[pct-l] snow questions

[dude at fastmail.ca (dude)]

Its still too early to tell.  this is a very frequent topic on this 
list, so you can check the archives for more answers than you will care 
to read, but the short version is that it depends on TONS of factors 
and is impossible to predict at this point.  Some years the Sierras get 
so hammered with sno fall that virtually no one ever completes a thru-
hike.  This is rare, but it happened in 1998 and again couple years ago 
(I forget which year, but someone on the list will know).  In 1998, I 
section hiked from Lake Tahoe to Mt. Whitney in late August to early 
September and there were numerous sections of the trail that were still 
under 10' of snow for miles and miles and miles.  A few passes were 
still very difficult to negotiate, and an ice axe was certainly 
required.

Other years are much different.  I again section hiked from Lake Tahoe 
to Yosemite in late August of 2001 and it was completely different than 
my 1998 trip, even though it was the same time of the year. In 2001, 
there were no passes that were covered in snow, so there was certainly 
no ice axe needed.  The trail was much easier to navigate because none 
of it was covered in snow.  There were sections of the trail that we 
covered 3x faster in 2001 than in 1998.  

To give you an idea of how different things can be from year to year, 
here are some pics of my trips in both 1998 and 2001 that you can 
compare and see how much more snow there was in 1998.  Keep in mind 
that both trips were in the last two weeks in August:

Dicks Pass (near Lake Tahoe):
1998: http://www.dudedesign.com/photos/tyt/large/fontanillis.jpg
2001: http://www.dudedesign.com/photos/tyt2001/large/P7280016.JPG

Brown Bear pass (near Yosemite):
1998: http://www.dudedesign.com/photos/tyt/large/afterbrownbearpass.jpg
2001: http://www.dudedesign.com/photos/tyt2001/large/P8030064.JPG

Fontanillis Lake (near Tahoe):
1998: http://www.dudedesign.com/photos/tyt/large/fontanillis.jpg
2001: http://www.dudedesign.com/photos/tyt2001/large/P7280012.JPG

As for planning your trip, just stay posted on this list.  There will 
be people posting all kinds of snow reports from both snow sensors and 
actual trip reports.  You should know what you are up against by late 
April or early May.  However, keep in mind that the Sierra Nevada are 
known to have gotten snow in every month of the year.  In 1998, we got 
snowed on one day briefly while going over Forrester Pass (highest pass 
on the PCT at 13,000')

Good luck.

peace,
dude in Eugene, soon to be in Austin




On Sat, 18 Feb 2006 16:55:34 -0800, C RICKERTSEN wrote...

> Hi,
> I am planning a thru-hike (south-north) for '06.  I was wondering if
> anyone could tell me what to expect for snow conditions.  Will I
> snowshoes?  Where should I send my snow gear ahead to?  I reallize
> that it may still be too early to a know any of these answers so how
> has it been in the past years? Thank you.
> 
> 
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