[pct-l] A Snow Perspective for this season

[ned at mountaineducation.org]

As the Winter continues along and thru hikers everywhere are busily wrapping up their plans and arrangements that will allow them to attempt their dream hike of a lifetime this Spring, we have had many requests for planning and skills training help. 

First, it must be said that Mountain Education is a non-profit Wilderness Skills Training school who's sole purpose is to help hikers know what to expect in the mountains and how to deal with it in order to come out the other end happy and healthy after another safe adventure.

Now, a comment about this year's snow levels. Here in South Lake Tahoe, I spend 10 hours a day out on the snow, either teaching our Basic Snow Course on weekends or working as a Pro Ski Patrolman at Heavenly Ski Resort. Despite the nearly month-long lack of new snowfall, the cold temps have held the pack intact such that we have lost very little of this year's total accumulation so far. With that said, how much snow will be on the ground during the thru hiking season? Our answer? Who knows and who cares. I don't mean to sound rough, but there will be more snow coming this season that will add to the pack, it is only a matter of when.

On our last backcountry Snow Skills Course we measured a snowpack in excess of 11 feet at 8,000 feet in Desolation Wilderness. I'm sure there are internet-savvy readers out there who can go to a website and find out just how much snow has melted off, but what does that really do to a thru hiker's planning? It is our recommendation that thru hikers, like last year, expect to hike, camp and navigate in and over snow across the peaks of Southern California starting with San Jacinto, through the High Sierra, and possibly on into Oregon, depending on the intensity of the Spring thaw.

Last thru hiker season we were in the High Sierra filming for Navigational and Snow Skills DVDs along the PCT to create a Snow Guide Book to the PCT, Northbound. We left Kennedy Meadows May 10th, crossed Forester May 25th, and completed our mission via the fabulous John Muir Trail Ranch July 7th. We first hit snowline at 9,500 north of Monache Meadows with patches three feet deep, then entire forest's covered in four to six feet just prior to Horseshoe Meadows and a resupply in Lone Pine.

North of Cottonwood Pass the trail was entirely covered in snow, Crabtree Meadow's creek was all we saw of ground (at least 4 feet there), and Forester had not yet been crossed for the season (it's chute was encrusted with 6 inches of ice!). The seasonal thaw started about June 1st and we watched the snowline climb up to 10,500 by mid-month. Approaches to and descents from the Passes (Forester to Muir) involved five to ten mile hikes over snow with horrific sun-cups that caused our feet to slip (even in traditional boots) constantly. Water was everywhere, especially roaring down the trail below snowline, and you could not stand quietly anywhere without hearing waterfalls all around you. 

So, how does all this info help this year's thru hikers? Learn how to deal with snow! Don't be afraid of it. 

By the time you get into the deep and steep, the pack will be stable, consolidated, and avalanche-safe where the only thing you'll have to worry about is slipping and falling, getting wet and hypothermic, and becoming exhausted because you ran out of food. Navigation above timberline is line-of-sight (with a good topo and the talent to read it, translating what you see on paper to what you see ahead of you, you'll do fine) and below timberline will require learning how to read the forest for trail sign (not tough if you know what to look for above and below the snow). Camping on snow means that you always have level ground and water all around you! If you simply can not sleep on snow, you may have long days ahead, but not if you plan your passes right. Staying dry always means a happy, warm body that will treat you well during the day and give you a good night's sleep at night (I'm especially talking about your feet!).

Mountain Education's "planning" advice: Start your hike "early" to give you enough time to lower your daily mileage requirement so you can deal with or absorb time delays and environmental obstacles (like snow, creek crossings, injury, resupply time extensions, and temporary route failures), through the Sierra, cut your miles in half and double your food, learn how to deal with snow because you may have it into Oregon (means going slow, taking lots more pictures, staying safe and found, and navigating carefully). 

Remember, new snow is very difficulty to wallow through whereas the stuff you'll have in the Sierra you can walk on in the morning, so get to Canada before mid-September when the early-season storms can start dumping along the trail and bring your dream-of-a-lifetime hike to a sudden halt short of your five-month goal. This is the only real "bookend" you'll have to your trip, when it should end. When you start it is up to you. Whether you have to walk on six inches or six feet of snow, the techniques and required skills are the same. So, consider going "counter-vogue" and starting early, walking slower, eating more, enjoying the beautiful mountains you're walking through by camping early and devouring your dinner under pristine Alpenglow, and sleeping more each night. Yes, you'll make it to Canada whether your trip is three or six months. Take as much time on-trail as you can; will you ever be able to return at a slower pace?

There are two places where people can view our Snow Skills info and pictures, http://postholer.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=25&sid=06ed3d3862589659a41ec1340909fcd2 (info, Snow Skills Training Course Description and Schedule) and http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Mountain-Education/157155614308934 (pictures, etc.).




"Just remember, Be Careful out there!"

Ned Tibbits, Director
Mountain Education
1106A Ski Run Blvd
South Lake Tahoe, Ca. 96150
    P: 888-996-8333
    F: 530-541-1456
    C: 530-721-1551
    http://www.mountaineducation.org
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Thru Hiker 
  To: ned at mountaineducation.org 
  Cc: Cath Goodwin ; Pam Bales 
  Sent: Tuesday, January 25, 2011 1:34 AM
  Subject: Snow Skills Training


  Ned, Writing to check on these training weekends I read about on the PCTA website. 
  Are there any left this winter? I heard there was some sort of training available at the KO. Is that true? 
  Thanks and let me know as planning a thru hike this year.
  Sourdough (aka - Greg Foster)


  SNOW SKILLS TRAINING



  Ned Tibbits is the Director and Chief Instructor of Mountain Education.  Ned thru-hiked the Pacific Crest Trail in 1974 at the age of 17 and the Continental Divide Trail in 1980.  

  Ned and his wife Juliee offer free 3-day weekend Snow Courses during the winter months to help train and prepare thru hikers for snow-hiking along the PCT. 

  A few of the skills taught include:

    a.. Over-Snow Navigation 
    b.. Avalanche Awareness 
    c.. Self-Arrest Training 
    d.. Emergency Shelter Building 
    e.. Avalanche Search & Rescue 
    f.. Weather Identification 
    g.. Cold Weather Medical Care 
    h.. Snow Camping and Site Selection 
  Email Ned Tibbits for more information.
  ned at mountaineducation.org
   
  When one tugs at a single thing in nature, 
  He finds it attached to the rest of the World.
  John Muir




  PPlease consider the environment before printing this e-mail