[pct-l] any conditions update for Section O?

[goforth at cnw.com (Joanne Lennox)]

David I was at Peavine creek on June 22, 2001 going north.  There was some
blowdown but it was spotty and not too bad.  I suspect that you will be snow
free and here is hoping for good free sailing and nice weather for you.

If there has been rockslides due to winter rain, these could be real
showstoppers.  There are small sections of unstable steep areas that the
trail runns through that may not have been checked yet (Red Mountain and
Grizzley peak).  And the last 30 miles north are almost continuously steep,
with deep gulleys and big timber - very beautiful, but limited campsites and
a big snarl of downed timber would be a  real test.

It is easy to miss the pct turn north of Squaw Creek; it is back over your
right shoulder and above you so be looking.  It was unmarked when I went
through last and even though I had been there before , I missed it the
second time.

I found that there were some really grassy and weedy areas that I would lose
the trail, but with a little searching I got it again.  That early there
hasn't been enough feet to create any kind of path in the grass - you're it.

Sweet moments to you -

Goforth


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "David Plotnikoff" <david@emeraldlake.com>
To: <pct-l@mailman.backcountry.net>
Cc: <jglyons@sisqtel.net>; <jomike47@earthlink.net>; <losthiker@sisqtel.net>
Sent: Monday, June 07, 2004 12:46 PM
Subject: [pct-l] any conditions update for Section O?


>
> Greetings from a long-time PCT-l lurker and section hiker. In anticipation
> of my first PCT trip of the year, I'm looking for last-minute intelligence
> on weather and trail conditions for Northern California's Section O, also
> known as the "Garden Spot of the PCT."
>
> I'll be starting Saturday at Peavine Creek and headed northbound to I-5.
>
> I know the historic temperature range for this week is somewhere between
40
> for nighttime lows and low 80s during the day and the chance of
> precipitation is about 5 percent on any given day in June. And I know from
> the CDEC snow sensors that the Stout's Meadow station has been clear of
> snow for two weeks now. But that's about all I know. The nice lady at
> Shasta/Trinity NF headquarters office in Redding said that as far as she
> can tell no NF personnel have been into that section so far this season.
> Which leads me to wonder what the blowdown situation is going to be.
>
> Following a similar thread on PCT-l recently and referencing older trail
> journals, I see that chance of encountering *some* snow on north-facing
> slopes, particularly in the stretch around Mushroom Rock,  is pretty
> significant. But the final melt-off date seems to vary greatly from year
to
> year.
>
> So I'm weighing equipment options (gaiters, ice ax, etc.) against the
> chance I'm going to encounter a really gnarly slope or avalanche chute in
> an area where I can't easily bushwhack over to 38N10.
>
> Call me paranoid, but two years ago in this very same week in June I had
> some *really* interesting walking through 18 inches of snow on a slope
> called Elephant's Back south of Echo Summit. Even with an ice ax, it was
> very nervy to cross. The temps were up in the 70s, but nevertheless 200
> yards of avalanche chute just about ruined my whole day.
>
> If anyone's been through Grizzly Peak, Bartle Gap, Mushroom Rock, etc. in
> the past few days, could you zip me a quick note on what you found? Thank
> you very much. I'll try to post a detailed conditions report when I get
> back.
>
> Thanks!
>
> David Plotnikoff
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