlight. Even the less popular part between Yosemite and Lake Tahoe is nice, though perhaps not as awesome as the JMT section. I've gone back there a few times and the permits aren't nearly as hard to get as a walk in as the JMT is; especially going south from Tahoe. As another mentioned, Desolation wilderness by Lake Tahoe has great scenery. You might consider the Tahoe Rim Trail that goes around the Lake which is easy on the logistics to hike as it's a loop; best time to hike the TRT is either just after the snow melts or in late September when the fall colors arrive. Going north from Castle Crags (I-5 near Dunsmuir in northern California) and going past Etna is really nice; or at least it was. I understand that fires have been happening in the area the last few years.

Miner, thank you for your detailed response. If we lived closer, we'd love to hike more of Oregon. But it's so far away, and we keep getting older (no matter how much we resist), so we're looking at the reality that we have to be selective about where we go. I'll study your post again when we start planning another trip. You have good advice for us - getting away from those mosquitoes would certainly be helpful! We'll try to find the best window between fire and rain and mosquitoes and snow.

[Gambit McCrae]

Miner, thank you for your detailed response. If we lived closer, we'd love to hike more of Oregon. But it's so far away, and we keep getting older (no matter how much we resist), so we're looking at the reality that we have to be selective about where we go. I'll study your post again when we start planning another trip. You have good advice for us - getting away from those mosquitoes would certainly be helpful! We'll try to find the best window between fire and rain and mosquitoes and snow.

I am strongly considering some of their repellent products

https://www.flextail.com/collections/mosquito-repellent

[illabelle]

I am strongly considering some of their repellent products

https://www.flextail.com/collections/mosquito-repellent

Never heard of them, but reviews are good. If it works as described, it would make a huge difference. Imagine, being able to cook and eat without fighting the little beasts!
Would prefer a product that results in a mosquito massacre ... is that mean?

[Miner]

I will note that the mosquitos in Oregon seem more aggressive than what we have in California. Their bodies had what I describe as tiger strips. When I hiked in peak season for them in the Sierra Nevada in California, having permithrin treated long sleeve shirt and long pants, using a headnet for breaks, kept them off me without using DEET. This was with literal clouds of them following me up the trail in northern Yosemite in early July which is always bad.

In Oregon, despite only having a couple around me at a time in the Sisters Wilderness during the latter half of August, wearing the exact same thing, they constantly tracked and bit my bare hands as I hiked fast with poles.

[Gambit McCrae]

Miner I've never noticed you are from CA. My family just got back from a SanFran to Las Vegas road trip last week of May. First time for all of us in CA and we had a great time. Saw the NP's along the way including Yosemite, Sequoia, Kings Canyon, Pinnacles, and Death Valley. We did whale watching in Monterey Bay and saw a large pod of jumping killer whales. Drove Highway 1 along the coast. Great trip. Oh and I got to step foot on the PCT for the first time which happened to be Walker Pass right before dropping down into death valley. It was 113* in DV.

[Dan Roper]

In May 2012, my family and I did a cross-country car-camping trip from Georgia to the Pacific Ocean and back. We drove through Death Valley when it was about 110* at Zabrinskie Point. It was a dry heat, yes, but like an oven. However, that afternoon we drove on to Wild Rose (?) Campground in the National Park, at 4k elevation. It was mid-80s and gorgeous.

From there, we did sort of a reverse of what Gambit describes, driving to Sequoia, King's Canyon, Yosemite, Muir Woods, etc. We surely crossed the PCT, and I was doing most or all of the driving, but I don't recall noticing now.

I don't know if I'll ever go back that way or ever set foot on the PCT. But I will say that rounding a curve in a road and suddenly seeing a giant sequoia tree is a memory I'll never forget.