Heading Back To Trail on 6/27
I’ve been off the trail for a week now and my feet are getting itchy. Time to move. I’ve only done 760 miles out of 2650 and I want to complete it this year. I thought at first that if I just waited 2-3 weeks conditions might improve. Now that I’ve had time at home to research and read I can see that a few weeks isn’t going to make much of a difference. The snow level may move up but the creek crossings will continue to be very dangerous until later in July. I’ve read about a couple of people who nearly died crossing water they should not have gone into. I’m not going to do that, I want to enjoy this hike.
I can’t wait for the water levels to go down and still get to Canada before new snow falls. A flip flop is the only.
I will flip north, skipping some 400 miles of the Sierra Nevada, and hike north from Donner Pass / Interstate 80 / Truckee. I won’t be avoiding snow, right now there are very few areas of the trail north of the Sierra that have no snow. There will be snow and there will be some creek crossings but those creek crossings take place much close to the headwaters than in the Sierra and won’t be as dangerous.
So, in only 1,440 miles or so I will hit Canada. Then I will travel back down to Lone Pine and hike north completing the 400 miles that I skipped. I suppose I could also go to Truckee again and hike south. Either way, I will get to do the Sierra in September, it should be awesome.
I’ve got the logistics down. Fly to Reno, Greyhound to Truckee and hitch from there to the trail. Once in Canada I’ll take Greyhound to Vancouver, fly to Reno and then the Eastern Sierra Transit bus down to Lone Pine. I’ll end up back at I80 and fly home from Reno. I just have to walk 1,900 miles before that.
I’ve got another week to enjoy at home and then I’ll be on my way again.
Hello Jon. I left the trail at Agua Dulce a few days ago due to the heat wave here. I am also itching to get back on trail but was considering heading to donner pass next week to skip the river crossings of the Sierras now. I know the Sierras are doable…but not my desire. Are you meeting anyone there on the 27th or just headed out alone? I am 60, was doing 18-20 mile days, but the youngsters I hike with are much faster than I when we hit the hills, so I’ve yet to find solid companions on the trail. I am just seeking options. Solo has been nice, but in snow travel I’d like to be with a group. By the way, I thru hiked PCT in 2012, but tore my meniscus near Mt. Hood and was unable to finish that year. So I have experience. I’d just really like to get this done this year.