[pct-l] Northen CA in October

[ned at pacificcrestcustombuilders.com]

Just a few thoughts further:

Could it be said that the Cascades extend as far south as Mt. Lassen?
At what point does the northbound hiker leave the Sierra? Is Tahoe the 
northern terminus? Are the Sierras considered sections F thru K?

It has been said that, "If it worked in OR it'll work in Section Q." This is 
in regards to hiking through fresh snow in section Q.
My memory of Oregon under snow was that it was largely flat all the way, and 
I had snow from Lake of the Woods to Hood. I did not have a trail through 
sections Q and R in 1974 and left the proposed route at Etna Summit and 
followed roads all the way to the southern terminus of the Cascade Crest 
Trail at Copco Lake (through Yreka!). My experience of section P was that it 
was rough and steep and I would not relish dealing with snow and ice there.

Mike R. said that he was southbound into section R in October and was 
concerned about the likelihood of snow storms arriving about then and if he 
should be worried. Sections Q and R I cannot speak about, but section P I 
would like to be through before the storms arrived because of their rugged 
characteristics, especially the Marbles and Salmon-Trinity areas.

As far as what to carry should you (Mike) be expecting early season snowfall 
in Northern Ca., keep in mind that it will be powder and not the Spring, 
Sierra-cement that north bounders expect to hit leaving KM in June. 
Therefore, your problems will center around flotation (if you experience 
more than a foot or two). If you don't mind kicking through it, just bring 
tall gaitors and good boots (since you can't see what you're stepping on). 
This will hold true for all snowfall under shin deep. With situations of 
snowfall over shin deep on top of otherwise dry trail, you might want to 
consider snowshoes. In either case, you will be sinking into the fresh stuff 
more than you'd like and certainly more than you're used to, but a little 
flotation is certainly better than post-holing and slogging through it all. 
Waterproof shells over some sort of thermal layer might be a good idea for 
the legs. No need for ice axe or crampons. You might want to add snow 
baskets to your poles, if you use poles. Doubling your sleeping pad with 
another is good for sleeping on snow. Carry more food.

Other than preparing for snow and colder weather, should the trail become 
buried, you'll need to be good at spotting the general route through the 
trees, watching for tree blazes, and paying a lot of attention to the 
topography as it relates to where the trail is supposed to go.
Mike said that this sort of thing happened to him on the AT. You'll need two 
things, good trial-sense (the kind you get after being on-trail for months) 
and good, detailed topographic maps to plow your way through the woods under 
snow. It's not impossible and is even fun and liberating if you have the 
confidence, skills, and prior experience. If you're not comfortable with 
your own experience, don't attempt to do this late in the season.

If you choose to hike late into the Fall and do get caught in a snow storm, 
know your escape routes to civilization should conditions be more than you 
can handle. If you're not prepared for the cold and wet, the fun can 
disappear quickly from your hike and you could be risking your life. 
Northern California is beautiful in the Fall. Just be prepared for the worst 
and exercise a lot of caution.

Mtnned
----- Original Message ----- 
From: <jomike at cot.net>
To: <threeeasysteps at live.com>
Cc: <pct-l at backcountry.net>
Sent: Thursday, August 06, 2009 9:35 AM
Subject: [pct-l] Northen CA in October


> What does that mean in terms of gear, aside from usual cold weather 
> supplies (clothes, bag, etc.)?  Should I carry an ice axe, mountaineering 
> crampons, something else?  I'm also a bit concerned about losing the trail 
> if there's a significant amount of snow and no other footsteps to follow 
> in the snow (happened once on the AT).
>
> summermike
>
>> Mike,
>>
>> Serious snowstorms can hit the high sierra at any time, really. Case in
>> point is the cold front approaching right now, expected to bring snow to 
>> the
>> high country this early August. Keep your eyes open and be prepared for 
>> the
>> worst.
>>
> *************************************************************************
>
> Section Q is about 1095 miles north of the Sierra. If it worked in OR 
> it'll work in Section Q.
>
> are we there yet
> _______________________________________________
> Pct-l mailing list
> Pct-l at backcountry.net
> http://mailman.backcountry.net/mailman/listinfo/pct-l
>
> __________ Information from ESET Smart Security, version of virus 
> signature database 4312 (20090806) __________
>
> The message was checked by ESET Smart Security.
>
> http://www.eset.com
>
>
>