[pct-l] Section hikers need advice re: starting north of Sonora Pass in early- or mid-May

[Hank Magnuski]

Hello Brian,

Sonora Pass Highway 108 closes for the winter and to even get to the 
Pass you need to wait for Caltrans to re-open the highway, which 
normally occurs around the third week in May. But this year is low snow 
so the open date will probably be earlier.

The Sonora Peak saddle is your last 10,000 ft pass and is likely to have 
significant snow in early May.

Carson Pass (Highway 88) is open all year and is at a lower elevation, 
so you might want to consider that as an alternative.

Hank

On 3/12/15 5:24 PM, Brian Westlander wrote:
> Hi All, my wife and I hiked from Campo to Sonora Pass in 2008, and we're
> now planning to do another long section this year. We only have a few
> months available to hike: May - July. We'd like to start as close to Sonora
> Pass as possible and continue hiking north.
>
> (1) Do any of you experienced folks know what we'll likely encounter if we
> start in early- to mid-May at Sonora Pass, considering the fairly dry
> winter we've had?
>
> (2) To avoid more snow and ice, should we instead start further north?
> E.g., start at Sierra City or Belden, and then come back down south later
> in the season to hike the section just north of Sonora Pass.
>
> Thanks for your help!
>
> - Bling and Strog
>