Re: [pct-l] ALL 3

[Ben Schifrin <benschif@sonnet.com>]

>>If you start at the Mexican border [CDT thru-hike] on 1 April, 
>>you'd probably have to
>>road walk southern Colorado (probably most of Colorado) even in a light
>>snow year.  The snowpack normally doesn't clear in southern Colorado
>>until at least mid June.  Then you'd probably hit more snow in the Winds
>>and, if you're lucky, only the end of the snow in northern Montana in
>>July.  That's either a lot of snowshoeing or a lot of roadwalking.  That
>>doesn't bode well for doing a 4 month hike.

Gregg Eames and Mark Zaller, my PCT hiking companions in 1973, 
through-hiked the CDT without any flip-flops, snowshoes or 
road-walking, south-to-north, in 1975, starting March 20. They had no 
trouble traversing southern Colorado in early May (nor anywhere 
else)-- they had lots of prior snow experience. Their average carry 
throughout the trip was 9 days with 70 pounds; their longest carries 
were 14 days with a bit over 90 pounds.

Most of the things that some people currently think are impossible, 
have already been done...
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