Advice on a 3-month section hike on the PCT

I want to get this back on top so I can remember to think more about it. I don' t believe we can fit a trip thag fits all your requirements.
Right now I'm thinking you should keep it simple and go from Ashland north to Manning.

John-

Thanks for the bump. I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

For my part, I have to admit that I'm pretty motivated by the desire to not start at one of the buggier sections of the trail (S. Oregon) on July 1st, at a time when I'll be moving so slowly that it might take me most of July to transit the bug zone. It was largely for this reason that I was thinking of spending the first 2-3 weeks of July doing a shake-down hike on the Tahoe Rim Trail, perhaps hiking as far north as Truckee on the PCT, and then leap-frogging all the way to Bend. I realize that the area around Three Sisters will probably still be pretty buggy, even in late July, but I really don't want to miss that area, and I figure that by late July I'll be moving fast enough that I can get out of the bug-zone pretty quickly.

But that's just a very tentative, ill-informed strawman plan. I have no experience with OR in summer-time (although I've hiked a bit in WA in both July & August), so I may be over-playing the mosquito problem. That's why I'd welcome any advice from someone with more experience.

Thanks!

These are just a couple ideas/thoughts:

1. Check out http://www.pctplanner.com/plan.php? You can play around with the start dates, the start and end sites, your hiking speed, etc. You can also select/unselect resupply points. Here is a link to info on those resupply points and how you access them (walk, hitchhike, etc.): http://planyourhike.com/planning/resupplypoints.php
2. Consider going southbound. Francis Tapon makes a compelling case for this here: http://francistapon.com/Travels/Pacific-Crest-Trail/Why-go-southbound-on-the-PCT. This would make a lot of sense for your schedule, and you don’t have to worry about the only reportedly tricky part about going SOBO (Washington in July).
3. If you are going as slow as 10-12mi. per day, it’s going to be hard to conveniently resupply often enough. You would probably need hitchhike out quite a bit.
4. One potential start/end point to consider is Crater Lake -> Independence. I think that fits your criteria of relatively easy to begin with as well as the total mileage, but you also get to see a lot of the greatest parts of the PCT.

The bugs really aren't that bad in Oregon. Just carry a headnet and make sure your shelter has some bug resistance. Use a longsleeve shirt and pants and some deet on your hands. In July, everywhere from Kennedy Meadows north will be at least a little buggy and you don't want to be hiking in SoCal unless you love 110 degree heat. Also there may be some dry stretches but it isn't that bad. Oregon is also very flat.

My suggestion – start in Ashland, Oregon, the hiking is easy and the bugs aren't that bad.

-Resupply after 53 miles at PCT mile 1780 – fish lake resort, I believe they accept boxes or drop one off on your way to Ashland.

-Resupply 60 miles later at Mazama village, they accept boxes at the store. Hike up to Crater Lake, it's a highlight and you could have friends/family meet you there to spend a few days touring the lake. It's mid July at this point, so I would skip up to Shelter Cove and do the three sisters wilderness.

-Shelter Cove to Elk Lake – 46 miles, I believe Elk Lake takes boxes
-Elk Lake to Sisters – 42 miles

At this point you've been hiking for about 200 miles, so you should have your trail legs and can be doing 15-20 mpd pretty comfortably in the remainder of OR. You've got 2 months remaining to do the rest of OR and WA. If you're worried about time, hike to the Columbia River (WA border) and skip up to Trout Lake to save a week, hike the goat rocks and skip to Packwood. Most of the rest of WA is really incredible and not worth missing.

Michael-

Thanks — that's super helpful! Sorry for the slow response, but I've been away from my computer for awhile.

I've been toying with the idea of starting at Bend, and maybe spending the first week or two doing some 3-5 day loop hikes in the Three Sisters Wilderness. This would more or less eliminate the resupply issue for the first couple of weeks, and give me a chance to get my trail legs without having to worry about covering fixed mileage (however modest). Also, I spent some time ski-touring in that area a few years ago, and I've always wanted to get back to explore it in the summertime (although I hear that it gets pretty crowded on summer weekends).

So, a couple of follow-up questions:

1. Do you think the bugs will be bad enough in the Three Sisters Wilderness (esp. the area east of the PCT) in early July that it would make it unpleasant to dally in that area for a week or two?

2. Do you think the section immediately north of Sisters (Mt. Washington, Mt. Jefferson, etc.) would be too challenging a place to start, after only a week or two of shake-down in the Three Sisters Wilderness?

3. Do you think I'd be giving up a lot by skipping southern OR? (I understand that Crater Lake is amazing, but that might be a better place to visit on a family vacation sometime, rather than in the midst of a section hike).

Thanks again for your advice!