[pct-l] Sobo Ashland to Tahoe - timing

[Nathan Miller]

>Anyone w/comments on what one might face going Sobo from Ashland starting in
the range of June 1 to about July 1? I'm primarily curious about issues in
Northern Cal during this time period - killer fords, extensive snow,
blowdown, or other trail condition and navigational issues, water in the Hat
Creek area, or even uniquely ferocious mosquitoes. Just as curious about
possible upsides relative to the usual timing for thru walkers - flowers,
temps, water availability/quality, you name it.

Wildflowers in CA-O are excellent in late June.  Watch out for rattlesnakes, though.  I nearly stepped on one deep in red fir forest, which was precisely the kind of place I wouldn't have expected to see one!  Look before you step over any logs and maybe thump your poles on them first.  Oh, and you can expect to encounter a lot of brush overgrowing the trail in that section.  You'll be unable to actually see the tread in many places, but you'll still be able to tell where it is.  I didn't find water to be too much of a problem, although the insects were a bit annoying in places (got stung by a bumblebee once, which was rather odd since they're normally rather docile)--I found that sponging myself off at the end of the day helped with that, as did staying on the move during the day.

-Nathan Miller
Newberg, OR