Happy on the trail nails it.
Steve and I have spent the last 24 hours discussing the pros and cons of starting the Sierra section of the PCT next weekend.
Pros:
An amazing hike.
We would completely finish the PCT in 2023.Cons:
There is still a lot of snow and significantly steep terrain with ice and snow fields above 9000 feet. There are also lot of miles above 9000 feet in that section of the PCT.
The creeks/rivers in that section are at full flood stage.
There are essential bridges that were destroyed this winter. Detouring around those essential bridges would involve long miles, difficult terrain and add some extra sketchiness as we crawled up and down unstable talus slopes.
There are re-supply options that are not available this year due to the conditions.
We keep hearing stories about very athletic hikers who have not finished the section due to the conditions. Someone yesterday in Bishop mentioned coming across 15 JMT hikers who bailed yesterday due to the increased difficulty of the section. Many hikers are making comments about simply not seeing anyone else out there due to the conditions — yet hikers are told to bunch up to increase safety with the river crossings.
We recognize that there is nothing special about our abilities. We do not have past experience with difficult ice climbs. We are not especially interested in crossing glacial-flow rivers at full flood stage. We read about some rivers that have logs to get across the water. Too many people mention, “ If you slip, you will die.” They don’t say that to be dramatic. It is simply the facts of the situation.
If we do not hike the section starting this next weekend, we will miss the opportunity this year as I am committed to a locum contract in Virginia. Hiking later this year is not an option.
After a full day of discussion, the final answer is that we will wait until 2024. It is really hard to write that answer.
So much of me wants to go right now. I want to be there already. The other part of me recognizes our ages that do limit our physicality somewhat and the intrinsic danger of the current situation up there is extreme.Mentally, it is so hard to choose the safer option. It feels like a fail. It is a fail. It feels like we are giving up. We are giving up. This is a full acknowledgment that the physical conditions are beyond our skill set .. and I hate that.
Not to mention I’m still not doing as well with altitude over 7,000 feet as I did pre-Covid.