[pct-l] SOBO

Tue Mar 8 12:05:35 CST 2011

I agree with Barry whole-heartedly.  The June 15 start date is just a
ballpark rule-of-thumb.  Hiking sobo, you have to be a lot more flexible on
your start date, right up to the last minute.  This is because, as a sobo
hiker, you'll be hiking in snow right off the bat, whereas nobo hikers have
a while before they hit the sierras.

Also, if you are hiking sobo BRING A GPS.  I know you will hear people
telling you that you don't need one, but remember, 95% of all PCT hikers are
nobo hikers.  They aren't aware of the nuances of a sobo hike.  Sure, people
have hiked sobo without one.  some have been very lucky having hiked in
low-snow years.  But I promise you... I PROMISE YOU... if you bring a gps on
a sobo hike you will not regret it.   even if you're a gram weenie like me.

You may only use it once or twice, but let me tell you.... that's all it
takes.  :)

You can totally ditch it after you get to Cascade locks.

If you decide not to bring one then make sure you know how to do a
backcountry bail-out (in general, find flowing water, follow it forever
until you find a road, follow road to civilisation.  Works everywhere except
Australia and remote parts of Canada and Russia).

And have fun.  :)

Austin Williams

www.PlanYourHike.com
Info on PCT gear, resupply points, maps, movies, etc.

"*Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit; Wisdom is not putting it in a
fruit salad.*"
-Proverb

On Tue, Mar 8, 2011 at 9:44 AM, Barry Teschlog <tokencivilian at yahoo.com>wrote:

> While June 15 is the typical date bandied about for SOBO, do watch the snow
> conditions and adjust if / as required depending on your skill / comfort
> level /
> desired experience.
>
> Don't let folks say (as they have been) that WA is below average on snow
> this
> year.  While that may be true overall, it's not necessarily relevant to the
> SOBO
> PCT hiker.  In the northern most parts of the trail (where you'll start),
> snow
> pack is average to slightly above average, as indicated by the Harts Pass
> snotel
> site readings as of this date.
>
> Do your homework.
>
> Start with Snotel.
>
> http://www.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/snow/
>
> Click on the little map of Washington.  Then start checking the various
> sensors
> near the PCT.  You'll want to look at the northern ones to give you an idea
> of
> what you'll encounter at the start, be it Canada (although be aware that
> ICE is
> getting their undies in a knot over SOBO border crossings - don't do it) or
> just
> south inside the US, say at Harts Pass (the northernmost road on the trail)
> or
> Rainy Pass (northernmost main highway).
>
> When you're doing this home work, compare previous years plots to this
> years,
> and read the corresponding previous years SOBO journals.  Correlate the
> journal
> entries descriptions of the snow conditions with the snow sensor readings
> from
> the same date (or the plot of how the snow melted and the last date for
> "zero"
> snow), then compare to this years sensor readings.  You should be able to
> deduce
> what is likely to be encountered.
>
> Moving from north to south, click on the site, then click on each of the
> "snow
> depth" (daily readings) and "snow water equivalent" (daily graph).  Check
> the
> following snotel sites:
>
>  - Harts Pass (On the PCT)
>  - Rainy Pass (On the PCT)
>  - Lyman Lake (near the PCT in the Glacier Peak area.  Note that the nearby
> Miners Ridge is no longer in service)
>  - Stevens Pass (on the PCT)
>  - Olallie Meadows (on the PCT near Snoqualmie Pass)
>  - Stampede Pass (on the PCT ~20 miles south of Snoqualmie Pass)
>  - White Pass (on the PCT)
>
> Other resources:
> http://www.stevenspass.com/ (check the web cams and compare to the Stevens
> Pass
> snow sensor)
> http://www.summitatsnoqualmie.com/  (check the web cams and compare to the
> Olallie snow sensor)
>
> Note that just because a snow sensor reads zero, doesn't mean there is no
> snow
> in the area - in fact there may still be significant snow in the area.
>  Last
> season, for example, the snow sensor at Stevens Pass showed "zero" yet the
> web
> cams for Stevens Pass Ski Area showed the slopes still ~2/3 covered quite
> some
> time later.  One factor influencing this effect is that here in Washington
> the
> passes are the LOW points of the trail, not the high points as is the case
> in
> the Sierra.
>
>
> Another data point to consider:  Last season the WTA scheduled a log out of
> the
> PCT between Harts Pass and Rainy Pass for July 5-10.  It was canceled due
> to
> high snow (we logged out trails further east, in the Pasayten Wilderness
> instead).  This year, the log out for that stretch of trail is scheduled
> for
> July 18-22.
>
> All that said:  Folks SOBO successfully every year.  Just go into it fully
> informed.
>
> Standard Disclaimers:
> YMMV, HYOH, 2 cents, opinions and back sides, value of free advice, yadda,
> yadda, yadda....
>
>
>
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