[pct-l] how do I post this

[Scott Bryce]

Zachary Guyton wrote:
> I am graduating college in May 2010 and I was wondering if I started
> in Canada around may 5th if it would be to late to beat the winter
> weather of the season to come. Also looking for any partners willing
> to start under these circumstances if they are possible

The trail in Canada, Washington and Oregon will still be snowed in in
May. Hiking the PCT southbound from Canada will be nearly impossible
unless you have excellent snow travel and route finding skills. You
could find yourself in continual snow for the first 1000 miles of the
trail.

Is there a reason why you aren't hiking northbound? If you plan to do
the entire PCT in one season, May 5th could be a good start date. You
may have a little more heat than people who leave earlier, and some
water sources may start drying up, but a May 5th start would put you
about a week behind the northbound pack rather than 2 months ahead of
the southbound pack.

If you start northbound on May 5th, you will have plenty of company on
the trail without being in the middle of the bulk of the herd. I started
on May 4th last year and, apart from unseasonably hot weather, It worked
out very well.