[pct-l] Oregon Sections F and G conditions

[tbache at san.rr.com]

I just finished hiking these two sections  (well -- most of them).  I started at McKenzie Pass on July 2 on a cool and rainy day.  I got my
introduction to the conditions almost immediately when I crested the pass on Belknap Crater at 6100'.  The north slopes were totally snow
covered down to 5000' and in big areas well below that.  The first day was made more interesting by rain and snow and very low visibility.
I decided to minimize snow struggles by taking the Oregon Skyline Trail alternate for the 25 miles north of Santiam Pass.  This helped, but
there was a mile or two of snow cover around Santiam Lake.  Otherwise, the trail was clear (but in poor shape) to Marion Lake and beyond.
North of Marion Lake the OST climbs up the south face of Baldwin Ridge and crosses the top to descend the north face.  As I crested the
ridge I got my first view of Jefferson Peak and the plateau crossed by the PCT.  Yikes!  It looked like Alaska to my eyes. I went down
the ridge to 4800' with near total snow cover to there and beyond as far as I could see.  By this time it sunk in that I was facing about
25 miles of snow at a pace of maybe 2 hours per mile -- so time to pay attention to the voice of prudence.  I walked back to Marion
Lake to exit.

I hitched around to Olallie Lake with no problems or long delays (4 rides).  Three of my rides were in the back of pickup trucks -- illegal in
California, but a fine way to travel.  Looking south at Jefferson from Olallie confirmed my decision to skip around -- it looked even meaner
from the north.  From Olallie Lake to Timberline Lodge the trail was in fantastic shape -- as easy to walk as it gets in my experience.  I met
my wife and 12 year old son at Timberline Lodge with a plan to take my son with me on to Cascade Locks.   But I met a hiker who had
just come south who told me that there was 6-7 miles of snow covered trail to the north.  This was too much for my son, so Mom drove us
around to Lolo Pass for a straightforward (but very nice) 30 mile hike to the big river (comment from a Southern Californian -- all that
beautiful fresh water just dumps into the ocean -- what's up with that??).  

Bottom line -- just a few days ago there was total snow cover above 5000' on north facing and shady slopes.  Enough snow to be annoying
and dangerous for the careless occurred well below that (I walked across some patches as low as 4200').  The weather is quite warm,
and the melt is progressing quickly, but how long does it take to melt 10' of snow?  I'm a desert guy with poor understanding of snow,
but I'm thinking that it will be quite a while yet before the area around Mt Jefferson can be hiked without dealing with the white stuff.

Good news -- I had very little trouble with mosquitoes throughout the trip.  And the weather was gorgeous except for the first day.  An
unexpected treat --  the terrain and heavy forest combine to hide the big mountains until you top a ridge or round a corner and -- boom! --
there it is (Jefferson or Hood or Adams or Rainier) bigger and meaner than I had imagined.  Thrilling and breathtaking.

Stay safe .....

Tom Bache
San Diego