[pct-l] How early can I start WA?

[Greg Kesselring]

Hi Phillip,

Based on the current snowpack (but not yet knowing anything about the 
kind of weather we'll have during the spring), I would guess that the 
higher elevations of the trail--Goat Rocks, Snoqualmie to Stevens, 
Glacier Peak area, and the section between Rainy Pass and the Canadian 
border--will not offer mostly snow-free hiking till late July.

If you want a slightly earlier start, you could start at Manning and go 
sobo.  You might get by with as early a start as around July 4, but 
waiting till the 10th or so would probably better.  The reason for a 
slightly earlier start there is that that section, even though high, is 
in the widest part of the range.  As a result, there's a lot of mountain 
mass to west of the PCT there, and all those mountains to west wring out 
a lot of the moisture from incoming storms, so the snowpack there is not 
quite as deep as the higher elevations further south.  Also, that 
section gets a little more sun which helps the melt-out.

I don't know the trail in the southern part of the state.  If it stays 
low for quite a while, you could start earlier there too, and time your 
entry into the high elevations on that part of the trail to be around 
the end of July.  By "high elevations" I'm thinking around 5,000.  
Anything at that elevation or above is going to have snow till late July 
(with the exception of the far north described above) unless we get an 
usually warm and sunny spring.

WA typically has its best weather for hikers from mid-July thru 
mid-August, with mid-August thru mid-September usually being pretty nice 
as well.

Good luck and enjoy!!

Greg

Phillip Peacock wrote:
> Hello,
>
> My name is Phillip and in 2006 I hiked the CA and OR sections of the  
> PCT. I had hoped for a through-hike but but arrived at Cascade locks  
> with only three weeks of time left available.I probably could have  
> hiked WA in that time but never would have made my flight from  
> Seattle. Now I'm thinking of hiking WA in 2008 (starting from Cascade  
> Locks), but haven't a clue when the trail will be clear of snow.
>
> Can anybody help me out with that?
>
> Thanks!
>
> Phillip
>
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