[pct-l] is it too late to start the trail?

[Diane Soini of Santa Barbara Hikes]

Southbounders tend to complete their hikes around that time of year.  
And being a Southern California resident, I enjoy hiking in our local  
mountains in October and November, preferring it to other times of  
the year. Our rainy season begins in October or November, so until  
the first rains begin, water will be in short supply. You can assume  
any creek listed as seasonal will be dry. So plan and prepare and you  
will enjoy bug free, beautiful weather and beautiful scenery as the  
dried flowers and fall colors provide, in my opinion, prettier  
pictures, not to mention the nicer sunsets toward the end of the year.

Lots of thru-hikers also come back to portions of the trail to clean  
up sections further north they may have missed due to fire or  
difficult conditions. The High Sierra can be nice in October, but not  
too late. The Southern Sierra is lovely in the fall, but can be  
pretty cold. The northern California section around the Belden-Burney  
Falls area can also be nice.

I don't know how the rest of the trail is since I lack any fall  
experiences to share.
On Aug 15, 2011, at 10:00 AM, pct-l-request at backcountry.net wrote:

> I'm interested in hiking some or all of the PCT. Are there sections -
> heading either north or south - that I can start in October or
> November?
> Any resources or information on this would be much appreciated.
> Thank you,
> Janessa