[pct-l] optimal conditions

[Sean 'Miner' Nordeen]

>Looking through Trailjournal photos of people at the border, I'm not  
>seeing as much snow as you say there is. 

I agree that lightweight equipement is fine for most PCT hikes.  And most years, hikers have no trouble pushing their hikes into October, though they will have some snow and cold temps to deal with.  But as I was originally going to hike in 2007 before delaying my hike, I followed that year's hikers closely.  If you look at 2007, you'll find that most hikers who didn't finish when the snow started flying on Oct.1 either didn't finish or roadwalked to a Canadian border checkpoint far from the PCT monument due to waves of winter storms hitting the north.  Some of the journals that year describe breaking snow that was over the knee with more falling.  There were a handful that pushed through with snowshoes and the like after Oct.1, but that was beyond most hikers.   Similarly, those in 2006 had a similar experience come around Oct. 16, as winter storm after storm hit the cascades.  Most years, hikers have no trouble finishing in October; particularly the first half.  But doing any hiking in October is always a risky business (if you want to finish) in the north Cascades before winter arrives. 

As a result of seeing what happened in 2007, Oct.1 was always my planning's must finish no latter then date, though I let it slip to Oct.2 towards the end.  But the snow I had the last few days of my hike did make me a little nervous especially the last night when it seemed to be coming down heavy as I watched it from under my tarp pitched in a small dense group of trees.  Ironically, I had started a week before the KO with had planned to finish in the first half of September assuming I didn't make a few side trips along the way (like climb Shasta or hike the wonderland trail).  But after an early injury that took me off for 3.5 weeks, I suddenly found myself behind everyone and struggled to finish before October.  I was grateful that I had all that extra time in my schedule though I had to drop the idea of any side trips.  And I was certainly grateful that I had a light pack so I can hike farther each day.

To be honest, having seen what hikers went through in '05 and '06 with the high snow pack in the Sierras, I actually wanted to start April 1st (no one believes you are going to hike the trail anyway) and enter the Sierras in the latter half of May having an adventure more like what Ned describes.  Due to my procrastination in dealing with a few things, it didn't happen and after my injury I didn't even make it by a more normal June 15th.

-Miner

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Check my 2009 PCT Journal out at http://www.pct2009.lifesadventures.net/Journal.php