Re: [pct-l] Water on PCT

["Greg Hummel" <ghummel@hydrogenburner.com>]

Monte wrote:

> I hiked April 2 to Oct 11on my hike and wish I'd spend another month on
the trail. . . . >My point is its nice to stop and smell the roses,or spend
a day or 2 exploring a nice >area. Don't just blow through the PCT, savor
your days on the trail. ( Start early and >stay late ) . . .  . Remember
though, it's trail that's important, not the end. One week >after you
finish, you'll just wish you were back on it anyway!!


Hear! Hear!  I hiked April 2 to Sept 11 and wish that I had slowed down to
finish with Monte!  What is the rush?  School?  I finished in time to start
the fall semester in college. Weather? Most years you can withstand the
early storms in the Pacific NW.

I'm with Monte on this: Start early if you have experience with snow and
persevere the Sierra's.  You will be glad you did.  If you don't have snow
experience I would be questioning whether you should be trying this in the
first place!

Marge, suncups are a feature on higher altitude melted snow that "cups" the
surface, sculpting at first small indentions in the surface then
progressively larger as it melts.  The largest suncups that I have seen were
on the north facing glacier between Banner and Ritter two years ago in
September.  They were about four feet in diameter and about one and a half
to two feet deep at center.  Basically the surface looks like the surface of
a golf ball from the perspective of "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids".  I don't
know how much altitude or other conditions play into their formation.  I'll
leave those details for someone else with greater knowledge.  I think that I
have a couple of good pictures of them, if anyone is interested, email me.

Greg "Strider" Hummel


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