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

[Jay Bruins]

Food for thought:
http://www.sierraavalanchecenter.org/fri-03132015-1130-snowcover-carson-pass-area?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

On Fri, Mar 13, 2015 at 11:33 AM, Hank Magnuski <hankm at mtinet.com> wrote:

> 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
>>
>