There's a Party on the PCT and You're all Invited, or Some Very Tentative Time Estimates

One of our goals with our PCT trip is to have as much fun as we can with friends: those that we meet en route, and those who we already know.  A bunch of existing friends have asked us about pace, and where we'll be when.  Our stock answer has been (and still is): actually, we have no idea.  We don't have real pace goals, other than to finish before the snow starts falling in the North Cascades.

Having said that, such a wishy washy "I don't know" approach isn't particularly helpful for our friends who would like to meet us along the way.  As such, yesterday Angel put together a very rough timeline for when we'll be at our various resupply locations. It's based upon completing approximately 20 miles a day on average. It doesn't factor in many zero days (major flaw!), but it also doesn't factor in days over 20 miles (less major flaw!).  It projects us as being roughly middle of the pack, which is probably likely based on our Camino experience, running pace, and approach (slow and steady without a lot of wasted time, but also without any ambitions of major speed).  This chart will definitely change, but it will probably give you a sense of where we'll be within a hundred miles or so on what date assuming no major hangups (a big assumption).

With that disclaimer out of the way, here's a general time frame for those who might be interested in meeting us for a portion!

Start: Campo: 4/19/15
Mt Laguna: 4/22
Warner Springs: 4/26
Idylwild: 4/30
Palm Springs: 5/4 - 5/5 (zero day)
Big Bear: 5/8 - 5/10 (another zero)
Wrightwood: 5/14
Acton: 5/19
Lancaster: 5/22
Mojave: 5/25
Onyx: 5/30
Kennedy Meadows: 6/2 (departure from here is dependent upon weather - right now it's a really low snow year so it looks like we'll likely be able to safely venture into the High Sierra a bit earlier than the normal mid-June departure window.
Lone Pine: 6/6
Muir Ranch: 6/11
Tuolumne Meadows/Mammoth Lake: 6/17
South Lake Tahoe: 6/26
Tahoe City: 6/28
Sierra City: 7/2
Belden: 7/7
Drakesbad Guest Ranch: 7/10
Burney: 7/14
Shasta (or Dunsmuir): 7/18
Etna: 7/23
Ashland: 7/29
Crater Lake: 8/4
Bend (or Sisters): 8/11
Timberline Lodge/Mt Hood: 8/19
Cascade Locks (OR/WA Border): 8/22
White Pass: 8/29
Snoqualmie Pass:  9/4
Leavenworth: 9/8
Stehekin: 9/14
Manning Park: 9/19

Things to notice about these locations are:

1) Yay San Diego Area in April!  Tony Sandoval, you want to meet us on the trail somewhere for a day hike or more?

2) Hey, Palm Springs and Big Bear are only a couple hours from LA and we're taking zeros at both!  Roy Culver, any chance you'd want to make the trip over?

3) Lancaster/Mojave: 5/22 - 25: Hey Mom and Dad, that's about the closest we'll come to walking by Las Vegas!

4) Yay High Sierra in June!  Anyone want to meet us?!

5)  Hey Linda Doherty and Kevin Angott - we'll be in your neck of the woods in late June - still want to meet up?!

6) And Tina Ure, it looks like we'll likely hit your area after Hardrock if you and other friends want to meet us along the way!

7) We start getting into driving distance for PNW friends in late July/early August!

8) Bend on 8/11!  That looks like a nice place to take a zero and maybe catch up with Wendy Wheeler-Jacobs?

9) And Mt Hood in Mid-August!  That's close to Portland - we know lots of people in Portland!  You could meet us at the Lodge for drinks!

10) White Pass 8/29ish?  That's exactly when we'll need a resupply of Brandon Williams!  (Also - wouldn't it be great if we could move a bit faster and get to the Cascade Crest 100 course just 65 more miles up the way by 8/29, when the race starts...?)

11) Snoqualmie Pass in early September?  We definitely need someone to pick us up and head down for a party in Issaquah or something!  Some people with flexible schedules might even be interested in a Snoqualmie to Stevens fastpacking trip...

12) Leavenworth: Hey, if you can't make it to Snoqualmie Pass, Stevens is the next best thing, and maybe a last(ish) zero day in Leavenworth would be in order?

13) Manning Park!  It'd be great to see our Canadian friends at or near the finish!

We'd love to see folks along the way, so let us know if you're interested!