[pct-l] Storm in California

[MWallace at Stutman.com (Wallace, Mark S.)]

This promises to one of the biggest snow years in the last 30 years.  The Los Angeles Times reported in this morning's edition that this is the fifth rainiest season in the last 120 years.  One of my friends was able to build a bona fide snow cave at the 9300 foot level on Mount Baldy.

The third wettest season was 1977-1978.  On the July 4th weekend of 1978, a friend and I went backpacking over Piute Pass in the Sierra.  Everything below the pass was still under five to eight feet of snow.  The lake just below the pass was frozen over and covered with snow.  My friend exclaimed, "I'm not hiking down into that frozen waste!"  

I prevailed on him, though, and we continued west from the pass.  The terrain was covered with these really weird sun cups:  they were ridges of snow, with a  kind of trench between the ridges that was anywhere from one foot to two feet deep.  To travel you had to hop from ridge to ridge.  The alternative was to step into the hole and then out again.

Interestingly, this year is even wetter than 1997-98.  That year, the snow on Mt. Baldy lasted into early August.

Mark      




-----Original Message-----
From: pct-l-bounces@mailman.backcountry.net
[mailto:pct-l-bounces@mailman.backcountry.net]On Behalf Of Ryan
Christensen
Sent: Monday, February 21, 2005 8:40 PM
To: pct-l@mailman.backcountry.net
Subject: [pct-l] Storm in California


Hi all!

It is really storming again in California--

I hiked a section of PCT along Deep Creek a while back and discovered tons 
of fallen trees and sections of trail that was washed out. I found nothing 
that would prevent hiking it--- however, horses would not be able to make 
it. Even hiking it was a bit of a challenge---

This is going to be an interesting year for through hikers--- I take it 
people are planning on starting late?

Three inches of rain has fallen in the past two days near the trail at Deep 
Creek. That is unheard of...


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