[pct-l] Southbound June 2013 Advice

[Eric Lee]

Jane wrote:
>
Having never hiked in the Cascades, I would love any input past Southbound
thru-hikers or early summer section hikers have about the area.
>

Whew, that was a lot of questions.  :-)  Let's see how many I can answer.

Mid-June is generally considered the earliest "halfway reasonable" starting
date for a SOBO PCT hike.  Depending on how the snow melts, that date could
get pushed out to early July.  Hard to tell yet how 2013 is going to shape
up - the key controlling factor is usually more about whether we have a warm
or cold spring rather than how much snow actually falls during the winter.
If you start in min-June, you'll definitely be on snow the majority of the
time for the first couple weeks (up to virtually all the time, again
depending on the year).

Sunny?  Around here in Washington we like to say that summer starts July
5th.  Last year it literally did, see this link:
http://twitpic.com/c5i0ak  Through June and early July you can expect a mix
of cloudy, rainy, or drizzly days interspersed with just enough sunny days
to tease you unmercifully.  In the mountains the weather can be downright
cold and unpleasant so plan accordingly with your gear.  It can certainly be
windy on some days but it's not a huge feature of the weather that time of
year.  You'll definitely need sunscreen and sunglasses for the sunny days -
UV radiation reflecting off the snow can give you the worst sunburns you've
ever had in your life if you're not careful.

Mosquitoes start coming out as soon as the snow is melted, whenever that is.
They're usually fairly fierce throughout July.  Certainly not to the scale
seen in Alaska, and usually not as bad as Oregon, but they can be pretty
obnoxious.

Don't underestimate the challenges involved with early-season navigation in
the North Cascades.  The mountains through there are quite rugged and remote
and you could possibly be the first person of the year on the trail.  When
you're on snow it's not critical to follow the trail exactly but the trail
may thread its way through extensive cliff systems and sometimes may be the
only passible route in the area.  A GPS would definitely be worth bringing,
as well as paper maps and the skill needed to use them effectively.

You'll be on steep snow traverses quite a bit of the time (or forging your
own alternate trail to avoid the worst of them) so be prepared for
challenging and dangerous conditions almost daily for the first few weeks.
Personally, I'd go for lightweight boots and crampons, as well as an ice
axe.  Others would disagree with that.  Yes, you'll cry yourself to sleep
every night.  :-)  The most important survival skill is to know your
limitations and be willing and able to turn around and go back the way you
came if you get in over your head.

A few people successfully do a SOBO hike every year, but it's really only a
handful compared to the hundreds of people who go NOBO.  There's a reason
for that - SOBO is freaking hard most years.  It's quite an accomplishment
if you can do it, but it's not easy.

Eric