Plans for the Pacific Crest Trail

I'm flying to Seattle tomorrow for a go at a southbound hike of the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). If all goes as planned I'll be hiking by Tuesday 6-28. My plan is to start at the East Bank Trailhead near Ross Lake, and hike 30 miles on the Pacific Northwest Trail to the PCT at Holman Pass.  Apparently starting in Canada and hiking south into the US is not legal, so this seems like the simplest way.  I'll miss 15-20 miles and the CA-US border monument, but I can't imagine that section will be too much different than the 30 miles I'll be hiking on the PNT.

I'm mostly packed and ready. A full gear list is below. I'll be around 10 lbs for base weight, and likely be carrying 10lbs of food on average.  Water doesn't look to be in short supply in WA and OR, so hopefully I won't need to carry much.  Southern CA will be different, but at that point I should be able to hike big days.  The two luxury items I'll have are crocs and a sit pad (2 sections of z-rest).  Nine ounces for these. 

I'll be carrying some things I haven't carried before.  The biggest are microspikes and an ice axe (1.3 lbs combined).  There still appears to be quite a bit of snow in the North Cascades and around Glacier Peak, so I'll be carrying them through most of Washington and maybe OR.  I'm going to be wearing boots, as the WalMart running shoes aren't stiff enough for the microspikes and are horrible in snow.  The boots are relatively light and are well broken in, so hopefully blisters won't be too bad.  I'll be switching into running shoes ASAP.  I'm  carrying a battery stick as resupply points are quite a bit further apart than on the AT.  I'll need something that will last 5-8 days.  If not, I'm also carrying paper maps and a compass, neither of which I used on the AT.  Given the more remote nature of the trail, more time above tree line, and anticipated snow cover, it seem it will be easier to get lost. I don't anticipate the trail in the north being well trodden, but we will see.

I've spent a lot of time making gear.  I made my pack out of the silnylon from the pack I used on the AT.  No hammock pack this time, just a lightweight sack with straps. I made it with plenty of water carrying capacity for the desert. I also made a down quilt with an opening in the middle so I can wear it as a jacket of sorts.  Working with the down wasn't that difficult and I'm pleased with the result.  I also made a rain poncho instead of carrying my heavy gore-tex jacket.  It won't be as warm, but it will keep my pack dry. Hopefully.

Gear	Ounces
Tent	27
Pack	11.3
Quilt	23.1
Thermarest	13
Clothes	44.3		Clothes	Ounces
Water Filt	1.3		Hat	1.4
Toothbrush/Paste/First Aid/Sunscreen	3.7		Gloves	1.2
Maps and Compass	3.2		Socks	3.3
Knife	0.7		NB tights	6.5
Headlamp	1.8		Pant Bottoms	3.8
Matches	0.3		Merino T	5
Crocs	6.8		Merino Long	8.4
Sit Pad	2.3		Wind Breaker	6.5
Charger & Cables	2.4		Poncho	5.2
Battery Stick	2.4		Bug Net	0.8
Phone	5.4		Boxers	1.8
Rope/Bag	1.8		Clothes Bag	0.4
Food Bag	1.1
Spoon	0.4		Total	44.3
Ice Axe	9.9
MicroSpikes	9.7
TP	1.3
Money/Credit Cards/ ID	1
Total	10.89	lbs
Total w/o Ice Axe & Spikes	9.66	lbs