The Flip from Kennedy Meadows to Dunsmuir

In a high snow year, the biggest schedule danger for many NOBO thru-hikers is waiting for the snow in the Sierras to melt.  As of May 16, 2019 the "Sierra Entry Indicator" suggests June 15th as the first safe entry day for the Sierras.  This timing will just barely work for hikers that were comfortable banging out 22.5 miles on an average day by the time they reached KM.  For slower hikers, June 15th is already too late.  See this post for more details:  When you should leave Kennedy Meadows

One option is to go into the Sierras early enough to get through before the melt takes hold.  This is tough for all but the more aggressive hikers, so if you hiked 18 to 22 miles on a typical day as you finished up the desert section, making it through the Sierras starting on May 20th or so is a risky plan.  You have a high likelihood of getting into conditions that you aren't comfortable with, especially high stream crossings.

Another good option for hikers that feel comfortable doing 18 to 22 miles a day is to flip up to Dunsmuir around mile 1500 and start hiking south.  This looked doable starting around May 20th and will be easier as the weather warms and snow melts off.  June 1st would be a very reasonable start for this section, much earlier than going up into the Sierras.  The 300 miles from Dunsmuir to Sierra City include some short snowy sections, but these are relatively easy to traverse -- more like Mt. Baden Powell than like Fuller Ridge.  You will still want your microspikes, but won't use them often.  Once you reach Sierra City, you will already be well into June and the Sierras will start to look friendlier.  Most of the really tough stream crossings are south of Sonora Pass, which is around mile 1000, so you will be hitting them later still.  If you want to see the snow conditions as of right now, please take a look at this page:  Postholer.Com PCT Snow Conditions Page

If you do this flip, you have to travel from Kennedy Meadows to Dunsmuir twice.  First, get a ride out of Kennedy Meadows and hitch or get a bus to Mojave or Bakersfield.  From there you can use Greyhound and Amtrak to get up to Dunsmuir.  For each trip, there is a total elapsed time of about 2 days, and cost about $100, although it can be done in just over a day if you get a perfect hitch out of KM.

I did this exact flip in 2018, and did a skip from Kennedy Meadows to Quincy and then hiked north in 2017 due to the snow conditions.  While not everyone likes the idea of a flip, if you aren't pounding out 25 mile days routinely, this is a good way to "bank" miles during late May and early June that you will need to complete the trail in 2019.

PCT Closures - Know How to Download Detour Maps

Fire closures on the PCT combined with heavy snow accumulation earned 2017 the nickname "The Year of Fire and Ice," and in 2018 with lighter snow, we had at least as much trouble with fire closures, including closures in the symbolic section between Hart's Pass and the Northern Monument.  Many times hikers had to detour off of the official PCT route, usually following signs, but occasionally getting off course.  Guthooks, the most popular map application on the trail in 2017 and 2018, often did not cover the detour routes.

What can you do?  In addition to talking with other hikers, check the PCT trail closures every time you get into town to see if something has been announced, and if warnings have been posted, usually when a closure seems imminent.  Next, study the closure and alternates, possibly downloading the closure details to your phone.

Do I need to say this?  Never Hike a Closure.  It's hard for me imagine a more disrespectful violation of trail etiquette.  The PCTA, volunteers, and land managers are working hard to keep the trail safe and open, and you are abusing the trail and these people when you hike a closure.  Regardless of your own judgement, hiking a trail that has been damaged almost always causes additional erosion and increases the effort to bring the trail back up to standard.

Next, consider locating a paper map, or download digital maps that cover the closure route.  Digital maps show you the trails mentioned in the alternate route, elevation changes, major water sources and campgrounds, and can be especially valuable in the first few days of a closure announcement when signage may not be up yet.  Viewed through a smartphone application, these maps will also pinpoint your location using the phone's GPS.  Avenza is an easy-to-use map display app favored by the Forest Service that you can download free.  Some maps are free on Avenza, but a fee of up to about $15 is more typical.

Two digital map resources cover almost the entire trail in detail: the National Geographic Trails Illustrated Maps, which cover most of the PCT, and the Forest Service Visitor Maps for California, which fill in most of the gaps in the Trails Illustrated maps.

In 2018 in the Goat Rocks Wilderness, I was happy to have a digital map of a nine mile detour.  The map showed me exactly where I was on the detour, and helped me pick a great campsite.  The next morning, two Forest Service rangers told me about another PCT hiker taking a wrong turn and ending up in their fire line just the day before.

Also in 2018 I had downloaded the Trails Illustrated Map covering the Northern Cascades National Park and was able to see the entire Ross Lake detour.  Camped in a smoky haze north of Stehekin, I opted to come back later, hoping that the trail from Rainy Pass to Manning Park would reopen, which it did, with a remaining detour.  Some of my fellow hikers on tighter schedules, painstakingly transcribed information off of my map, even taking photos of my phone screen.  That group did make it to the Canadian border via Ross Lake, but at least one of them was going to quit the trail before they were able to study the detailed map.  Later, when I hiked passed Hart's Pass, I was happy to have a detailed map of the remaining detour, which again helped in picking a campsite, and helped sort out one trail junction where the PCT signage was missing.

