Hi,
I´m planning to hike the PCT this year, starting in the first week of July.
Originally I had wanted to go SOBO, but with all the snow, do you think that´s possible?
I´m wondering if there is another option, e.g. flip-flop?
Where would you start in a year like this, aiming on a 4 1/2 months hike?
RTW
It’s definitely possible - it just comes down to how much snow you want to deal with & how prepared you are: snow & navigational skills.
In '05 I headed SOBO from Manning in mid-June without a problem, but that was an exceptionally light snow year.
A good way to get an idea of what you’ll most likely be dealing with is checking past years PCT SOBO journals & checking the snow levels for those years on postholer.com
As far as a flip flop hike, very often they look good on paper but turn out to be problematic. Most of the trail maintainers don’t even begin their trail work in the Pacific Northwest until July. So some areas that are snow-free might have hundreds of blowdowns. Every year I’ve hiked the PCT, fellow thru-hikers who have flip-flopped have plenty of hellish stories to tell. This year, it looks like there’s snow everywhere at elevation.
It will probably be an adventure either way. If you decide to head SOBO straight thru, you could push your start date back a couple of weeks. Generally, your good-to-go through the High Sierra until mid-October.
Happy Trails
freebird
Thanks for your detailed answer. Yeah, it really sounds like an adventure. Unfortunately, I am not ready for snow + tricky navigation. I´m an experienced hiker, though. The Sobo-journals and the snow level page were what made me think about a flip-flop instead of a SOBO, but you´re right: the trail might look bad. I wonder what the section-hikers do?
Starting out earlier is not possible for me and also the snow would be even worse in June in a year like this, wouldn´t it?
Anyone here with experience concerning Northern California at the beginning of July? Anyone else planning a Sobo this year?
RTW
So, in looking at the Cali water page
http://cdec.water.ca.gov/cdecapp/snowapp/swcchart.action
and overlaying the 2005-2006 snow pack onto this year, I’ll observe the following:
In the Sierra, during “normal” thru hiker times, there is likely to be snow anywhere from a bit north of Whitney north through at least Tahoe. On my thru, I didn’t break out of the snow until ~mid July near Sierra City. This was with a mid June departure from KM. Note that the central and northern Sierra appear to have equal or slightly greater snow this year compared to '06, while the southern Sierra has slightly less, at least as of today. Reports from '06 indicate that those who tried to flip in mid June up to the Lassen area encountered significant snow - just as bad as the Sierra. Georgi Heitman in Old Station (near Lassen) has commented on those flipping into her neck of the woods several times - see the PCT-L archives.
Washington has an above average snow pack, and it’s still snowing in the Cascades. The WADOT camera at Snoqualmie Pass showed fresh snow in the trees this morning. If you flip up here or start here in early July, it’s likely you’ll be clobbered by snow. Freebird is right that '05 was a low snow year in WA. See the snowtel sensors linked below for comparison charts.
With a July 1 start, if you’re wanting to miss the (worst of the) snow and miss unmaintained trail, consider going NOBO, just starting from say Mammoth (or even Walker Pass). You’ll hit some snow, but it won’t be TOO epic. You’ll be a few days to a few weeks behind the main herd. You’ll need to push to make it to Canada prior to the winter snow up here in Washington and then get back down and SOBO out of the high country to finish a complete thru.
Other places to get snow info:
http://www.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/snow/
Section hikers: When I section hiked Washington between '01 and '05, I waited until the optimal time for each section. Usually, did each section in mid August to early September, although in '05 with the low snow, I did White Pass to Snoqualmie at the end of June, first week of July.
Token Civilian
I agree with what TC said above.
I think maybe the most logical & practical (logistically speaking) start would be around July 1st @ Walker Pass (easy access there from Bakersfield) and head NOBO to Canada. That way there would be no anxiety about getting through the the Sierra’s on the flip, but you might have to move along a bit to get to Canada before winter sets in. Last year we scored with the weather up north late in the season - October was warmer & drier in WA than September - but every year is different & some years winter conditions hit by the end of September.
You would have a few advantages by being behind the ‘herd’ - good kicked steps @ all the passes, etc. (assuming there’s still snow) & really fun ‘stragglers.’ I’ve always found the back end of the thru-hikers to be MUCH more fun than the one’s up front racing each other to Canada - there’s a lot more with the attitude “Smiles not Miles” back there…
My only concern with a 1st week of July start @ Walker Pass would be the mosquitoes. They can be really bad in July in the High Sierra, so I would be prepared for bad bugs…
Happy Trails!
freebird
Cool. Thanks for all your advice, this forum is really great!
Do you think it´s possible to hit Canada with a July 5th start from Walker Pass? I doubt I´ll be able to catch an earlier flight and I´ll be fit for the trail, but I won´t have the training of the herd as I´ll be working and clearing out my flat until July. Plus I heard that the Sierras are quite a tough section, where you have to carry a lot of food and gear, which might slow me down as well. Yet, it would be a beautiful time for it.
Maybe I´ll have to double-flip?
Option a: Going Nobo from Walker until the Oregon border and then Sobo from Canada to NoCal and then Sobo from Walker to Mexico.
Option b might be to start from Burney Falls on July 5th and then going north, slightly ahead of the crowd and then flipping from Canada to Walker, walking north again to Burney in September/October, and then going south from Walker to Mexico in October/November.
Sounds both like a bit of a hassle, but I´d really love to through-hike this year.
What do you think?
RTW
You still would have time to make it to Canada from Walker Pass if you’re able to average slightly more than 20mpd (including zeros). Walker Pass is almost exactly 2000 miles from the Canadian Border.
It would be hard to start out averaging high mileage through the Sierra without being in top shape, but you can make up a lot of ground in NoCal, Oregon and southern WA. One option is to just head north from Walker and then flip if you have to later on. The decision to flip is really difficult to make though…
Last year some NOBO’s flipped on the advice of some very PCT savvy hikers (Billy Goat & a few others), but ended up getting hammered with cold wet weather coming SOBO from Canada in early September & then we ended up having an incredible Indian Summer in the North Cascades in October. So… the advice was probably good (statistically speaking) but it ended up backfiring on the hikers.
So, my advice 
is to pick out an option that you are comfortable with & is convenient logistically speaking & then just go for it! There are so many variables on a thru-hike so you can never account for everything & you sometimes have to take risks.
On my PCT hikes, my primary goal or top priority wasn’t to complete the thru-hike. In fact, I’ve always felt that if the destination is the primary goal, then some of the journey or experience is sacrificed. So I always try to hike every day like it’s my last day hiking - enjoy it to the fullest. I don’t want to compromise even a single day of the journey (ie. ‘I’ve got to make so many miles today…’). I have been fortunate to finish the PCT 3 times, but the completion was really just the icing on the cake (& the icing itself is bitter sweet).
Have a great journey & enjoy every day on the Crest. Ideally, thru-hiking should be more about smiles than miles.
Happy Trails!
freebird
You are absolutely right about the smile/mile thing and about the trail being an adventure.
So here´s the plan: I´ll start from Walker Pass at the beginning of July and then I´m gonna walk north till my calves burn. 
Thanks a lot for your help, I´m really looking forward to the Sierras.
RTW