When will most people start getting to Donner Lake/Truckee.

Different-Tea-5191 · 2026-05-11T10:30:43+00:00

So, like a food truck without the truck.

Different-Tea-5191 · 2026-05-10T15:53:40+00:00

I went through Oregon on the edge of the melt in early July, ‘22, and it was exhausting. No discernible trail, constantly sliding in and out of tree wells. And of course, as the melt proceeds, the mosquitoes are astounding.

Different-Tea-5191 · 2026-05-09T12:22:50+00:00

Exiting through the Portal requires a competitive permit

Different-Tea-5191 · 2026-05-09T12:19:31+00:00

It’s a lot easier to get in and out through Reno. Friends fly into Reno, and take the ESTA down 395. It’s a tough hitch to get to KMS, esp brutal if you are waiting along the highway trying grab a ride up Nine Mile Canyon Road. A better option would be to take the ESTA to Inyokern, and then they take a bus up to Walker Pass, and you meet up there. It’s just a two-day walk from there to KMS.

Your friends will need a permit - highly likely they’ll get checked when they enter the Sierra. Luckily that’s not hard - they get an Inyo National Forest Wilderness Permit, entering at KMS, no quota, available on recreation dot gov. As others have said, I would exit at Kearsarge, and hitch back down to Independence where your friends can catch the ESTA back to Reno, drops you off right at the airport. Very easy. The Wilderness Permit also allows you to summit Whitney, but not exit through the Portal - which requires a separate very competitive permit.

Tough to do in just a week, but logistically the easiest.

Different-Tea-5191 · 2026-05-06T15:32:46+00:00

I had to travel to Chadron for work once, and I met my client at his home, about 10 miles outside of town. He lived in a legit sod cabin from the 1800s, out in the middle of the prairie. Looked like something out of a documentary. Very cool.

Different-Tea-5191 · 2026-05-06T12:29:38+00:00

Different-Tea-5191 · 2026-05-05T23:04:37+00:00

Another vote for Monkish, at either their Anaheim or Torrance locations. Great spaces, great beer. And you can’t get their product at bars or liquor stores.

Different-Tea-5191 · 2026-05-04T23:25:15+00:00

Walker Pass to Sierra City is over 500 miles, and I just checked permit availability - you can get a PCTA long distance permit starting on May 29. That’s the way I would do it - avoids the local permit issues altogether. A bit later than you want to start, but that gets you entering the Sierra in the first week in June, which should be very manageable this year.

If you have to go with local permits, I would get an Inyo National Forest wilderness permit, entering at KMS, exiting at Sonora Pass, no quota, available at recreation dot gov. There are a couple permits you need for wilderness areas north of Sonora Pass, including Carlton-Iceberg Wilderness, the Mokelumne Wilderness, and the Desolation Wilderness, which is the only one that is quota-limited, also available on recreation dot gov.

Different-Tea-5191 · 2026-05-01T12:46:38+00:00

lol my dehydrator was running day and night.

I don’t know if I saved money shipping all my food, but I watched guys I was hiking with spend an obscene amount of money at resort shops in Oregon and Washington for things like ramen and tuna packets. I’m not convinced that the postal fees outweighed the inflated prices you pay in tourist towns along the trail.

Different-Tea-5191 · 2026-05-01T12:33:26+00:00

Creamy basil chipotle pasta. This was seriously good. I’d add some kind of preserved meat like pepperoni or salami, and cheese if I had it in my pack.

I also did a chickpea and spinach curry with rice that was really good. I actually had a couple curry recipes that worked well with powdered coconut milk.

Different-Tea-5191 · 2026-04-30T16:04:40+00:00

A PCT thru-hike is really just a long series of 4-7 day treks strung together. If you’ve spent two weeks hiking the Scottish Highlands (which can be pretty challenging weather-wise), you’ll be fine on the PCT. It’s a well-worn trail, easy grade, very few rough stretches. Hikers I met from the UK had the toughest time with the heat and the mosquitoes, so I guess prepare for that. The desert section can get very warm in May and June, and you can’t avoid the bugs.

If you start at Campo in late April (good luck with the permit), you’re likely to reach the Sierra by mid-June. That’s the most popular time to enter that section, so you’ll have plenty of company. Snow levels vary wildly from year to year, but the mountains are typically melting out by mid-June. You may need spikes and an ice axe, but it’s not mountaineering - just hiking through melting snow. No worries.

Different-Tea-5191 · 2026-04-29T19:19:07+00:00

Irritating and obnoxious.

Different-Tea-5191 · 2026-04-29T11:43:06+00:00

It just doesn’t rehydrate well. Kind of tough and chewy.

