[pct-l] Washington Snow

[CHARLES MILLER]

I am from Houston, Texas.  I plan to leave Cascade Locks Monday morning 8/3 going north.  If all goes well I will get to Manning early to mid September.  This will complete my PCT hike having started in 2002.  I missed several years due to Sierra Fires.

I had planned to start med-July, but waited due to snow in Washington.  I have monitored the snow using SNOTEL for the past few weeks, data shown below.  I chose the 17 SNOTEL stations that seemed to me to be closest to the PCT.  The Waypoints are from the More-Than-Mile CD.  In the beginning all 17 stations had an average of 60 inches (WOW!), and last Friday only 1 station had snow left, 3 inches.  The other 16 reported none.

>From my experience in the Sierras, I still expect there will be significant and steep snow fields to cross on the cold side of mountains at higher elevations, and on the cold side where there are trees.  

I am debating on bringing my snow ax.  

Any general advise on what to expect and how to prepare would be appreciated.  Houston is a long way from snow country.

Tex 
Chuck Miller 

      July 21, 2008
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

     
     
     
     
     
     
     6/7
     6/14
     6/21
     6/28
     7/5
     7/12
     7/19
     

     
     Location
     
     
     Snow
     Snow
     Snow
     Snow
     Snow
     Snow
     Snow
     
      WayPoint
     Name
     Lat
     
     Lon
     
     Elevation
     Depth
     Depth
     Depth
     Depth
     Depth
     Depth
     Depth
     
      U067
     Surprise Lakes
     46
     5
     121
     45
     4,250
     86
     79
     61.7
     45.3
     10.4
     0
     0
     
      U104
     Potato Hill
     46
     20
     121
     30
     4,500
     41
     32
     12.8
     0
     0
     0
     0
     
      U144-7
     Pigtail Peak
     46
     37
     121
     23
     5,900
     103
     96
     77.7
     61
     34
     16.3
     0
     
      U145
     White Pass
     46
     38
     121
     22
     4,500
     22
     14
     0
     0
     0
     0
     0
     
      V029
     Cayuse Pass
     46
     52
     121
     31
     5,240
     105
     96.6
     78.9
     60.9
     31.6
     8
     0
     
      V032
     Morse Lake
     46
     54
     121
     28
     5,400
     69
     56
     38.2
     22.1
     0
     0
     0
     
      V046
     Corral Pass
     47
     1
     121
     27
     6,000
     75
     67
     54
     40.6
     21.3
     5.5
     0
     
      V060
     Sawmill Ridge
     47
     9
     121
     25
     4,630
     48
     37
     11.1
     0
     0
     0
     0
     
      V082
     Stampede Pass
     47
     16
     121
     20
     3,860
     66
     54
     41.6
     17.8
     0
     0
     0
     
      V090
     Tinkham Creek
     47
     19
     121
     28
     3,070
     68
     61.5
     47.4
     32.3
     9.1
     0
     0
     
      V095
     Olallie Meadows
     47
     22
     121
     26
     3,700
     108
     99
     85.7
     71.6
     39.3
     21
     0
     
      W039
     Fish Lake
     47
     32
     121
     4
     3,371
     4
     0
     0
     0
     0
     0
     0
     
      W065
     Stevens Pass
     47
     44
     121
     5
     4,070
     39
     31
     13.4
     0
     0
     0
     0
     
      X007
     Miners Ridge
     48
     12
     120
     57
     6,200
     72
     72
     48.7
     33
     6.7
     0
     0
     
      X008
     Lymon Lake
     48
     11
     120
     55
     5,900
     78
     68
     55.2
     38.7
     9.2
     0
     0
     
      X046
     Rainey Pass
     48
     31
     120
     44
     4,780
     37
     28
     14.7
     0
     0
     0
     0
     
      X075
     Harts Pass
     48
     43
     120
     39
     6,500
     45
     32
     30.4
     9.9
     3.1
     3
     3
     
      Locations with snow remaining on the ground
     17
     16
     15
     11
     9
     5
     1
     
      Average snow depth this week for those locations
     63
     58
     45
     39
     18
     11
     3