Tag: PCT 2019

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PCT 2019 Special Report Mile 172 Rock Slide

SPECIAL REPORT: There is a new rock slide at mile 172 that is currently blocking the trail. I’m posting this now in case anyone is headed that way. The rock slide occurred on May 27, 2019.
While the large rocks appear stable, the soil downhill from the slide is not. It slides underfoot. In my opinion, it’s dangerous and getting worse with each passing hiker.
The video fails to represent the steepness of the hillside. Below the slide the hill drops out of sight.
We made it through, and we talked to a dozen other hikers who also made it. But I do not recommend doing what we did.
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PCT 2019 Day 57 Zeros Begin

The year of the never ending winter! With two storms approaching and ‘Severe Winter Storm’ coming to all of the Sierras, Rob and Ken are yet AGAIN forced off trail. Snow is still at 200% above normal on the John Muir Trail portion of the PCT and more snow is on the way. The “for-fun-only” “Sierra Entry Indicator” (found at https://www.postholer.com/snow/Pacific-Crest-Trail/1) is max’d out on July 7th. I wonder what it would say if it could go later? It’s good that we can get to ‘Home Base’ to dig deep into researching our next insertion point.
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PCT 2019 Day 55 Mile 618 to 631

Moving though Joshua Trees and other desert vegetation, we benefit from very cool weather … sort of. The wind and precipitation leads to interesting observations. This area, typical in the 90’s for PCT hikers, was no where close to that warm for us. That’s good, but it does have its limits. You’ll see.
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PCT 2019 Day 54 Mile 602 to 618

Walking through the ‘desert’ on the way towards Walker’s Pass. Having seen these desert hills in the distance many times, but never hiked them, we’re continued to be surprised by the rich foliage and geology. Aches and pains, after pushing too hard the prior two days, limit the distance we can cover. Thank you SO much to the Trail Angels can supply water caches in the dry portions long distance sections!
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PCT 2019 Day 53 Mile 584 to 602

Progress towards Canada! The PCT continues to surprise with a harder day than expected. Planning could have been better, especially regarding water. The mountain/desert contrast is always impressive. 600 mile marker!
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PCT 2019 Day 46 Mile 567 Zeros Begin

Being in a safe harbor as weather approaches, plans changed again. Instead of taking 1 zero, Rob and Ken will take a few extra days to let the rain pass. Here is some of the background, and a few shots from the road trip to home base.
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PCT-Southern California-Mile 0 to 566 – Photos and Videos from Ken Benson

Click here (link also shown below) to open a Google Photos tab to see the photos and videos that Ken has been capturing during what Guthook’s Guide calls “PCT: Southern California”. The images are in chronological order, from near mile 0 at the Border to mile 566 near Tehachapi.

Each of the images are full resolution, meaning that you can click on them individually and zoom-in intensely. Ken’s got a great eye for color. Check out some of those flowers. Hovering the mouse over a video will play it. Alternatively, you can double-click it to play it in full screen mode.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/rjhB59UHrDdWdnETA

Thank you for sharing Ken!

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PCT 2019 Day 45 Mile 545 to 567

Winds. Winds well beyond predicted earlier in the week. NOAA issued a high wind warning with gusts to 50 mph. Of course, we didn’t know that until later that evening in Tehachapi. That explained my wind-burned face! Oh, and plenty cold! Not at all like most PCT hikers experience in this section of the trail.