[pct-l] Snow Conditions Past KM

[at2002 at mac.com (Gary Wright)]

On May 2, 2005, at 9:52 PM, Marshall Karon wrote:
> But, this is one of the most beautiful stretches, so taking more time 
> is
> advised.

One of the interesting things about this section is how the
location of the passes dictates your schedule.  You want to
hit the passes in late-morning/mid-afternoon to have good
snow conditions.  Once you understand that and you look at
the milage between the passes you'll soon realize that one
pass/day is about as fast as you can go.   Any faster and
you'll hit one of the passes (or both!) at non-optimal times
of the day.  Going slower also increases the probability
of hitting a pass at a non-optimal time.

Since the creeks run higher later in the day, that is also
a consideration (Evolution and Bear creek, for example).
Last year we had the added complication of a weather
pattern that generated thunderstorms most afternoons.
Getting to a pass after 1:00 meant you might be dodging
lightning bolts.

Of course taking more time means more food to carry.  Lots
of different tradeoffs for this awesome section.