[pct-l] Pct-L Digest, Vol 59, Issue 28

[belcherjd at juno.com]

Randy

I only have one suggestion for you at this point. 
Change your finish date to more like the 3rd week of September not
sometime in October.

Yes, this year lots of people were able to finish in November but 
this was a very strange and abnormal year . Most years we get 
snow up here in the North Cascade by Oct 1. Sometimes it melts out 
in a few days and sometimes not. If it does melt out there's the 
next snow right on it's tail.

The snow itself is not the problem it's the ice underneath the snow 
and all the avalanche chutes you have to cross.

The Pacific NW has more freeze-thaw cycles per year that any place
in the world. If I recall correctly we have on average 67 per year.
Most of our snows in the early fall start as rain and that freezes 
to the rocks as the snow starts to fall and even if there is only 
6" of snow on the ground with 1000' of snow chute above you it is 
not a safe place to be.

If you aim for a Sept finish and miss it not so bad but to aim for 
a late finish and then miss finishing by a couple hundred miles 
would be (for me) heart breaking.

Also note that the couple that finished this year on Nov 18 were
carrying an 80# pack, snowshoes, and ice axes to try and be
prepared. Would the ice ax done any good in those conditions of 
fresh snow? I think we just had that discussion involving skiing.


'til later
Jon 
Marysville WA


---------- Original Message ----------
------------------------------

Message: 24
Date: Mon, 26 Nov 2012 22:25:04 -0800 (PST)
From: Randy Godfrey <randy3833 at yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: [pct-l] (no subject)
To: Matt Signore <mpsignore at gmail.com>,	Kyla Oesterreich
	<oesterreichkyla at gmail.com>
Cc: "pct-l at backcountry.net" <pct-l at backcountry.net>
Message-ID:
	<1353997504.33763.YahooMailNeo at web163406.mail.gq1.yahoo.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8

Matt, Scott and Kyla,

I am also in the beginning stages of a PCT thru hike plan and wondered what you may think of my proposed start date of around April 15th (the year after next). 

I have read stories about the unbearable heat in So Cal and in the Mojave. I wanted to get started a little earlier in the season to maybe avoid that. Starting by April 15th would give me a liberal amount of time (I think) to get to Kennedy Meadows by the recommended date of around June 15th (retiring from my job!)? I won't be limited by a time schedule other than finishing the North Cascades by mid October. 

Does that sound sensible to you or would it not be a good idea to leave so early? I suppose it would depend somewhat on the snow depth in the Sierras.

Randy

____________________________________________________________
Woman is 53 But Looks 25
Mom reveals 1 simple wrinkle trick that has angered doctors...
http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL3131/50b56f21aff4e6f2109aest01duc