[pct-l] Re: pct-l-digest V1 #624

["William M. Stenzel" <manjovin@concentric.net>]

It’s true that if you start on the first of May at the Mexican border,
you will have plenty of companions. If this turns out to be another high
snowpack year, these new friends can provide support and consolation as
you struggle through miles of snow-covered trail, extra body heat
through the last winter storms, and free food as they drop off the trail
one by one. 
	The trail was very difficult to finish at all in 1998 starting from the
south or the north. It would have been a great year, however, to see the
desert in bloom in May, a great year to do some summer backcountry
skiing in the Sierras, and in Oregon and Washington? Well, if you like
snow and mosquitoes….
	As I understand it, the point of starting the first day of May is to
get through the desert before it really heats up. During a really heavy
winter like 1997-8, this isn’t and issue, so why not start later? The
other reason to start so early is to be able to finish the whole trail
before winter, right? How many people finished the whole thing in 1998,
including those who started right on May first?
	
	If I were to do it over again, I’d check out the snow conditions
through the winter, and if it’s anything above "average" (whatever that
means), I’d take a few weeks off to learn how to surf in San Diego
before starting. If I didn’t make it all the way to Canada, oh well, at
least I had fun.

will
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