[pct-l] Winter PCT hiking

[Tom Bache]

I have to speak up for the Southern California PCT (defined to be from the
border to Kennedy Meadows).  To my mind, there is no preferred season for
hiking most of it.  This is based on experience -- I section hiked most of
the Southern California PCT in the winter (2004-5 and 2005-6) so I could
save my summer hiking for places too hard and dangerous for me in winter.
One can argue (and I would) that most of southern California is better for
hiking in the winter than in the normal hiking season.  The weather is cool,
but not cold, in the daytime, so chances are that you will feel very much
stronger than you do when fighting dehydration.  As a bonus, you see almost
no one.

Baden-Powell, San Jacinto, and Kennedy Meadows have lots of snow in the
winter, so I saved them for warmer months.  But I had no problems (other
than occasional rain) elsewhere.  Snow is rare and short-lived below 8000'
in Southern California except on north-facing slopes -- sort of like the
Sierras in June.  Below 6000' it is rare even on shaded slopes.

But you should recognize that you can get unlucky -- in San Diego County we
will sometimes get snow down to 3000' with lots of snow (12" or more) on the
PCT in the Lagunas.  It would indeed be bad luck to get caught in one of
these rare storms, but a few days later it will be warm and the snow will
melt away.  The same sort of thing happens in the San Bernadinos, San
Gabriels, and Tehachapis -- all the way up to Walker Pass and beyond -- good
conditions most of the time with occasional storms that dump short-lived
snow.  

Your best bet for a winter section hike is Section A (110 miles) and the
first part of Section B.  Problems with snow are very rare in this area.
The portions of the trail between Islip Saddle (just west of Mt
Baden-Powell) and Walker Pass are likely to be fine too, though the odds of
snow are a bit higher.

Enjoying the mountains year 'round,

Tom Bache
San Diego


> From: "Eric Lee (GAMES)" <elee at microsoft.com>
> Subject: Re: [pct-l] Closed shop on the PCT?
> To: g l <gailpl2003 at yahoo.com>, Home <jeffreyn at sonic.net>, PCT
> <pct-l at backcountry.net>
> 
Gail wrote:
>> 
> How bout on the PCT tho???  Can't I pound out ANY of it this winter???
>> 
Eric wrote:
> There are parts of the southern CA desert that you can hike in the winter,
> though I don't know if there's any contiguous 100 mile sections even down
> there.  I'm not too familiar with that area.
> 
> I know for sure that there's nothing in Oregon or Washington, and I doubt
> there's anything in CA north of the start of the Sierras, either.  There's a
> reason why it's called the Pacific _Crest_ Trail.
> 
> On the other hand, you could strap on some snowshoes and have a grand time in
> the mountains this winter.  That's what I do!
> 
> Eric