[pct-l] Northbounders

[Sean Nordeen]

Back in 2009, at the very end of September while in Stehekin we saw that
rain was expected over the next several days. But we had been afraid to try
to wait out the incoming storm after reading about the waves of winter
storms that came in early October of 2007 that shut the PCT down with
several feet of snow.  So we pushed out in what turned into off and on snow
over the next few days.

On Oct.1, the snow started coming down hard just as we got into our last
camp; in amounts beyond what we had seen thus far.  The next morning we
still had to hike over the highest point in Washington to get to the
border.  At times as the snow came down I had to probe with my trekking
poles for where the edge of the trail was as it was almost white out
conditions.  At other times I could barely see a slight dark line (caused
by a slight depression in the snow) where the trail was buried in the snow
while wearing high contrast sunglasses.  The lone hiker that came in behind
us that night into Manning said our tracks in the snow were almost
completely filled after 3 hours.

And then the weather cleared for another week and the snow melted off.  We
could have waited it out in Stehekin and missed it entirely.  You just
never know.  Which is why I tell everyone to finish before October if at
all possible.

If the current snow forecast is as bad as people say, then I agree that
they probably are doing the right thing by not hiking out into it.  But at
the same time, unless another storm is behind this one, the snow may melt
off and good weather may return for a awhile longer.  It wouldn't be the
first time snow came in late September only to turn to nice weather in
early October.

-Miner