[pct-l] A little "snow advice" appetizer

[Ned Tibbits]

Most NoBo PCT thru hikers may encounter snow covering the otherwise dry-trail for the first time on the, currently closed, southern approach to Mt. San Jacinto, then in the San Bernardinos out of Wrightwood. Not a big deal, really because it is usually not extensive, running on for miles at a time. But, depending on the winter’s snowpack, it can!

What do you need to do to be careful while hiking on snow, or snow-hiking? When you see your first patch of snow covering part of the trail and you know that you’ll have to climb up it, walk across on it, and step or slide down the other side back onto the trail where it emerges from beneath the snow, you’ll find that 
  a.. you can’t push off on your toes when on snow to propel yourself forward because you’ll just slip, 
  b.. to climb up the snow bank, you may have to plan your course so you don’t pop through the snow and fall into the void above the dry-trail, 
  c.. you may have to use the sides of your shoes to kick in and traverse up the sides of the snow to reach the top, 
  d.. it might be easier to walk a bit flat-footed to maintain your balance, 
  e.. it might be wise to plant your poles wide and off to the side to catch your balance when you miss-step and/or slip, 
  f.. you might wish you had the big, snow baskets on your poles so they don’t sink in deep into the snow when you suddenly have to put weight on them, 
  g.. on the steeper traverses like coming down Fuller Ridge off San Jacinto, you might want to shorten your uphill pole and lengthen your downhill one, 
  h.. if the snow surface is frozen in the morning or faces north in the shade, you may wish you had hiking crampons or Microspikes for traction, especially north of Kennedy Meadows, 
  i.. the easiest way down off a pile of snow is to boot-ski it, 
  j.. if you can’t do that, you may wish your heels had vertical faces to be used as brakes to slow you down or facilitate the “heel-plunge” technique, 
  k.. and if you slip and fall, you’ll quickly find that any resultant tumble or slide down the hill must be stopped immediately before you hit whatever is below you, say a boulder, tree, creek, or lake and suffer for it, so make sure you have a “self-arrest” device in your hand whenever on sloped snow!
It is wise not to expect someone nearby to teach you this stuff because they may not be there when you first find snow. It is wise to prepare for your difficult situations before you find them, so consider attending a skills course so you can learn how to do them (reading a book or watching a video is nothing but false security, comparatively). In so doing, you will be much more confident and less insecure about the snow up ahead.

Main things for your Kennedy Meadows re-organizing of stuff carried and done
  a.. bring some form of traction device that you know will stay on your feet on steep side slopes, 
  b.. keep in-hand a self-arrest device whenever on steep snow, whether an ice axe or self-arrest pole like the Black Diamond “Whippet,” 
  c.. bring extra socks in an attempt to keep your feet dry when snow-hiking, 
  d.. make sure your poles have snow baskets, otherwise they will sink deep when weight-loaded, 
  e.. the nights ahead may still be freezing, so dress for it, 
  f.. you may not always have dry ground to sleep on, so prepare to sleep on the snow (it is more comfortable, anyway, though cold), 
  g.. bring twice the food, and 
  h.. cut your speed in half.




Ned Tibbits, Director
Mountain Education, Inc.
www.mountaineducation.org 
ned at mountaineducation.org 


Mission:
"To minimize wilderness accidents, injury, and illness in order to maximize wilderness enjoyment, safety, and personal growth, all through experiential education and risk awareness training."