[pct-l] 2014 Snow, Water and Start Date

[James Vesely]

Here is another graph with last year's snowpack showing. 


http://cdec.water.ca.gov/cgi-progs/snow/PLOT_SWC




Big caveat up front - there's lots of winter left and who knows, it MAY just start dumping, and keep dumping, and then have a cool spring that slows the melt off, making for something like an average Sierra snow conditions.  Then again, the current low snow / drought pattern could hold.......(the 10 day forecast indicates little to no chance of significant precip at Trukee, Yosemite and Mammoth, by the way).

In looking at the link of CA snow conditions, its far worse this year than last at least as far as the water situation for California agriculture is concerned (and forest fires, and city water supplies, and.....).  On the other hand, so far it looks excellent for a late March to early April start at
 Campo.

http://cdec.water.ca.gov/cdecapp/snowapp/swcchart.action

For those of you considering a thru hike for 2014, I'd strongly suggest that you make contingency plans to pull your start date forward to the late March or early April time frame IF the current low snow / So Cal drought pattern holds.  Now is the time to do that "what if" contingency plans, not in mid March.  If it's another low snow / So Cal
 drought year, there are several good reasons IMO to start in late March to early April, rather than later in April: