Pct april 18th start?

imported
#1

would april 18th be a good time to start? (obviously, including the plan to hitch back to the kickoff)…at 19 miles per day (and 6 zeros) that would put us at kennedy meadows on JUNE 2…a couple of questions…first, might it be better to start out with a little lower mileage, say 16 miles per day (increasing after the sierras)?..and then, does starting out a week earlier than the average ‘kickoff-attendee’ pose the possibility of facing a greater risk of storms or snow in that first 700 miles?..(or conversely, nicer cooler weather?..i.e.,can we still expect the sort of ‘crazy-hot’ mid-day temps in mid april that would necessitate getting out of the sun at that time of day (11am-3pm), as billy goat and others have recommended?)…i guess what we’re really trying to find out is if 5 days earlier makes very much difference in these matters…ALSO…we’ve studied the recommended june 15th start out of kennedy meadows and are wondering how critical that date is for safety through the sierras…if we arrive early at kennedy meadows, (as much as a week or more), and discover snow levels are still high, where could we plan to stay/camp or hike until it was safer to continue?..we are willing to be ‘flexible’, but should we plan on the flexibility of our hike being allowed for at the BEGINNING of the hike (i.e., BEFORE even leaving home, changing airline tickets at the last minute if news is that the snows are heavy)…OR…start early anyway, and allow for possibly 5 or 6 days flexibility at KENNEDY MEADOWS instead?..thanks for suffering through this long list of perhaps the most ‘angst-ridden’ questions you’ve seen in a while! :^) we ARE doing our homework (with yogi’s book, billygoat and other’s advice, reading journals, etc,), but we’re wanting to nail down our airfare here while it’s cheap and would SOOOO appreciate any help you experts can give us rookies!..thanks

maw-ee

#2

April 18th is as good a time as any to start. In SoCal, it’s hard to say what the weather will be like at that time. It doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re at higher risk for storms. I’ve seen snow in the San Felipes (Sec A) one day and then temps in the 70’s the next. I;ve hiked Sec. A 3 times and never had temp’s higher than mid-80’s. Not to say it couldn’t be 100+, just my experience.
June 2 might be a bit early to get to KM though. It all depends on how heavy the snow pack is of course. You could camp there for a week, but there’s nothing there except a campground, general store, and two “restaurants”, the Grumpy Bear and Irelands. I remember the Grumpy Bear being more like an actual restaurant, although not much more than burgers. Irelands was really nothing more than one guys mobile home. I think we woke him up when we arrived there at noon. I’d go a little stir crazy if I had to stay there for more than a couple days.
If you’re moving too fast I’d recommend taking a few extra zeros. In '05, I took 7 zeros in SoCal, left the border on April 22 and got to KM on June 4, which was very early for that year. Sounds like you’re on a similar timeline. But it really depends on the snowpack. If you’re planning on going to the Kickoff, you’ll be able to get more up to date info there. I’d just go ahead and get the cheap airfare and then figure it out from there. You’ll be talking about snow in the Sierras for the first 700 miles anyway, so you’ll probably figure out a plan then. That’s my “expert” advice :slight_smile: Happy hiking!

Ducky

#3

April 18th is fine.

I’ve said it before, and will repeat it here: The concept of ‘Ray Day’, or June 15th as the ideal KM date in a normal snow year, is obsolete. The 05 and 06 crew proved beyond a doubt that the Sierra’s are passable well before this date in exceptionally high snow years.

So…Don’t sweat the Sierra’s. I went in on June 14th, 06 in the biggest (or 2nd biggest - the 05 bunch may beg to differ) snow year on record. Sure, it was tough. That said, it’s entirely passable for the motivated, reasonably skilled (e.g. map and compass navigation skills, self arrest skills), and reasonably well equipped (appropriate clothing, ice axe, etc) thru hiker. Check out Jeff Singewald’s or Rolling Thunder’s journals in 06 for what folks saw about a week earlier than me. The stream crossings are, arguably, the highest hazzard you’ll encounter, although falling on steep snow has it’s own hazzards.

