[pct-l] Early Start for Through Hike

[Ned Tibbits]

There is one real parameter that has the potential, year after year, to ruin 
every thru hike and that is Powder Snow.

In our maritime snow pack, every thru hiker may contend with two types of 
snow, fresh-fallen powder and consolidated, hard-surfaced sierra cement 
(technically, 'sierra cement' is really wet snow and can be either powder or 
consolidated). In the spring when the pack is receiving longer days of 
sunshine and radiation, it settles and becomes harder. When it is like this 
(and this can occur after a winter powder storm if there is sufficient 
sunlight over time to settle the pack), it is easier to walk on since the 
surface has gone through  many freeze-thaw cycles. Therefore, travel over 
snow when it has consolidated. We teach advanced snow skills north of 
Kennedy Meadows to Kearsarge Pass starting out in early May and can walk on 
the snow surface for most of the day.

Comparatively, wallowing through powder snow is exhausting. Snowshoes in 
powder don't help much, but you can get to where you're going, just slowly. 
We romanticize the idea of snowshoeing and believe it to be a feasible way 
to traverse the high sierra, but what we fail to realize is, in powder and 
with each step, lots of snow falls on top of the snowshoe and weighs it 
down, not to mention that, even with snowshoes on, you'll sink pretty deep 
in the pack and have to step up pretty high to clear the snow surface ahead 
of your foot. This action is very tiresome and consumes lots of fuel. Your 
daily mileage will be cut in half and your caloric needs will double easily. 
Thus, stay away from powder. (The subject of avalanche fear is mostly a 
non-issue during the Sierra springtime).

Ok, so for all of you planning on thru hiking the Crest or Divide, the 
question is, "How early can I start to enable low mileage days throughout, 
minimize my contention with powder snow, and arrive in Canada before the 
powder snow starts flying again, thereby stopping my forward progress in my 
last days?" Therein lies the real stopper, powder snow in the steep North 
Cascades. Our advice, plan your hike so that you arrive in Manning before 
the powder starts laying down and you can go no further. This date can be 
anytime after mid-September. Many have continued on into October with no 
issues other than freezing days and nights, but they watch the skies for 
storms! An inch or two or four of powder is not the problem, it is the foot 
or two or four covering the trail as it snakes along the steep ridges north 
of Harts Pass. The trees are dense and the ridges narrow and bail-outs can 
be life-threatening. Ask the locals.

So, with the parameter of powder snow arriving in the PNW around 
mid-September, your start date will be determined by, as someone said, your 
experience in snow (because even the consolidated stuff will cut your miles 
in half--plan for a mile/hour). If you have very little training in getting 
around in the stuff, you may want to avoid it and start late, but this will 
require faster daily speeds since your hiking window is, now, shorter. With 
a little training and experience in walking over snow, navigating through it 
and below treeline, and knowing how to stay safe, consolidated, spring snow 
is not an issue anymore.

Yes, as Ernie said, you may have to carry more safety stuff, but even that 
is fun as it allows you to go more places confidently. Why wait for the snow 
to melt, then have to haul-ass? Is leaving "early" so bad when it allows 
more leisure? And this is where you must ask yourself in the planning 
stages, "Why am I doing this?" "What do I want to get out of the 
experience?" "How do I want to Hike-my-own-Hike?"

It really is fascinating why people hike for months at a time. The 
motivations vary from physical challenge to self-discovery to societal 
escape to a Muir-like wander. Just remember in the context of this 
discussion, if you don't feel confident with snow-walking, you'll have to 
avoid it, either on the trail by road-walking or starting after the stuff 
has melted, then walking real fast to get to Canada before the awful white 
stuff shows up again. And this isn't a guarantee, either, since it can snow 
in the Sierra any month of the year!

Your hike of the Pacific Crest Trail is a once-in-a-lifetime event of such 
inner-personal change and impact that you will be a different person at the 
other end (no matter how you do it). The longer you can stay on-trail, the 
more of it you will absorb. Many great philosophers and Presidents have 
extolled the virtues of Wilderness, so plan to spend time in it anyway you 
can.



Ned Tibbits, Director
Mountain Education
www.mountaineducation.org
-----Original Message----- 
From: Ernie Castillo
Sent: Wednesday, November 14, 2012 10:41 AM
To: pct-l at backcountry.net
Subject: Re: [pct-l] Early Start for Through Hike


Amy wrote: I am planning on hiking my first time through the PCT this year, 
and I would like to get an early start.  I am able to start by the end of 
February/beginning of March.  I was wondering if anyone knows the earliest 
time to start a through hike that would still be safe all around.

In 1980, my buddies and I -- all native Southern Californians -- delayed a 
planned late February start and left Campo early March. So did several other 
parties. We encountered snow beyond Mt. Laguna, waited out a blizzard on top 
of Mt. San Jacinto, and sat out a snowstorm beyond Wrightwood. That said, we 
were prepared for it. (We were what are known today as "heavy truckers.") My 
buddies shared a 4-person Jansport dome tent, splitting the weight; I 
carried a 2-person Jansport "wedge". I had lots of clothing. Looking back, 
snow hiking was one of the highlights, especially in our native territory.

The Sierras had unusually high snowfall that year but I don't think starting 
any later would have avoided that issue. There was still skiing at Mammoth 
Memorial weekend before an earthquake emptied that resort area.

Because of an injury, I was out 6 weeks and joined up with my buddies, and 
others, in Independence. We I don't believe any of them traversed the 
Sierras below Tahoe. Some of the "herd" that year even walked Highway 395. 
One pair of hikers "hop-scotched" around the Sierras and crossed my path as 
they were heading southbound.

One day out of Tahoe, we were hit with another blizzard but simply waited it 
out. (I recall something like 60 hours.) A side-trip to a ski resort allowed 
us to re-supply.

The current logic is to start in April so you will get a lot of advice along 
those lines. But trying to predict the weather is, well, like trying to 
predict the winner of a close presidential race.

One advantage to starting early is that you can keep your mileage down to 
what feels comfortable. For us, we were happy starting out with daily 
mileage in the low teens. Even at my peak, my mileage would pale in 
comparison to some of today's hikers. The most miles I hiked in one day was 
29 in Northern California followed by a 26-miler. But again, I was toting a 
full tent, walking in 5-pound leather boots, and carrying lots of camera 
gear. It was just the way I chose to enjoy the PCT.

Bottom line: hike your own hike.

Ernie Castillo
PCT Class of 1980
_______________________________________________
Pct-L mailing list
Pct-L at backcountry.net
To unsubcribe, or change options visit:
http://mailman.backcountry.net/mailman/listinfo/pct-l

List Archives:
http://mailman.backcountry.net/pipermail/pct-l/
All content is copyrighted by the respective authors.
Reproduction is prohibited without express permission.