[pct-l] It's All in the Timing huh?

[Shutterbug steiner]

On an normal year there is some snow and often LOTS of snow through April in sections  B- San Jacinto and Fuller Ridge around Idlewild, C- San Bernadino Mountains around Big Bear & Lake Arrowhead, D- The San Gabriels around Wrightwood and Mt Islip.  Last year was an exception with next to zero snow.  In 05 - the year of the Flip Flop we had a late winter and lots of difficulty with navigation and icey cold conditions in SoCal through May.  All depends on the year.
   
  SB

Greg Kesselring <gkesselr at whidbey.com> wrote:
  Hi Jon,

I too have pondered the idea of taking longer to do the trail. I hadn't 
considered doing it over two seasons, but I'm guessing the "real" 
thru-hikers would not consider that a real thru-hike. It would be 
considered a section hike, even though you're splitting the trail into 
only two great big sections.

I like the idea of starting earlier than most folks start because that 
way you could do the desert portion while it's not too hot. However, I 
believe there's a mountain portion that would likely have snow in March 
in So. Cal before the Mojave. But the one big show-stopper to starting 
early is that you can't get thru the High Sierra till late June at the 
earliest. So if you start early you end up sitting around at the base 
of the Sierra in May waiting a few weeks for the snow to melt up there.

Besides snow in the Sierra til late June and snow in the North Cascades 
in WA until early to mid-July, there's one other thing about a trhu-hike 
in one season that feels very challenging to me, and that's the heat and 
bugs in the lowlands of Northern California and Oregon in July and 
August. September or even October would be the ideal time to hike that 
area. With a two season plan you could time your hiking in each of 
these areas so you'd be there during the ideal time.

I guess one other approach where you could hike the entire trail in one 
season is to jump around. Do the So. CA portion early, skip the Sierra 
and do OR and WA, then go back and do the Sierra and finish up with 
Northern CA in the fall when it's cooler there. But I believe the 
purists don't consider this a true "thru-hike". Even so, I may opt to 
do it this way. Some day...

Greg

Jon Akerman wrote:
> Hi all:
>
> Thanks for your replies to my first email. I want to open another can
> of worms: when I first noticed the thru-hikers typical miles per day
> (20, right?), I thought that was a little much for me (because I'd
> really, really like to take my time in this thing, and I'm not an pro
> backpacker). Now, I know the seasons don't really allow us to take too
> much time, and there is that perfect window b/t May & late September.
> Well, has anyone, or have you heard of anyone, stayed on the trail for
> an extended period of time? As in, hiking half the trail, then
> spending the winter in a trailtown, or when the northern snow melts
> off in late July? As in, hiking 2/3rds of the trail then resting until
> Spring. And, I'm curious to know if the answer for me is to leave
> earlier in the year, so instead of May it would be leaving Campo in,
> say, March -- maybe February -- to give myself plenty of time before
> Winter comes. Oh the questions, the questions...!
>
> For now,
>
>
> Jon
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>
> 

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