[pct-l] [John Muir Trail] Re: earliest hiking recommendation for this year

[Ned Tibbits]

Mountain Education will be going over Forester Pass, (southern JMT) May 17th this year and we will call back via sat phone to the Kennedy Meadows General Store to tell any hikers there where the snowline currently is and how extensive the snow cover is. We’ll let the PCTA know, as well, so Jack can put the info up on their website and FB page.

In the past, snowline has been around 10,000 feet in mid-May. How long it sits there is based on when the Thaw starts and how warm the days become thereafter!

Follow our wilderness course post-trip reports and photos on Facebook and you’ll see what its like out there with commentary about this year’s conditions compared to the last 32 that we’ve been teaching there!


Ned Tibbits, Director
Mountain Education
www.mountaineducation.org

From: rnperky at sbcglobal.net 
Sent: Tuesday, April 08, 2014 6:17 AM
To: johnmuirtrail at yahoogroups.com 
Subject: [John Muir Trail] Re: earliest hiking recommendation for this year

  
I can only go off of what I see further north in the Sierras around Tahoe, and go off the snow and water charts from California,  http://cdec.water.ca.gov/cgi-progs/snowsurvey_sno/PLOT_SWC , but I think there are some sections you would be fine on, but you will have snow on the passes going that early. John Ladd posted a field observation of John Dittli's, ( works for the Cal. DWR ), and he mentioned the lack of snow at lower elevations, but a bit deeper snow above 9000' than what the Sierras have seen the last 2 seasons, which isn't really overwhelming for snowpack, but will be an issue for you to contend with that early in the season. FWIW, the PCT hikers start to hit the JMT section anywhere from mid-May to mid-June depending on their pace, and you would probably have company going NOBO! 

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