Hiking the PCT will be adventure enough without getting lost on a detour.  Good luck and enjoy your hike.

If you hike 22.5 miles per day, leave Kennedy Meadows by June 17

In 2017 many people told me on trail that they wouldn't finish because they spent too much time trying to get through the Sierras, or waiting out the snow between Kennedy Meadows and Bishop.  After hiking 2,000 miles in 2017 and thru-hiking the PCT in 2018, I've talked to a lot of people that missed a thru-hike by 150 to 500 miles, or 660 miles for me in 2017.  For many people, their miss was predictable and avoidable.

2019 looks like another high snow year, so if a thru-hike is important to you, the schedule math below should be important to you as well.  Everything is keyed to your average hiking pace.  For a NOBO hiker that's often what you find comfortable when you hike the Walker Pass to Kennedy Meadows section, or just a little above that pace. I've added a zero/resupply day every 8th day and set September 27th as your finish date in Manning Park, because weather usually gets dicey around then. 

There are speed adjustments for each section since the Sierras are a lot slower than Oregon.  More details on how I calculated trail days for each section, as well as a discussion of each trail section and flipping, are in this post: Calendar Math

		Average Pace in miles per day by Kennedy Meadows
Milestones		17.5	20.0	22.5	25.0	27.5
Campo (start)		22-Mar	15-Apr	3-May	18-May	30-May
Kennedy Meadows		18-May	4-Jun	17-Jun	27-Jun	5-Jul
Sierra City		28-Jun	9-Jul	18-Jul	25-Jul	31-Jul
Ashland		31-Jul	7-Aug	13-Aug	17-Aug	21-Aug
Cascade Locks		24-Aug	28-Aug	31-Aug	3-Sep	5-Sep
Manning Park (finish)		27-Sep	27-Sep	27-Sep	27-Sep	27-Sep

Here's a simple way to read this chart:

• Hiking pace of 20 miles per day or below:  In a high snow year, you have to increase your pace, or plan on a flip to finish.  It's unlikely that you will be able to go up into the Sierras safely and make good miles by early June.  In 2018, which was a low to moderate snow year, many people did successfully go up into the Sierras by early June.  Read this post for options:  Calendar Math  
• Hiking pace of 22.5 miles per day:  if you can get up into the Sierras by mid-June, a straight-thru hike should be in the cards.  But ... if you find the snow too slow or get tempted to "wait it out" you risk running out of time for a finish at the Northern Terminus.  Key point:  get back on trail rather than cool your heels for an extra week or two, even if it means a skip or flip.
• Hiking pace of 25 miles per day or longer:  you probably don't need this post to make the miles.  It might just be interesting context for you as you chat with slower hikers.

Putting all this math aside, just stay on trail and don't underestimate how long 2,661 miles takes to hike.  In 2018 I did not set out to do a thru-hike, but I did stay on trail and a thru-hike just sort of happened.  You can read about my 2018 hike here:  My Accidental Thru-Hike

Good luck, and enjoy your hike.  I'll be on the PCT in the Sierras in 2019.

Sweet and Spicy Ginger Cookies -- For Trail or Home

These cookies pack a sweet and spicy punch.  If bakery and commercial ginger snaps seem bland to you, then give this recipe a try.  This is a "double" recipe that makes about four dozen cookies.  Don't worry about overdoing it.  These cookies freeze well sealed in ziplock bags, and they also keep well backpacking due to a very low moisture content.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups unsalted butter
2 cups dark coconut sugar or brown sugar
3 medium to large eggs
1/2 cup of blackstrap molasses
5 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

4 tablespoons ground ginger

4 teaspoon dried lemon (or lemon zest)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice (or ground cloves)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

2 cups unbleached white bread flour
2 cups unbleached white whole wheat flour

20 ounces of candied ginger chips
1 cup (approx.) white sugar for rolling the dough

Directions:

1. Melt the butter using a double boiler until just melted, but not hot
2. Combine the butter and sugar, using an electric mixer
3. Add the eggs, and mix in
4. Add the molasses and vanilla and mix in
5. Add the spices and mix in
6. Add flour and mix in one cup at a time
7. Add the candied ginger and mix in

Let the dough cool in the refrigerator for 30+ minutes, as it will be easier to work with, and this will also help to bring out the spice flavors.  While the dough cools, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and put silicone mats on your baking pans, or use a light coating of cooking oil.

1. Make dough balls of about 2 tablespoons and roll them in the white sugar before putting on the baking pan.  Alternately roll them in cinnamon sugar.
2. Bake until just beginning to brown, about 20 minutes (ovens vary significantly)
3. Immediately transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling for a ginger snap, or cool five minutes on the pan and then transfer to a wire rack for a slightly chewier cookie.

Blackstrap molasses has a more bitter flavor than regular molasses.  If you have regular molasses on hand, you could adapt by slightly reducing the sugar.  King Arthur Flour works well for this recipe.

These cookies normally come out with a cracked top, but if you put two pans in at once, the lower pan may come out with a smooth top.  To correct this, put the lower pan in first, and follow with the top pan after 5 minutes.