[pct-l] Crampons

[blisterfree at isp01.net (Brett)]

> Nathan Young wrote, "I'm really amazed that anyone would 
> do the sierra section of the PCT any other way than 
> night/early mornings.  Aren't there any climbers or 
> backcountry skiers that thru hike?  Doesn't anyone think 
> outside of the box anymore?"

In an average year, most of the snow a PCT thru-hiker 
encounters is around the high passes, which account for a 
small percentage of the total trail mileage in the Sierras. 
Hiking snowbound passes at night wouldn't ordinarily be the 
safest idea. Nor do the snow slopes harden unless the temps 
drop sufficiently, and then usually well into the night. 
Negotiating these slopes in early morning would mean camping 
on or near the passes, which again is counter-intuitive. 
Further, soft snow slopes that have seen previous foot 
traffic can be much safer to traverse without crampons than 
would hard snow slopes be to traverse with crampons, 
especially in the event of self arrest and subsequent 
self-recovery. So the idea of timing one's daily travel 
through snow country to coincide with hardpacked, 
crampon-friendly conditions only makes sense when that snow 
occurs also away from the passes. In most years, it does 
not. In years that it does, the thru-hiker who is confronted 
with such conditions has simply reached the Sierra too 
early, and rather than attempting to turn the hike into a 
mountaineering endeavor would be advised to wait for more 
favorable conditions, adjusting the hike's itinerary as 
necessary. This is "thinking outside the box" thru-hiker 
style.

- blisterfree