[pct-l] Kennedy Meadows Entry Date, Planning

[ned at pacificcrestcustombuilders.com]

In the Sierra you can encounter snow, dangerous creek crossings, and 
hazardous weather most any month of the year. If you prepare yourself for 
the worst and you find your actual conditions "going south" once you're out 
there, you'll have the knowledge, skills, and experience to make the right 
decisions to proceed through it safely with little fear or anxiety. 
Practice.

Gary said, "Hikers need to be aware of the possible range of conditions they 
might
encounter and adjust accordingly.  Most mistakes I've seen/read about
in journals are due to hikers assuming that they will experience
'average' conditions and not being prepared for variances from the
average."

Donna said, "And, be prepared for winter-like conditions, no matter
what year you hike."

"Ray Day" represents the optimal date for leaving KM in order to travel on 
as dry a trail as possible and still get to Canada before the snow flies and 
stops you dead in your tracks so close to your goal. Since some winters drop 
more snow than others, what you find when you climb out of KM (based on the 
schedule you created months earlier) is what you get. Learn, before you 
leave, how to deal with it so you'll have a safe and happy 
dream-trip-of-a-lifetime armed with the requisite skills garnished from 
having already experienced the worst the mountains may throw at you.

With this in mind, it really doesn't matter what date you leave KM (winter 
excepted!). I left the area April 17. Sure, I had a lot of snow, but I 
learned how to travel in it well enough to make my 17mpd average to get to 
Monument 78 before the local Canadian Rangers said it would start snowing. 
The last thing I wanted was to hike all that way just to have some stupid 
snow storm prevent me from reaching my 6-month goal, so I started early 
(March 14).

As we teach, here, it doesn't matter whether you have twelve inches or 
twelve feet of snow, the techniques and considerations for dealing with it 
are the same. Since it can snow at any time of year in the mountains, learn 
about hiking through it before you go. Plan for optimal and anticipate the 
adverse, but prepare for the worst - and always have a "Plan B." You can't 
control the weather and the conditions that will be thrown at you, but you 
can control your comfort and level of safety by being thoroughly 
experienced. So, join REI courses, go hiking in the winter, enroll in the 
local Community College's Backpacking classes, sleep in your shelter in your 
backyard in the wind-driven rain, eat your trail menu while still at home, 
and come to our free Snow Courses.

Preparing for your safe and successful PCT thru hike is not just about 
knowing which maps to take, having the lightest pack, eating the best foods 
for you, or wearing the shoes accepted by the thru hiking community at 
large. You are preparing for that many would call an "expedition." The 
"Outward Bound" side of it requires knowledge, skills, and experience to 
provide for safety and fun. The "Inward Bound" side requires that you be 
aware of what you're getting yourself into, the myriad of external 
decision-making situations that will bring about changes within you.

Both of these can be met by doing. Spend your weekends hiking. Choose 
locations that closely approximate what you expect to see (hike parts of the 
pct). Choose environmental and personal conditions that challenge you 
(altitude, bad weather, lack of water, hot/cold temperatures, rough or snowy 
trail, loneliness, group decision-making, etc..) Through all of this you'll 
learn about yourself, what you know, what you need to learn and practice, 
what gear and food works for you, how hard you can push yourself, whether 
this dream is really within your grasp. This is what planning and 
preparation are all about. Step One.

If you need help or encouragement, send us an email.

Mtnned and Lady J



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Eric Lee" <saintgimp at hotmail.com>
To: <petechar at onid.orst.edu>; <pct-l at backcountry.net>
Sent: Wednesday, July 22, 2009 11:49 AM
Subject: Re: [pct-l] Kennedy Meadows


> Bjorn wrote:
>>
> I have read a few places that leaving Kennedy Meadows before June 15th
> is challenging/impossible/stupid and I'm wondering what others think.
>>
>
> June 15th is a very general rule of thumb that may or may not apply in any
> given year.  It all comes down to two things: how fast the snow melts off
> and how comfortable you are with extended snow travel.
>
> If you're ok with snow travel then leaving well before June 15th is doable
> and maybe even desirable.  An earlier entry date lets you avoid the worst 
> of
> the river crossings and maybe the worst of the bugs and gives you more 
> time
> to get from the Sierra to Canada.
>
> On the other hand snow travel can be slower, more exhausting, and more
> technically challenging than bare trails.  You need to carry more food and
> gear and be good at route-finding.  Look for Rolling Thunder's 2006 
> journal
> on www.trailjournals.com for a good example of what an early entry is 
> like.
>
> Eric
>
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