[pct-l] Departure dates

[msaenz at mve-architects.com (Mike Saenz)]

Only input I can provide:

South of the Sierra, the high points where snow can be of issue are San
Jacinto, San Bernardino and San Gabriel mountains. Though these ranges
don't get nearly as much snow as the Sierra high country, there are
spots where ice is a danger. It's probably good to note that it is
currently the backside of January and there is very little to no snow on
these ranges. Where the PCT routes, I don't think there's ANY snow or
ice currently on The Trail. Contrast this to last year when snow was a
problem in San Jacinto MOST of the year (and the probable cause of a
missing hiker). Though it is currently wicked cold from Campo to the
Saufley's (that "catabatic" thing from Campo to Mt Laguna is not
something to take lightly), I would suggest as early a start as you can
and make it as far north as you can until weather puts the brakes on
you. If you have the luxury of time, you can then bail the trail until
the weather allows passage through the snowy/icy places. Lots of miles
between Campo and the Sierra where winter walking is the preferred
condition! 


Michael Saenz, Associate Partner
McLarand    Vasquez    Emsiek   &   Partners,   Inc.
A r c h i t e c t u r e  |  P l a n n i n g  |  I n t e r i o r s
MVE       MVE    Institutional       MVP    International
w  w  w   .   m  v  e   -   a  r  c  h  i  t  e  c  t  s   .   c  o m

-----Original Message-----
From: pct-l-bounces@mailman.backcountry.net
[mailto:pct-l-bounces@mailman.backcountry.net] On Behalf Of PCT Reader
Sent: Wednesday, January 25, 2006 1:27 PM
To: pct-l@mailman.backcountry.net
Subject: [pct-l] Departure dates

PCT-L -

I'm a medical student graduating this year who's planning to do a solo
hike of as much of the trail (northbound) as I can before June 12th.
I've been doing what appears to be the standard planning : reading the
books, checking the snowfall, planning resupply, etc, but I keep coming
up against the fact that the mountains have snow, and the snow won't
melt on my schedule.

I'm free of hospital responsibilities starting April 1st. The goal would
be to make it as far as Tuolomne Meadows, and to start internship in
late June with fresh memories of the thin air and a high hematocrit.

This breaks down to two questions (to start):

1) With the caveat that snow is still falling and life is uncertain, is
June 1st a reasonable date to start off from Kennedy Meadows if I'm
willing to slog through *some* snow?
2) Let's just say that the answer to #1 is a resounding No : is there
anything south of Kennedy  Meadows with snow bad enough to make starting
April 8th a bad idea? I know this is earlier than people through hikers
usually start : is the Sierra the barrier, or is there stuff further
south that is also worrisome?

Thanks : look forward to seeing what folks think.

Yours,

Wil Van Cleve
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