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ADZPCTKO Happenings

Last update: Sunday, April 09, 2006

Want a quick overview? Check the schedule.

Before you get to the kickoff

Many years of non-hiker traffic have left a lot of trash on and near the trail in the border region.  The ADZPCTKO organizers are sponsoring a trail cleanup project this year covering the trail from the border to Lake Morena Campground.  Hiker participation is essential to our success and everybody's benefit.  Here's our very simple plan:

Small trash bags will be stashed at the monument.  There is plenty of trash to go around, so every hiker or group is asked to take a bag and pick up trash along the way.  Go ahead and pick up what you see, even if it's fifty steps off the trail.  Fill your bag and tie it shut.  Deposit bags at highway 94, Hauser, and Lake Morena Campground.  I will pick up the bags at highway 94 on my way to taking hikers out to the trailhead.  The first dozen or so hikers should be able to clean this stretch.  Bags deposited at Hauser will be picked up by volunteers with vehicle support from ADZPCTKO.  This will most likely be done Saturday morning.  If a hiker can't carry a bag all the way to Hauser, just leave it by the trail.  There will be another hiker who comes along who will move it on down the line.  If you find a bag waiting for a lift, go ahead and move it on a mile closer to the dumpster. 

The more people who get involved, the better we leave the trail, and the more we all enjoy it.  Water bottles and tin cans will not biodegrade in our lifetimes.  If not us, who?  If not now, when? 

Good luck to the snowy class of 2005.  Hike on !  Bob Riess at the trailhead.

Every day

  • A volunteer group coordinated by the PCTA will be doing trail maintenance on the PCT south of Lake Morena. You're invited to help.
  • Need a ride to the border, to Mt. Laguna, or to some other nearby starting point for a hike back to Lake Morena? Gather at the Transportation Hub by the Pavilion to hook up with someone going your way.
  • Throughout the weekend, a hiker box will be available for you to paw through other hikers' discards. You'll find some real treasures including equipment and food--and some corn pasta. At this trekkers' flea market, you'll also be able to get rid of the unnecessary items you found in your pack after the first 20 miles. You'll find the hiker box near the info board in site 18.
  • Switchback will have his electronic scales again this year for gear weighing.  Also, anyone who stops by the table will get free Pringles for the trail.  Lowly Pringles have been rated in magazines as a great trail food.
  • A few hikers and other friends of the PCT who have come up with some innovative products will be showing (and selling) their cool wares in sites 22-24, including:
    • Packs by Gossamer Gear, ULA Equipment, LuxuryLite Gear, and Six Moon Designs
    • Shelters by Gossamer Gear, Tarptent, Six Moon Designs, and Big Sky Products
    • Bear canisters by BearVault
    • Documentary DVDs
    • Guidebooks and PCT logo gear
  • Did you forget something? As a service to thru hikers, A-16 will take orders for any gear or supplies you need and deliver everything to you the next day at the kickoff! In addition, they'll have on hand a limited supply of fuel and other essentials.
  • A large map of the PCT assembled by David Plotnikoff will be set up for viewing in the Pavilion. Check it out, memorize it, and leave your other maps behind.
  • Representatives of the Pacific Crest Trail Association (PCTA) and ALDHA-W will be on hand to explain their good deeds on behalf of hikers. Look for PCTA in site 43.
  • Need to stretch those muscles? Join the volleyball game near site 15.

Friday

  • In the afternoon the first (hopefully annual) "Bring Out Your Most Useless Item Contest" will take place under the direction of Chuckie V. Our five celebrity panelists are eager to take a close look at your gear! It'll be a low-key event and, in sticking to ADZPCTKO tradition, will be devoid of any rules. Contestants are simply asked to show their gear in front of our panel. As they see fit, the panel then judges an item (or items as it may be) as "useless" for a thru-hike of the PCT. The hiker who has the item deemed as the "absolutely most useless" will win a special award.

