Lon Cooper is a hiker, photographer, maker of Pacific Crest Trail maps, and volunteer blogger for the Pacific Crest Trail Association. He lives near San Diego, CA and is known as "Halfmile" on the PCT. Lon's other web sites include www.pctwater.com, www.pctmap.net, and www.lon.net.
A new much shorter Station Fire Detour goes into effect May 7th. The 4.6 mile detour begins west of Pacifico Mountain [mile 413.3], bypassing 5.4 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail destroyed by the 2009 Station Fire. This detour replaces the 47 mile detour used by PCT hikers in 2010. ... Read more
The Riverside County Sheriff reports in a press release that two Pacific Crest Trail thru-hikers became lost on the north side of Mount San Jacinto and were rescued by the Riverside Mountain Rescue Unit and a Sheriff helicopter. The hikers did not require medical attention.... Read more
Old Station trail angel Firefly says in a letter to the PCT-L that The Hideaway will be closed to Pacific Crest Trail hikers this year:
Dear Friends, This is a hard letter to write, but I can’t put it off any longer. I’ve made the decision that I need a ... Read more
A cold storm is forecast for Thursday through Saturday that could bring snow to 3,500 ft across Southern CA. The most significant precipitation is expected late Friday through Early Saturday.... Read more
Pacific Crest Trail Deep Creek Detour [mile 298] maps and GPS data are ready and available for download at www.pctmap.net.... Read more
2011 is going to be a big snow year for hikers on the Pacific Crest Trail.
The Southern Sierra currently has 155% of the normal amount of snow and it just increases as you travel north. The Central Sierra is 161% of normal and the Northern Sierra is at a ... Read more
Yesterday the forest service put up signs for the detour around Deep Creek because of landslides and bridges damaged from winter storms. The 14.2 mile detour bypasses 15.7 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail beginning at the Deep Creek bridge near mile 298.3. The detour route follows forest road 3N34 ... Read more
A few of the early Pacific Crest Trail hikers have had trouble navigating the Cowboy Fire burn area, so yesterday I decided to go see it for myself.
The Cowboy Fire happened back on September 2, 2010 and it burned the PCT in two places in Section A. The first ... Read more
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