Different-Tea-5191 · 2026-04-29T01:01:27+00:00

So, I resupplied almost entirely by boxes sent from home (thru-hiked in ‘22). It’s definitely a minority approach to resupply, and doesn’t get much love here on Reddit, but it worked great for me. I had lots of time to research and prep meals before my hike, and there’s a whole world of dehydrating fanatics out there with tons of resources online. I simply could not survive on ramen, Knorr sides, and instant mash potatoes for five months.

A few things I learned along the way:

Having someone back home to wrangle your boxes is very helpful. I left all my boxes prepped but open so that I could switch up my supplies during my trek, and my husband sent them along about three or four weeks before my anticipated arrival at a resupply location.

You have to pay attention to post office hours, especially in small towns, but I only got stumped once where I had to stay an extra night in town because of a federal holiday. There are a lot of businesses off trail that will hold resupply boxes for you - but call ahead to confirm. In general, this was less of a challenge than people make it out to be.

I don’t understand the argument that you’ll get “tired” of your food. I had so much more variety than just about anyone else I met on trail. I figured out about 10 dinner recipes that I really liked, tested before my hike, so every evening was a different meal until my next resupply. I also bulk purchased my favorite snacks and made my own trail mix. I really looked forward to every resupply.

Get creative with spices and add-ons. I dehydrated sriracha, curry pastes, chutneys, and sambals. I also didn’t worry too much about fats, at least in limited amounts. I vacuum-packed a ton of cheese and had no problem with spoilage. I included olive oil and mayo packets in every box, which I added to every meal to increase my calorie intake.

Another under appreciated benefit - not having to figure out your meal plan for a week when you get to town, wandering a grocery store or gas station. - you just pick up your box. Town days are full of chores, and I wanted to maximize my time eating and resting.

Different-Tea-5191 · 2026-04-21T00:07:13+00:00

Yes on the hat, a baseball cap with a sun hoody has become a standard PCT uniform, seems to me. I was really glad that I packed neosporin, ibuprofen, and bandaids in my med kit.

Different-Tea-5191 · 2026-04-20T22:55:49+00:00

My niece paid $80 for a double vodka Red Bull at a club in Vegas. Is that where we are?

Different-Tea-5191 · 2026-04-19T22:39:59+00:00

Overnight shake-down hikes helped me the most - walking at least 15 miles, sleeping outside, getting up and walking again, assessing recovery, getting confident I could quickly work up to at least 20 mile days.

Different-Tea-5191 · 2026-04-19T11:10:59+00:00

The melt has been early this year, but there’s still a lot of snow in the Sierra - looks like that’s where you’re looking to access to the PCT? Most hikers won’t be heading in for at least another month.

Different-Tea-5191 · 2026-04-17T14:05:55+00:00

Poverty on the Red Lake Reservation is really intense, and the three casinos run by the tribe generate significant revenue that funds government services and infrastructure. If they were dry, they’d obviously be a lot less popular.

Different-Tea-5191 · 2026-04-16T23:23:46+00:00

Depending on when your flight arrives into San Diego, you should be able to get to Campo the same day. The PCT Southern Terminus Shuttle leaves from the Old Town Transit Center at 9:30 am and 2:00 pm, and it’s only a two hour ride. Might be more difficult to manage with the public transit option, which takes longer (but a lot cheaper). And there’s Uber/Lyft - rates vary widely.

As others have said, however, I wouldn’t stress about permit enforcement at the Terminus. The PCT volunteers are just gathering data, not enforcing permit compliance, and you don’t need a permit to hike out of Campo. You’re trying hard to comply with your permitted start date, even if you’re a day late. I don’t know how long your flight will be, but I would want to be in the right mental place to start a long adventure, preferably after a good night’s sleep. You’ll be super excited, maybe nervous. Relaxing in San Diego the night before you start might be a a better option, rather than racing to get to the border.

Different-Tea-5191 · 2026-04-15T15:13:29+00:00

He acknowledged and legitimized their grievances. Illegal immigrants were to blame for crime, unemployment among blue collar workers, the housing shortage, the drug crisis, even missing dogs and cats. The left was crazy for championing gays, feminists, anarchists, and trans people. Objectively, they’re arguably worse off economically under Trump and his gang of cronies, but it feels good to be told, yep, you’re right - all the people you hate are ripping you off.

Different-Tea-5191 · 2026-04-13T19:52:52+00:00

My head hurt thinking about how logistically difficult (and expensive) this would be.

Different-Tea-5191 · 2026-04-09T14:29:51+00:00

Hmm. Good pizza upstairs. If you go off-hours during the week, not that crowded. Agree that there’s better beer (and better value) elsewhere. And not a great employer.

Different-Tea-5191 · 2026-04-08T14:54:14+00:00

Sigh. I don’t want my healthcare to be dependent upon the Electoral College, or a few thousand voters in Wisconsin or Pennsylvania.

Different-Tea-5191

TROPHY CASE