[pct-l] Snow impasses?

[CHUCK CHELIN]

Good morning, jmhow01,

Impassable (impossible?) snow routes are very much created in our own minds
based upon some combination of what we know and/or what we don’t know.  Usually
the absolutes of “impassable” and “impossible” are not really true, they
are just reflections of a hiker’s experience and motivation.

"It's what people know about themselves that makes them afraid."  - Clint
Eastwood in *High Plains Drifter*

Sometimes people charge ahead and accomplish a feat before the “experts”
have time to tell them that it’s impossible.  Other times very experienced
hikers avoid unfavorable snowpack circumstances merely because they know
what to expect, and the result just doesn’t compensate the considerable
time, effort, and discomfort associated with doing it.

A few years ago Chris Bailey wrote about crossing the Sierras in a heavy
snow year.  The piece titled *“Impassable” is a State of Mind* can be found
as a part of this PCT-L post:
http://mailman.backcountry.net/pipermail/pct-l/2011-February/045998.html

More background information about snowpack hiking can be found at:

http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=264464

http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=264576

http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=264671

http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=264768

One difference between serious winter alpine or north-country treks and
crossing the Sierras during the typical hiking season is this:  Just about
anyone can head north from Campo.  Hikers learn along the way, adapt, and
by the time they reach the worst of the snowpack they have to make
decisions.  Conversely, most people involved in the more serious winter
efforts are usually experienced and prepared ahead of time.

The Sierras can – theoretically – be crossed anytime, given sufficient
training, preparation, and luck, but an April crossing would mean several
additional difficulties:

-  There will likely be few – or no -- tracks to aid in route-finding.

-  Many of the customary support facilities along the trail won’t be open.

-  Hiking will be very lonely; a situation that really gnaws on the mind of
some people.

-  Packs will be heavier with gear and consumables because of the
additional time, effort, and lack of convenient resupply points.

Enjoy your planning,

Steel-Eye

-Hiking the Pct since before it was the PCT – 1965

http://www.trailjournals.com/steel-eye

http://www.trailjournals.com/SteelEye09/


On Wed, May 2, 2012 at 10:49 AM, <jmhow01 at yahoo.com> wrote:

> I've read a lot of blogs throughout the past couple years talking about
> weather conditions in the sierras creating a temporary impasse (hikers turn
> back and wait it out or flip flop), but I never really get an idea as to
> what conditions make it an impasse. Obviously snow is the culprit, but what
> about the snow makes things impassable? Navigation difficulties? Snow
> covering the trail? Snow depth? Lack of proper gear (ropes, crampons,
> axes)?  Ice slides?
>
> I'm here admitting my naivety, so be gentle with me. But it seems that
> crossing the sierras, in mid April before the melt, is less a risk than,
> say, trekking through the snowy conditions of Tibet.  According to those I
> speak with in my community, it takes crazy conditions to cause an impasse
> on those trails where snow is very common. So if there is an ice slide
> covering the trail, for example, couldn't you chop foot holes with an ice
> ax and if it's too icy, then wait till late afternoon to be able to chop
> through the melted ice?
>
> I'd almost prefer to cross the sierras in mid to late April to avoid
> dangerous river crossings and for other reasons. So, does anyone have any
> words of advice regarding early season Sierra trekking, and what conditions
> I should be expecting that will possibly cause me to want to turn around?
>
>
> Sent from my iPad
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