[pct-l] 2014 SOBO questions

[Eric Lee]

Cody wrote:
>
1. What is the easiest/ most legal way of starting the PCT SOBO to include
the Canadian section without flip-flopping the trail?
>

There is no legal way to include the Canadian section on a SOBO hike, I
don't think.  It's not possible to legally enter the US via the PCT, even if
you just left via that route.

The best you can do is get someone to drop you off at the northmost road
access (Harts Pass), hike up the border, and hike back down again.  It's
something like 30 extra miles, if memory serves.  Just one of the unique
challenges of going SOBO.  Embrace it as part of the trail experience.

Be flexible on your exact start date if you can.  Spring snow conditions in
northern Washington can vary considerably from year to year and you won't
know the actual state of things until June, probably.  It's possible to
start a SOBO on solid, unbroken snow but it's also pretty darn scary and
exhausting.  Better to wait until at least some of the snow at lower
elevations is gone.  Most years people start somewhere around mid-June to
early July depending on conditions.

Eric