[pct-l] Snow-free routes

[Teresa D]

Castella/Dunsmuir area of the PCT had significant snow (not super deep, but
as in enough to cause annoyance, route-finding challenges, post-holing etc)
this past October. You could end up snowed out on either end in October, no
matter the direction you choose.

>From Burney to Castella you get up to ~6000ft, but still are generally
under 5000ft. It's higher between Castella/Dunsmuir and Etna (mostly
6000-7500 ft) and will generally have sticking snow earlier in the fall. I
think, in terms of bailout points, if there is a trip-ending snow event,
you're better off in the Castella area than Kearsarge area. There are more
road crossings (for hitching or easier following if the trail is obscured),
and likely hunters out in October for additional potential assistance.

For example, you're never more than 30miles from a significant road
crossing between Castella and Etna:
I5 (Castella/Dunsmuir area) @1499
Hwy3 @ 1558
Hwy93 @ 1578
Etna Summit @ 1597

Personally I would disagree with the Lassen to Whitney southbound route the
others have suggested for a July-Oct trip. You would be in the hotter half
in the hotter months, and the cooler half in the colder months. I'd go
northbound for that stretch, from Kearsarge or whatever, just waiting till
there is enough melt-out for the Sierra passes for your comfort level.
Mid-July start seems like a reasonable prediction to me. You'd certainly
have more company in the high Sierra section, but I think it would be worth
it to avoid hot NorCal in July/August.

If you wanted to start early to mid-August on the other hand, and don't
care about the continuity of your section hike, I'd suggest hiking
Washington southbound. August is your best-bet for a snow-free month in the
northern Cascades! You'll quite probably get snowed out earlier than if you
stick to California though, so it would be a shorter overall trip this year
for you.


On Mon, Jan 23, 2017 at 11:41 AM, Karen Keller <karen.kellerford at gmail.com>
wrote:

> I am looking for ideas and advise, especially from those of you more
> familiar with Northern California, Oregon and Washington. As happy as I am
> that The Sierra is finally getting this much needed respite from the
> persistent drought, it creates some challenges for this particular hiker.
> Snow, and the avoidance thereof, is the primary reason I am a section
> hiker. I can hike for a couple of months continuously, I can pick the time
> to start. I'd like to cover 500-800 miles without jumping around too much.
> So far, I’ve hiked everything south of Kearsarge Pass. Initially, I hoped
> to start there in mid July and hike north as far as Castella or Dunsmuir at
> least, if not further, by about mid October. If I hiked the same section
> southbound instead, during the same time frame, I'd not only start a very
> long, dry section (Hat Creek etc) in the worst heat of summer, I'd end up
> in the Southern Sierra in mid October, which is a bit late for that
> altitude. I am a very slow hiker (the other reason I'm not a Thru). Any
> suggestions? If I waited until Mid August to start would it make much
> difference? (PS. Ned is amazing. I love him! I drove to Tahoe and took a
> snow course from him in 2011, after I had a harrowing experience with snow
> on Fuller Ridge.  I highly recommend it. I learned so much! However, my
> particular limitations are not going away. I have already given away my ice
> Ax and crampons.)
> _______________________________________________
> Pct-L mailing list
> Pct-L at backcountry.net
> To unsubscribe, or change options visit:
> http://mailman.backcountry.net/mailman/listinfo/pct-l
>
> List Archives:
> http://mailman.backcountry.net/pipermail/pct-l/
> All content is copyrighted by the respective authors.
> Reproduction is prohibited without express permission.