[pct-l] Scary stuff ahead

[Donna "L-Rod" Saufley]

Mr. Mumbles and I went over Sonora Pass last August. It was dry as a bone, not a bit of ice or snow, and I was scared out of my wits.  I'm not fond of vertical exposure, and the downhill approach to the highway on the PCT has plenty of that. The Leavitt Lake trail appears to be a very easy runout to the highway, but it does bypass some spectacular scenery that you experience on the PCT.  Here's what made this leg of the trail especially scary to me, even under ideal conditions:

- the trail is very narrow
- the trail is sloped noticeably toward the downhill
- there are little lava rock marbles everywhere
- the ground is rock hard, and trekking pole tips don't penetrate
- the runout is steep and rocky (sharp, nasty looking rocks)
- knowledge that experienced hikers fell and were banged up and bruised there

On other passes, like Forrester, Glen, and Mather, the trail was broad, and aside from crossing snow fields, felt safer.  I'll admit that my fear of vertical exposure is pretty strong, but Sonora Pass was the biggest challenge yet.  I cannot imagine crossing that stretch of trail in icy conditions.  

OTOH, many hikers do this bit of trail without a shread of fear, and say, "what's the big deal?"  I was fearful and challenged, but I did it. Overcoming fears and accepting challenges is one of the attractions of hiking.

L-Rod

-----Original Message-----
>From: "Eric Lee (GAMES)" <elee at microsoft.com>
>Sent: Jun 24, 2008 11:42 PM
>To: Darren <talhog at yahoo.com>, "pct-l at backcountry.net" <pct-l at backcountry.net>
>Subject: Re: [pct-l] Scary stuff ahead
>
>Darren wrote:
>>
>Is there something specifically scary you have heard about Sonora? It's only
>at about 9600 feet and there is a hwy there as well. I do see a few saddles
>on the miles approaching Sonora that are a bit higher and a few areas that
>look pretty steep. According to Scotts latest Postholer post there is still significant
>snow in the area. (look for his boot while you are there!) :)
>>
>
>The Guidebook calls it "potentially lethal".  People have documented several near-death experiences on Sonora Pass, most notably Cindy Ross in her book "Journey on the Crest".  There have been similar stories in trail journals of years past.
>
>I've not actually been on Sonora Pass in snow myself, but judging from what I've read, the problem seems to be a combination of a) snow that tends to stick around late, b) a slope that's steeper than it looks, c) exposed rocks at the bottom of a long steep run, d) a lot of people have already sent their ice axes home by the time they get there, e) the highway is in sight so people switch off their brains.
>
>My impression is that it doesn't *have* to be dangerous, but people tend to underestimate the risk there and do crazy things.
>
>Eric
>
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