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<DIV> I talked to Kyle Johnson, the Backcountry Head -
for lack of a proper title, 14 days ago and yesterday. The 66% snowpack in GNP,
for the winter in general, made it look good for a 15 Jun Sbound start. That
snowpack is now at 100+%! Several storm fronts over the last 3 weeks have dumped
lots of rain at low to middle elevations, and lots of snow at middle to high
elevations, increasing the snowpack up high and creating lots of "rotten"/think
posthole snow in the middle. Spring has been, and is, cooler than
normal; skies have stayed cloudy; and the snow has not melted much for
3 weeks, Kyle says. Going-to-the-Sun road is still not open either. A GNP
Ranger I met in Pie Town this spring also confirms that the high elevations are
still "plugged with snow". </DIV>
<DIV> IMHO, 1 Jul would be a better start date this year;
so, much to my regret, I'll wait until then to start, losing 2 of my
planned 4 weeks Sbound. I'll be calling Kyle back next Mon, and try to remember
to post what he says. I still have to go out to WA to finish the PCT in
Aug, or I'd just keep going in MT. According to a few posts, CO & WY still
have snow cover in many places, and I just never cared to play the "guess
where the trail is" game. Northern NM is already fairly hot, since it was 97 in
Grants on Sun - and yes I know that Grants is at a much lower elevation
than nearby Mt Taylor, but it will be 80's at 9-10,000 with that kind of heat. I
live in the same Chihuahuan Desert. </DIV>
<DIV> Oh well, even just 2 weeks on the MT CDT is sorta
on the way to the WA PCT isn't it? The other problem now is a week driving up
there & getting into Canada, and 2 weeks Sbound, leaves me at Benchmark
Ranch - a poor place to get out of and in to. Ain't no good answers for me
this year.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT lang=0 size=2 face=Arial FAMILY="SANSSERIF" PTSIZE="10">Bob
"Trekker"</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT lang=0 size=2 face=Arial FAMILY="SANSSERIF" PTSIZE="10">Big Bend
Desert Denizen, and...<BR>Naturalized Citizen - Republic of
Texas<BR><BR>"Government cripples you, then hands you a crutch and says, 'See,
if it wasn't for us, you couldn't walk.' " -- Harry Browne<BR><BR>"If you think
health care is expensive now, wait until you see what it costs when its free."
-- P J O'Rourke<BR><BR></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
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