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Re: [pct-l] October Snow in North Cascades

> Couldn't a person just carry extra provisions and more winter gear 
>and stretch the hike out into mid to late October?     TednDeb

  Because winter comes in with a vengence in the Cascades by October!
   Don't know what you want to extrapolate from this, but: this October,
I made two trips to the Sierra High Country (much closer to the equator
;-) and was hit by violent multi-day storms both times. Spent 36 hours
pinned down in the McGee Pass area kocking snow build-up off my tent to
keep it from collapsing; during the same storm, a fellow died of exposure
(he had a tent and was not alone) in the Humphries Basin _south_ of where
I was. The year before, I hiked over similar passes in _November_; only
occasional deep drifts,  but there was quite a bit of ice and it was cold
- brrrr! 
   The "experts" mention that an El Nino is often followed by La Nina: a
period of hot weather/drought in the formerly-wet locations. That would
mean a nasty late-summer fire-season, and, maybe a warmer fall, but who
knows, right? The fact is, you pays your $$/takes your chances anytime
you hike in the mountains off"season"; late travel in the Cascades is
generally considered a fairly Big Gamble.On the upside: you can always
pay close attention to the forcasts and abort - but that won't get you to
Canada in '98...   bj

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