[pct-l] ice axe length

[Jason Moores]

In '09 I didn't see a need for an axe. In '10 I carried an axe from the K.O.
to the Saufley's and from KM south to KM north(started trail on April 16th).
Last year we hiked with Billygoat, NoTrace & Unbreakable from the Saufley's
south to Scissors Crossing. We encountered heavy snow around Baden-Powell,
the Blue Ridge over Wrightwood, moderate snow on Holcomb Ridge and Onyx
Summit and substantial snow on Fuller Ridge until just north of Apache Peak.
I kept expecting to bounce my axe but continued to receive snow reports from
north bound hikers that caused me to hold on to it. The axe wasn't necessary
between Snow Canyon and the Blue Ridge but there were a few spots on Holcomb
and north of Onyx that I was glad to have it.

I'm not expecting to carry my axe for that duration this year, but who can
tell. It's still way to early to make that decision. If conditions in SoCal
are drier this year I'll ship my axe to KM and reevaluate the need when I
reach Independence. I would love to leave it home, but as I mentioned in a
previous post, I find it very useful when covering long stretches of snow;
as in the 7+ miles of snow that we encountered at Muir Pass, not to mention
the sketchy slopes on either side of Mather Pass.

For those who carry carbon fiber trekking poles: I did shatter one of my
Gossamer Gear poles when I postholed hard on Glenn Pass. I also found them
difficult to use in deep creek crossings, being so light, the tips were
swept downstream before finding the bottom, causing me to stab hard to gain
the position that I wanted. They also vibrated violently in fast running
water, not a huge concern, but distracting.

Jackass



On Mon, Jan 31, 2011 at 12:36 PM, Andrea Dinsmore <
andrea at dinsmoreshikerhaven.com> wrote:

> Just a thought.........how many hikers carry an ice axe the whole trail ?
> How many carry just in the California area ?? How many hikers actually had
> to use the ice axe ?  Not critizing anyone's habits.....just curious after
> reading other's comments.
>
> PCT MOM
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