Re: [pct-l] Desire to hike a piece of the PCT

[Birgitte Jensen <bjensen4@juno.com>]

Owen's suggestion of Bristlecone Pine Forest is terrific, and I'd like to
second (and third) it. It's not _on_ the PCT, tho, which is what you say
you want "to have hiked on".

He's also right that Tehachepi etc are gonna be boring/hot in summer.
Baden Powell in the San Gabriels is an ok hike, but a bit of a drive from
downtown LA if you intend to just "whip out" a couple miles of the PCT -
and a bit of a letdown after Whitney. Kennedy Meadows is a 24 mile
winding mountain drive to the point where the road crosses the PCT, but
it's pretty  (but a bit hot also) there, like Owen said. Farther south
from LA is the San Jacinto Wilderness, but again, warmish, and tame by
Whitney-standards...

Since you'll be in the Whitney-area, would you be up for an 8-mile round
trip dayhike? Instead of driving all the way back to Lone Pine from the
Portal, you  turn right at Horseshoe Mdws Rd (signed and for Tuttle Creek
CG) and drive up to the H.Mdw CG roadend - fabulous views of the entire
Owens Valley, BTW. Walk up either Trail Pass or Cottonwood Pass trails to
the ridgetop, which is the PCT. Breathtaking views from there - and if
you feel ambitious, you could go the extra half-mile north to Chicken
Spring Lake or something. It's a popular dayhike, "real" Sierra Nevada
PCT hiking, and not really hard - especially after you've gotten all buff
from Whitney! <g>          bj
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