[pct-l] Skipping, skipping and more skipping

[CHUCK CHELIN]

Good evening, Big Toe,

Planning a mountain hike around residual snowpack is usually a very “iffy”
proposition, particularly if it involves times that are out-of-profile for a
hiker, such as what might be found when flipping or skipping.  The reason is
most hikers who’ve been around the PCT for a while well understand what
SoCal is like in April and May; they understand what the Sierras are like in
June and July; and they know what to expect in Washington during September.
Unfortunately, it’s not well understood what Washington is like in June or
July for a SoBo hiker; what Oregon is like anytime other than August; or
what N. Cal is like anytime except July.

One good place to start is with the histories posted by the NRCS as *Mountain
Snowpack Maps for the Western United States.*
http://www.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/cgibin/westsnow.pl  The “May” maps will give
you a general idea of what you can expect that year by region compared to
other years.  One thing you will probably note is that you can’t generalize
that, “there’s heavy snow on the PCT”.  For example, heavy snow in the
Sierras could easily mean very light snow in the Cascades during the same
season, etc, and year-over-year the totals can vary greatly.

Those maps show snowpack relative to “average”, but if you don’t know what
“average” means to a hiker the whole thing won’t pass the all-important, “So
what?” test.  I don’t have a lot of specific examples but look at the May
snowpack for C. Oregon in 2008:  That was a fairly heavy snow year at
150%-180% of average.  Then look at the photo taken 30 May 08 at the PCT
trailhead on Oregon Rt. 20, Santiam Pass -- that’s a low spot on the trail.
http://www.trailjournals.com/photos.cfm?id=335261 The Oregon PCT didn’t
become mostly snow-free till late August that year.  31 August 1999 I hiked
through a zero-visibility snowstorm about 10 miles north of that photo.

Before getting too ambitious with snow travel, be sure you well understand
how your dog will adapt.  The ground contact pounds/square inch of a dog’s
foot is usually higher than that of a man, and if they break the snowpack
they’ll go in up to their belly with every step.  Also, continually walking
through crust is brutal on their unprotected legs.

Enjoy your planning,

Steel-Eye
Hiking the Pct since before it was the PCT – 1965
http://www.trailjournals.com/steel-eye
http://www.trailjournals.com/SteelEye09



On Mon, Dec 21, 2009 at 3:25 PM, David Ellzey <david at xpletive.com> wrote:

> Well since I am on here I thought I would ask you previous thrus a few
> questions regarding our 2011 thruhike plan.
>
> First a little background:
> This last summer my wife and I section hiked the PCT from Campo to Mill
> Creek Summit (mile 420) then from Echo Lake down to Return Creek, exiting
> out over Summit Pass to Virginia Lakes. I am hearing impaired and we hike
> with my service animal, we have experienced  extreme heat this last year
> with the dog and of course it really slows us down. This coming summer we
> will not be able to do much more than a couple of weeks on the PCT, probably
> in the Sierras since this is the summer the dog gets his service dog
> certification. So a lot of work to do there off the trail.
>
> So my idea for 2011 is to start on March 31 and hike to KM, which should
> easily take less than 6 weeks, then skip north to Belen and continue for the
> next 6 weeks to Cascade Locks. By now it is late June so we would skip back
> to KM and fill in central California to Belden. Finally its back up to
> Cascade Locks to hike the remainder to Manning Park by the end of August.
> Since we will still have our business operating while we are hiking, we plan
> to have a support person/business assistant shadow us.
>
> As I see it the pros are:
> (1) I get to start the hike on my 50th birthday
> (2) It should be cooler through the SoCal and NoCal hot sections
> (3) We will have more solitude away from the "pack"
> (4) Less snow/easier creek crossings through the sierras
> (5) Fewer mossies in Oregon?
> (6) Less rain in Washington?
>
> And the cons:
> (1) Even though complete, it will not be a continuous line and for some
> reason that feels like less of an accomplishment
> (2) There will not be much trail angel/water cache support (but we do have
> our own support)
> (3) We will not have the social experience of traveling with the "pack"
> (4) San Jacinto and Baden Powell will almost certainly be a serious snow
> adventure, might even use snowshoes over San Jacinto
> (5) More mossies in Yosemite?
>
> I would love to hear comments, advice and opinions.
>
> Bigtoe
>
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