[pct-l] setting a trip schedule

[Carl Siechert]

Oh, those questions are easy to answer: It depends.

Like most folks back then, we started on April 1 in 1977. Even though it was
an extreme drought year, we encountered quite a bit of snow on San Jacinto
and again just north of San Gorgonio. Going into the Sierra, we left Weldon
(on Hwy 178, which the PCT now crosses at Walker Pass) on May 5. At the
time, there wasn't a bit of snow anywhere in the Sierra; it had been even
drier there than in Southern California. However, in the last two weeks of
May, we got dumped on -- about 2-3 feet of new snow. At that point, we had
no choice but to plunge forward.

Other years have had much more snow. April hikers in Southern California can
encounter plenty of snow in the Lagunas, San Jacinto, San Bernardinos, and
west through the San Gabriels. In a wet year, snow and high runoff often
lasts well into July in the Sierra.

Bottom line: There's no way to know about 2008 yet, let alone 2009, so it's
best to have some flexibility in your planning. By mid-winter, you should
have a pretty good idea of how spring is shaping up. At Postholer.com,
Scott has put together a great site that monitors snow levels and uses that
information to forecast a reasonable Sierra entry date.

On Dec 2, 2007 9:55 AM, Greg Kesselring <gkesselr at whidbey.com> wrote:

> Hi Ned,
>
> I too have thought about a schedule similar to yours.  However, I have a
> question for those who have thru-hiked already.  Starting April 1 is
> appealing in that you get thru the desert when it's a little cooler.  But
> there are also a couple of mountain ranges thru that desert stretch.
>
> Question #1:  Can you hike thru those mountain ranges in April without
> postholing thru a lot of snow?
>
> Question #2:  If you start the hike April 1, will this put you in the
> Sierras too early, that is, when the high Sierra is still under many feet of
> snow and the stream crossing are dangerous due to snowmelt?  What's a
> reasonable start date to begin the high Sierra section?
>
>
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