[pct-l] Any 2014 southbounders out there

[Barry Teschlog]

Jes wrote:
I'm planning to leave Hearts Pass at the beginning of June, hike out and
back to the border, then head south to Mexico. Any thoughts on how much
snow I will be crossing and where?


Response:

You'll likely be on lots of snow, for all but the lowest elevations through most of June, with spotty snow into July in the North Cascades.

Unlike the Sierra, the Washington snow pack has recovered from the low January totals so that it is now approximately around average (some sensors are a bit above, some a bit below, but roughly, its near average).

Follow the continued accumulation and then starting in mid April (roughly), the melt at:
http://www.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/snotel/Washington/washington.html

North to south, the sensors to watch that are close to the trail:
Harts Pass
Rainy Pass
Lyman Lake
Stevens Pass
Olallie Meadow
Meadows Pass

Stampede Pass
Sawmill Ridge
Morse Lake & Cayuse Pass
White Pass
Potato Hill


Remember that many of the passes in Washington are the low points (e.g. Harts, Rainy, Stevens, Meadows, Stampede, Cayuse, White), unlike in the high Sierra where they are high points (e.g Forrester, Muir, etc).


Last season, when I was scouting the blow down situation for the trail crew north of Stevens Pass on June 28, there was substantial snow cover north of the Wilderness Boundary (call it north of ~2.5 miles north of Stevens Pass - approx elevation 4200 feet).  Map and compass navigation was needed in the thick forest with 90+% snow cover and the trail tread was only visible in small patches.  More generally, our crew, the North 350 Blades, really can't get started working on the trail until the end of June or early July, and even then, only spots are melted out enough to start on the log out, brush clearing, and fixing winter damage.  By mid July, things are mostly melted out, although even then, there are local spots that hold snow late.


Of course, it could stop raining / snowing after this weekend's upcoming blitz, and then turn to sunny and 65 degrees here in Washington and melt it all out by June 1....but I'd put the probability of that occurring as extremely low.

YMMV.  HYOH.  2 cents.  Yadda, Yadda, Yadda.