[pct-l] Hiking Oregon in June?

[Piroska Balogh]

Hi,
The snow issue is going to be substantial heading through Oregon in  
June. I started north from Ashland on July 5th last year and still ran  
into snow in lots of spots even though it was a pretty low snow year.  
It was manageable but reading the trail registers, there were a couple  
of people ahead of me by a week or two and they really struggled. I  
would be concerned with being slowed down alot by the snow and route  
finding especially when the trail goes up high. There are blazes and  
PCT markers but I don't remember them being close enough together to  
be useful for snow navigation. Washington will still have snow into  
July.

Other issues with an early start are the blowdowns that haven't been  
cleared out yet. Spring melt can turn some stream crossings into  
pretty formidable rivers especially early in the season. The bugs will  
probably start getting fierce so take a headnet and lots of DEET. I  
had my ipod nano with me that really gave me a respite from the  
constant mosquito buzzing in my ears that was bothersome even with a  
headnet.

I would recommend that you keep an eye on the snowmelt stats in the  
spring, plan on lower miles, detour routes at lower elevation, and  
bail out points if the going gets too tough. Start as late as you can.  
Cell phone reception was pretty good in southern Oregon but petered  
out north of the Sisters and never got consistently good again all the  
way to Canada. If you are hiking alone, keep in mind that early in the  
season, very few people are on the trail. Late season snowstorms can  
also be a problem.

I don't want you to get scared by all this but you need to know what  
potential issues you might face. You should just go for it and see  
what happens but be safe doing it!
All the best,
Last Cookie

On Dec 10, 2007, at 11:47 AM, Elizabeth Grunch wrote:

> Thank you to all that have so graciously taken some time to help me  
> with some helpful information regarding hiking Oregon and Washington  
> starting northbound in June.  There has been a couple of concern  
> with hiking Oregon in early June.  I would be starting my two month  
> journey in southern Oregon heading north.  What do you think about  
> the possibilities of snow covering on the trail that I would get  
> lost (being a rookie and all)?
>
> Elizabeth from Michigan
> lucylouise14 at yahoo.com
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