Mid may start, SOBO or NOBO

imported
#1

It looks like the earliest start date that I can get is for mid to late May. With this late of a start date, should I start in Canada and work my way south, or would it be better to do some early morning / night hiking in the desert and head north, or should I just wait till I see what the snow is going to be like in WA?

Also, does anyone know of a good SOBO journal. I’d like to hear about the different weather experiences that they got when being in the Cascades in the summer.

As always, any and all thoughts appreciated

-Ramey

Taildragger

#2

May is too early to start in the north. Washington doesn’t open up until the end of June. The southbound hikers we met started June 20 and had serious snow for the first couple of weeks.

You might consider doing a flip. Start a bit ahead of the pack of thruhikers (since you’ll be a bit slower) in Wrightwood or Agua Dulce in mid-May or wait and start at Kennedy Meadows in June. Hike north to Manning with the pack of thruhikers, then go south and hike the far south in September.

Ginny

#3

Taildragger- You’re question is hard to answer considering the fact that the weather is so unpredictable from year to year. In a very light snow year in the Pacific Northwest, (like '05) you could have easily started @ the Canadian border by the end of May. On a “average” snow year, starting before mid-June up there would be really pushing it without some decent mountaineering skills.

As for starting that “late” @ the Mexican border, it also depends on the year, but normally it would be hot and dry, but do-able if you are a quick hiker.

Otherwise, some sort of flip flop may be in order as Ginny has pointed out.

Happy trails!

freebird

#4

Even in a record low snow year like 2005, you would have had serious problems starting in Canada at the end of May. You could do it if you brought the right gear (i.e, not thru hiking gear) and dropped miles into the 10-15 per day range. So, yeah, that would take, like, ah, a really long time to get out of Washington. In a normal snow year, or even a high one (it looks like this will happen this year), you’re not starting until July.

So, hike north from Campo and don’t bother with a flip unless it becomes necessary. I started May 9 and finished August 23 in 2003. Plenty of time to spare. I also didn’t take a lot of zero days.

If you do flip, I’d hike as far north as you can before doing so. At least make it to South Lake Tahoe or I-80/Donner Pass.

Suge