As far as timing goes and slowing down, you should have a decent feel for the melt off as you go if you pay attention. Get on the net and check it out at Big Bear, Wrightwood and the Saufleys. Just remember that a zero on the snow sensor does NOT necessarily equate to no snow on the ground. The snow sensor at Sonora Pass, for example, showed zero for a month before I got there. Let me tell you, there was LOTS of snow there when I arrived.

If things are melting too slow for your tastes, slow it down a bit, take an extra zero or two here and there. You can chill out for extra day’s at the Andersons, Hiker Town, Mojave / Techappi (yeah, Mojave sucks, I know) or at Lake Isabella from Walker Pass. All of these locations are within about 2 weeks (or significantly less) of KM. It probably it a good idea to zero at KM anyways, to give yourself a little rest and so you can get your supplies in order.

There is certainily a higher chance of adverse weather in the So Cal mountains the earlier you leave - you might get snowed on in the Laguna’s and Fuller Ridge, for example (heck, you might get snowed on anyways, even with an April 27th start). One of the coldest nights I had on the entire trail was my second night out at Fred Canyon, all of 33 or so miles in. Depending on the snow conditions in So Cal, you may have to deal with snow before the Suicide Trail Junction into Idyllwild, Fuller Ridge, and Baden Powell up around Wrightwood. Again, don’t sweat it - it’s entirely passable, or there are alternates around the worst of it.

Leaving earlier might help with the heat - then again, it might not. I’d argue the best way to deal with it is to follow the conventional wisdom of getting up before dawn so you can start hiking as soon as you can see. Hole up at a shady spot, preferrably with water, during the worst of the heat during the mid-day, then hike some more starting around 5 or so. Night hiking is also an option for dealing with the heat. I started a couple hours before dawn from Scissors Crossing to get the worst of that climb out of the way before the sun came up. Worked great.

Token Civilian

#4

I don’t have a lot to add to the others, who answered the questions quite well. One thing that you should be aware of, though, is that it is harder than you think to “go slow” on the PCT. One reason is that water sources can be far apart and so you probably won’t want to spend two days without picking up water. For example, if you have a 30 mile waterless stretch and are trying to hike 15 mile days, then you’ll be spending most of two days away from a source.

Another reason that it is hard to go slow is that the PCT in SoCal is really nicely graded: The trail is easy to roll up miles on.

Finally, the heat of the day encourages people to hike a lot in the early morning and in the early evening. For example, it is pretty common to start around 6 or 7 am and cover 15 miles by noon. By around 6 it is pretty comfortable and once again pleasant to hike. So, days (even with a siesta in the middle) can be pretty long.

Personally, I would start a week or so after the kickoff if I were to hike again.

Suge

#5

Suge makes a good point. It is hard to hike slowly, especially if the temps are cool enough to hike throughout the day. And even more so if it’s actually cold and stormy. It was pretty easy to do 20+ mile days, even from the very first day, and I wasn’t in great hiking shape at the start (my training regiment involved mostly cheesecake and beer). You’ll get into a rhythm and it’s hard to break out of that. Even if it is hot, you’ll find it’s easy to do a lot of miles, and with water sources being stretched out, you might have to.

Ducky

#6

I knew there was a reason why I love this sport…and thank you all for the advice, to feed the PCT dream that does a drum circle in my head…

fishngame

#7

you all have gone into much great detail here!..we so appreciate it!..any other comments?

maw-ee

#8

It snowed in '08 on Memorial Day weekend in Wrightwood. The snow made the trail virtually impassable around the Baden-Powell area. Most people hiked on the Angeles Crest highway.

April 18 is not an unusual start date.

Piper

#9

On any given year Ma Nature will let you know whether an April 18th departure is “too early”. After all, She’s the boss. But I say carpe diem!

