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<DIV>Good evening, Austin,</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I don't have extensive experience in the autumn Sierras, but temperatures
below 20 F probably won't be your greatest concern. As an Oregonian you've
probably been around enough mountain snow to know that while spring snow is well
coalesced snowpack --- something you can walk upon --- autumn snow is
usually soft; the kind of stuff you have to walk through. Postholing
through snowpack can be monumentally aggravating, but wading in 2 ft. of fresh
stuff really makes a long day. Generally, snowshoes don't even help
much. Regarding early-season snow, you might be guided by the experience
of the last PCT hikers through Washington in '07.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Another ominous difference is what tomorrow will bring: Travel over
snowpack usually gets better every day as the stuff melts. Hiking in
autumn snow always carries the threat that conditions can easily get a whole
bunch worse on short notice.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Steel-Eye</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">^^^^^^^^^^<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Serious hikers gather at:<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><A
href="http://www.aldhawest.org/"><SPAN
style="COLOR: purple">http://www.aldhawest.org/</SPAN></A>
^^^^^^^^^^</P></DIV>
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style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=longwalk2653@gmail.com href="mailto:longwalk2653@gmail.com">Austin
Williams</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=pct-l@backcountry.net
href="mailto:pct-l@backcountry.net">pct-l@backcountry.net</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Friday, February 15, 2008 4:51
PM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: [pct-l] Southbound
Hiker</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>I really appreciate the advice. It sounds like I should
move my start date up a few weeks.. perhaps to mid July. How is the
weather in the Sierras at the beginning of the fall? Temperatures in the
20's? I do own a heavier zero degree bag which I *could* send to myself
if needed to.... but I'll stick with my 20 degree-er so long as it sounds
safe.<BR><BR>-Austin<BR><BR><BR>
<P>
<HR>
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