[pct-l] Where to hike on the PCT in the fall AND an alternative to hiking in snow in WA in the fall.

[Georgi Heitman]

Hikable areas in the fall.....
The Hat Creek Rim is very hikeable in the fall.  In fact, it's a lovely,
cool time of the year with nice fall colors to enjoy.  Just camel-up at
Subway cave, use the (reliable, truly it is) cache at Road 22, the potable
water at the Baum Lake/Crystal Springs Fish Hatchery, you're good for the
whole way.
Re an ALTERNATIVE  to hiking in the SNOW in WA in the FALL.  Late
thru-hikers coming thru the Hideaway at Old Station were often given some
advise, wanted or not.  That advice was that they decide to make The
Hideaway their 'Canada', let me take them to the Redding bus or train
station (they both leave Redding at an ungodly hour in the night or
evening) and make straight away their way to Manning Park.  Start south
while the weather up there is still lovely, nice sunrises and sunsets,
little or no fog and maybe no rain, not even sprinkles and maybe even with
some berries to gorge themselves on.  They see the change of colors from
summer to fall, and really get to SEE WA, not just wonder at what they
might be missing and is Mt. Rainier out there somewhere as they grope their
way around the next corner on the trail north. Even Goat Rocks can be very
daunting if early weather hits hikers there.  And sometimes I hear back
from some of these folk....they range from pleased as punch, to frustrated
as hell. The pleased as punch folks range from Í didn't listen to you and
I'm glad I didn't because I've just finished and the weather's been
beautiful, to OMG, I'm so GLAD I listened.  The hike south was everything
you promised and if I hadn't listened, I'd have been right in the middle of
all those (early???) storms and praying I'd get out of those mountains
alive, to hell with the Monument, just let me live.   The unhappy as hell
ones tended to be straight thru NOBOs who wished they'd listened. The ones
who were glad they listened outnumbered the others at least two to one (2
to 1).  These same happy flip-floppers seemed very glad to phone us (as
requested) from Burney Falls with their most hoped for beer and celebration
dinner and we'd comply to the best of our ability.  We'd also provide
'Welcome to Canada' signs, confetti, horns to blow, etc. and later,
transportation to the nearest way to get back to where they came from.  For
us here at the Hideaway, it was wonderful fun, the photos and stories were
great even if it prolonged our 'season' another week or two, to the second
or third week in October.  We were so happy to see our hikers so happy, it
was worth I extra week or two.  Our season usually starts around Memorial
Day weekend with hikers looking to do the (infamous) Hat Creek Rim at one
of it's two best times of year, spring and/or fall.  It's a long season, I
gave up calling it 'summer'  years ago, but a VERY rewarding one,
especially when the flippers came in so happy to have really reached out
and touched northern WA as it was meant to be seen and touched.
THOSE FOLKS WHO ARE SO RIGID IN THEIR THINKING THAT THEY WON'T ENTERTAIN A
CHANGE IN THE WAY THEY INTEND TO ACHEIVE THEIR GOAL, ARE OFTEN SORELY
DISAPPOINTED.
I feel so sorry for hikers from other lands if the above is their
mentality, because if they get blown off the trail, it's really expensive
to come back to finish, oh, say the last 200 miles or so, and chances are
they never do.  So sad.  What I guess I don't understand is why the same
people who took alternate trails or lived thru a change of plans while
hiking 'down-south' can't see their way clear to do the same 'up-north'.
Most of you CAN come back, but not if SAR doesn't reach you IN TIME, I just
don't get it!
Happy trails, y'all.