[pct-l] info needed re hiking JMT/PCT Kearsarge pass north to South lake Sept 1...

[gschenk1 at roadrunner.com]

Just as Chuck says, September is the best time to be in the Sierra Nevada. You might go the six days and never see a cloud.

---- CHUCK CHELIN <steeleye at wildblue.net> wrote: 
> Good morning, Linda,
> 
> September is usually a great time to hike the Sierra.  There won’t be any
> troublesome snowpack or high creek fords, and the mosquitoes will mostly
> gone, and while there can be new snow on any day of the calendar at high
> elevation the likelihood in September is very low.
> 
> A common phenomena in the Sierra is the afternoon rumbles.  Air from the
> Pacific move east across California’s central valley and picks up moisture
> as it heats up through the morning.  By early to mid-afternoon that air
> ascends the Sierra forming clouds that almost every day shed some of the
> moisture as rain -- somewhere.
> 
> As you know in the Rockies, from the higher aspects one can see about 50
> miles in every direction.  Similarly, in the Sierra one can watch cloud
> banks form north and south, and there will be spotty dark, cloud cells with
> thunder and lightning – somewhere – so assume there is local rain –
> somewhere.
> 
> In spite of all that, the chance that rain will fall on any one spot is
> darn slim, and if there is rain it most probably will be a brief,
> refreshing shower.  It doesn’t usually extend into the night because the
> air then passing will not have heated and loaded water over the central
> valley.  http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=194180
> 
> You probably won’t resupply in the 6 days.  I usually carry about 10 lbs.
> of base gear plus about 2 lbs. of food per day.  It isn’t necessary to
> carry much water in the Sierra so a total pack weight can be well under the
> 30 lbs. you mention.
> 
>  Overnight temperatures will likely be in the 40’s F, but there could be
> light frost.  Daytime temps will likely be in 70’s – simply great.
> 
> Enjoy your trip,
> 
> Steel-Eye
> 
> -Hiking the Pct since before it was the PCT – 1965
> 
> http://www.trailjournals.com/steel-eye
> 
> http://www.trailjournals.com/SteelEye09/
> 
> 
> On Thu, Jul 5, 2012 at 10:40 PM, Linda Jagger <lindajagger at yahoo.com> wrote:
> 
> > Hello, 3 of us are going to hike JMT/PCT Kearsarge Pass north to South lake
> > beginning Sept 1. I've hiked bits of PCT in CA, WA but not this area. We
> > live in CO and are avid hikers of high peaks and other trails there. We
> > have never done a hike in this part of PCT.  We plan to do 6 days, 10
> > mi/day. We want to carry as light as possible, packs less than 30 lb
> > total?? I believe other than the access trail from Kearsarge pass &
> > South lake we will be doing 40 mi of JMT which is also PCT. Is that
> > right? We know that bears are an issue and will have our bear
> > cannisters. What other general information can you hikers pass on? What
> > are typical temps-lows and highs? Is it true that most likely we are not
> > likely to encounter thunderstorms and rain? I believe we are almost
> > entirely w/in Kings Canyon NP--correct?? Of course we have our permit,
> > etc. We have not been on the PCT digest in several years.
> > Thanks for any info provided.
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