[pct-l] Jardine itineraries

["Roger Carpenter" <rogercar@pacifier.com>]

Will wrote:
>>The Jardine schedules (boo! hiss!) put you up into the Sierras very early. I think
it's because they were sketched out during the drought of the 80's. Who knows? <<

Jardine never hiked the PCT northbound strictly using one of his itineraries.  I recall him thru-hiking in 1991, and he was way, way ahead of any of the itineraries published in the first two editions of the PCT Hiker Handbook (the first edition was in 1994, I think).  1991 was an above-average snowpack year for the Sierras.  The last time he thru-hiked the PCT he did it southbound in 1994.  I assume he made some educated guesses in developing the itineraries, and IMHO he did a fairly good job.  

I'm not going out of my way to defend Jardine, but my own experience in 1996 showed me that entering the high passes of the Sierra Nevada around June 15 is a pretty reasonable approach for a normal or below-normal snowpack year.  This assumes you have some skill in snow-travel.  In 1996, thru-hikers with NO snow experience did just fine, also.  A few bombed, as some do every year.  Each year is different, and your actual experience may vary...  

As Will implies, creating your own itinerary (or no itinerary, if you choose) is the best choice!

Roger Carpenter
Vancouver, Washington USA

PCT 1996

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Cc:            PCT-L@backcountry.net
From:          Jeffrey Olson <jjolson@uwyo.edu>
Date:          Tue, 09 May 2000 20:36:54 -0700
Subject:       Re: [pct-l] Foot blisters
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I have to jump in here.  "My way" has been to treat my feet as if I were a
deeply religious and disciplined individual concerned with my place in the
afterworld.  I routinely, without fail, stop at least once every hour an a
half, usually every hour.  I take off my New Balance 580 "Big Guy Shoes" and
let my feet, socks and insoles air out.

If I blithely walked through a stream with my shoes on, I wait 20 minutes or so
until the cold goes away and then stop, let my feet dry, pull out the insoles,
put them in the sun, sip some water, eat some trailmix, and watch the clouds
scud by for 10 minutes or so.  I put on dry socks if the others are wet, or the
now dry socks, and head out.  If I walk through a stream, I'll often take off
the shoes and wring out the insole and squeeze the heel cup to get rid of sweat
and dirt.

I have to wear little ankle gaitors to keep the sand and little, tiny stones
out, not to mention the dirt.  It is dirt that is the greatest enemy.  Last
time I maintained a pace of 20 miles a day for a week I made sure I was
rotating socks when they started to get wet with sweat or stiff at all, and
quickly washed them at stream crossings, or puddles on the granite.  It's heat
and friction that causes blisters.  Dirt and sweat makes the sock an
independent variable while hiking, rather than being "one" with my feet as
dependent variables.

In the morning my "Big Guy Shoes" are all sloppy and loose.  After the first
500'+ climb they have swollen up nicely and the full 13EE is taken up.  On cold
days I wear liner socks to take up the slop.

Hope this is helpful to someone.  Or better yet, creates a chuckle...

Jeffrey
Laramie, Wyoming

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