    The five panelists cover a wide range of hiking styles and mindsets. They are:
    • Jackie McDonnell, from Kansas City, better known as Yogi in hiking circles. Yogi's a qualified long distance hiker having completed the triple crown and the PCT twice (nearly thrice!). She is also is a self-proclaimed pack rat and is still working on reducing her pack weight.
    • Paul Magnanti, of Boulder, Colorado. Like Yogi, Mags is an established thru-hiker as well, with the AT, PCT, Colorado trail and Vermont's Long Trail under his belt. His favorite beer is whatever he's got in his hands at the time.
    • Monty Tam, better known on the PCT-L and in the hiking world as Warner Springs Monty. Monty is our panel's ultra-ULTRA-light expert with a base weight approaching five pounds! Let's hope this doesn't mean that Monty considers anything beyond five pounds as useless!
    • Marge Prothman, more commonly called the Old Gal in the hiking world. Marge is a PCT section hiker and is also the current world champion power lifter for her age division in the dead lift. That's not to say that she's used to carrying dead weight.
    • Carl Rush, lives within spitting distance of the AT in Kunkletown, PA. Carl has hiked the AT and the Oregon section of the PCT and won last year's gear contest at the ADZPCTKO. The only non-drinker in our panel, Carl will likely be the only sober one, and therefore the only one making any wise decisions.
  • The PCT Class of 2004 will be providing dinner to this year's thru hikers in site 76. If there are any scraps left over, the rest of you are welcome to scrounge around for them.
  • Beginning around 6:30 and lasting until the last person starts snoring, our evening program includes some great presentations:
    • Nutrition and Health for Long Distance Hikers, by Meadow Mary and Billy Goat. Billy Goat has thru-hiked the PCT so many times we've lost count, and Meadow Mary keeps him healthy. They'll tell us how.
    • Welcoming Remarks by ADZPCTKO Top Banana Greg Hummel, who promises to keep it short. (Begins around 7:30)
    • Walk, a documentary film by Scott "Squatch" Herriott. Following its debut at last year's kickoff, this inspiring, funny, and informative film has been well received at several film festivals. And if you like it as much as we think you will, Scott will be happy to sell you a copy to take home. (~7:45)
    • Alone Across Australia, by Brian Frankle. Thru hiking the PCT in 1999 wasn't enough. Building a successful outdoor gear company, ULA Equipment, wasn't enough. Now Brian had to conquer Australia. (~9:15)
    • Best of the PCT 1977-2003, presented by Greg Hummel. This show gathers the best photos submitted by PCT hikers, and is being used to promote the PCT at various groups. (~10:30)

Saturday

  • Members of the Class of 2003, who last year put on a fantastic breakfast of pancakes, strawberries, and leftover Jell-o shots (wait a minute--there weren't any left over), are doing it again this year. Famously occupying Area 51 last year, they've now been 86ed, but Chris "Freefall" Sanderson promises another delicious breakfast in site 86. Assuming the breakfast crew isn't too hung over, the chow line opens at 8:00 for 2005 thru hikers. After 9:00, if the buzz hasn't worn off and there's still some pancake batter left, the line opens to all comers.
  • The Annual Great Pacific Long Distance Hiking Gadget and Invention Revue (AGPLDHG&IR) showcases the creative talents and inventiveness of hikers in their quest to build lightweight solutions to meet the needs of long distance trekkers. Prizes will be given for the truly creative, innovative, and ridiculous.
  • A Silent Auction of great gear and cool collectibles raises funds to keep this party going.
  • Our evening program features:
    • Bears, Food Protection, and Fire Safety. Rob Mason of the USFS explains the law, the controversy, and best practices for for avoiding food flight and conflagrations.
    • Remembering Warren Rogers. Members of the Rogers family reminisce about the role of PCT pioneer Warren Rogers. (~8:00)
    • Scott Williamson's 1992-2004 PCT Compilation. Here's another guy who just doesn't know when to stop. Following several earlier attempts, last year Scott became the first person to complete a PCT yo-yo -- Mexico to Canada and back again in one season. (~9:00)
    • 2004 Thru-Hike, by Weather Carrot. This new, fast-paced show has gotten rave reviews each time it's been shown, and tonight it's our feature presentation. (~10:30)

See the Schedule for the times of these events as well as other (more important) events, like meals.

More Information

For latebreaking news and answers to common questions, check the Information Board, this year in three convenient locations to serve you!

  • At the first fork in the road (near site 18)
  • Where the trail from the south enters the campground (near site 33)
  • In the midst of this year's hikers (near site 72)

Still need help? Track down an ADZPCTKO organizer--one of the folks wearing the cool ADZ caps.