[pct-l] sierra thunderstorms

[Tom Reynolds]

A clarification. Clouds in the sky means clouds in the sky anywhere! If you see clouds in the sky before 11AM you are taking a risk traversing a pass after 2PM. You do not need to see clouds over or near the pass. It need not be dark and/or raining. 
   
  I might add that traversing a Sierra Pass in the late afternoon is basically idiotic. You will extend energy at a far greater rate than traversing in the morning. My rule for Sierra hiking:
   
  timeframe                                 hiking units
  ----------------------------------------------------------------
  Before sunup                             0 units
  Sunup to sun on trail                  1 unit
  Sun to 11:30AM                         2 units
  11:30-2:00PM                            3 units
  2PM to sundown                        4 units 
   
  Obviously, these are based on the experience of a fat, old guy who wouldn't dream of doing a thrukike but has hiked the Sierra extensively. However, although all thruhikers will have stronger hiking skills than I, the ratio will still hold IMHO.
   
  I have long believed that thruhikers should focus on saving their energy and their feet as opposed to making miles in the early going. I understand that no thruhiker can actually do this because whatever drives a thruhiker to persevere negates this approach. Nevertheless, timing the Sierra to scale the pass and/or ford the creek in the morning in order to conserve energy and maintain dry feet will put the thruhiker in better shape when s/he reaches I80 even if a day or two was lost. Besides the Sierra is beautiful.                                    

dsaufley at sprynet.com wrote:
  Lightening can strike from a great distance away, when there are no directly clouds overhead. An awareness of seasonal weather patterns, and a careful eye on conditions all around, is important. To your earlier point Girlscout, crossing the Sierra passes in the late afternoon can be treacherous when there is extreme heat in the deserts below, even without clouds directly over or on the pass before you.

L-Rod

-----Original Message-----
>From: Pea Hicks 

>Sent: Mar 20, 2007 2:58 PM
>To: Tom Reynolds 
>Cc: pct 

>Subject: Re: [pct-l] sierra thunderstorms
>
>
>
>Tom Reynolds wrote:
>> Handling thunderstorms in the Sierra is rather simple.
>> 
>> If you don't see clouds in the sky by 11AM there won't be a 
>> thunderstorm. If you do there might be a thunderstorm. The weather tends 
>> to build. If you see clouds on day 1 but no storm, then see clouds the 
>> next day a storm is more likely, and so on.
>
>this is all true, but i suppose an important point to be made is that 
>the storms can still seem to hit quickly and unexpectedly for those 
>who've not experienced them. you can wake up to a cloudless blue sky, 
>and within a matter of hours be in the thick of an intense storm.
>
>
>gs
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