I began my PCT hike in March 24th, and while it was a “terrible” snow year ('06) I inched my forward without too much difficulty. “Terrible” is a matter of perspective, really. Sure, there were tough times early on, but looking back now, those were some of the best memories of the journey. Methinks that the sooner you’re on the trail the happier you’ll be! And the longer you remain on it, the same will hold true.

(Hey Token! Nice hearing that you’re alive! I trust all is well…)

(Piper…I’d like to meet you someday; I’m in Solvang/Lompoc and would like to purchase a signed copy!)

Funnybone!

#10

I still like that phrase better than “hike your own hike.”

Anyway, i effectively started at Kickoff, and if i could do it again i’d start earlier so i could take a few more zeros and just not feel like i had to keep up with the pack. But if you have little interest in dealing with snow and happen to have the body and will to hike big miles for 4 months straight, i could see the advantage of not starting until May. It’s just impossible to say in advance, let alone guess what the conditions are going to be like in a given year.

Start when you feel like it. Read up on conditions. Pre-test gear as best you can. And then come back next year and tell everyone why your start date was or wasn’t the best ever. It’s a PCT tradition.

markv

#11

Hey Funnybone, you can look me up on my web site: http://santabarbarahikes.com. I lead some of those Sierra Club hikes. Look for Tony or Diane.

~Piper

Piper

#12

April 18th is a good day, I’d say, for two reasons. One, you’re early enough to give you flexibility in southern california. There won’t be a “rush” really, to get going (not that there would be, necessarily, anyway). Two, you’ll be ahead of the hyped “herd” – good if you want to resupply without packages from stores like Mt. Laguna and Warner Springs. In 2008 I started on April 15th and it was perfect (for me).

As people have said, it’s tough to really go slow. LOTS of people will talk about going slow and “building up” to bigger miles, but few people will actually do it. Water sources, moderate grades and desire to eat at a restaurant will propel you to 20+ mile days right from the beginning. I had never hiked more than 12 miles in my life in one day, and yet the very first day I hiked 20 to Lake Morena (totally out of shape) by 3pm. A dry hauser creek and a milkshake at the store near the campground stuck in my sides like spurs!

It’s better indeed to just take more zeros if you find yourself going fast. You’ll be surprised at how easy it is to decide to take an extra day in towns like Idyllwild and Big Bear. Idyllwild has $3 camping and Big Bear has a hostel that offers thru-hikers an $11/night rate if you stay 3 nights, and it’s a nice place (Big Bear Hostel in Big Bear Lake, not the Nature’s Inn in Big Bear City).

As far as entering the Sierras early, don’t stress it. You will hear MUCH (VERY MUCH) hype about snow and lots of semi-ignorant fear circulating around the PCT before you get to places like Fuller Ridge and Baden-Powell. Take all the news you will hear about such places with a big fat grain of salt because, and this is a blanket statement that won’t always be true, the rangers will try and scare you away. I had several people tell me (one of whom a forest service ranger) that Baden-Powell was IMPASSABLE and VERY TREACHEROUS and that I COULDN’T go over. And yet myself and several other thru-hikers went over easily the next day. And I had a stress fracture in my right foot from Cajon Pass! Just be aware that snow scares a lot of people, but it’s almost never as bad as you will hear. Be prepared, be knowledgeable but don’t let ignorance scare you away. I entered the Sierras on June 5th this year. Sure, there was snow, but it wasn’t that bad. I did 15-20 miles a day without an issue, and with a heavy pack (heavy for me, a 25 pound baseweight and 7 days of food)! I’m guessing I’ll enter around June 3rd this year, myself. Of course, I have practiced self-arresting and had an ice axe, but I never had to use it. Others (most others, in fact) had only trekking poles and fared just as well.

So in the end, do it. April 18th is fine. Don’t be scared of fuller ridge or baden powell or the sierras. Keep your ears alert for good knowledge but don’t take any hype to heart.

good luck, hope to see you out there this year!

Joker