PCT Snow's melting fast!

imported
#1

For those worried about “record snow” on the PCT … it’s melting fast. We’ve had a heatwave of sorts for the last couple of weeks and I have been snowshoeing in shorts … in JANUARY no less. The ice over the lakes is unstable … cracks emerging and even small areas of exposed water even though there’s still about 5 feet of snow piled on top of most of the lakes. Many of the snow-play (sledding) areas are slush.

However, another storm is expected this week so we’ll see if we get rain (which melts the snow even faster) or more snow. It could do anything by April. You just never know until it happens.

Some years the snow melts so fast, we get floods and flash floods in the foothills from the melting snow rushing down the mountain.

My advice: take a deep breath, keep planning and watch the current weather with interest but only interest … like things that make you say “huh.”

Leslie

#2

Up to White pass to check out the PCT in Washington over the weekend, you could mow the grass. The snow had melted under the chair lifts and bare ground in the forest under the trees. Forecast is for some light snow later in the week. Cross your hiking sticks, the water alerts may be even more serious this year.

the Lee’s

#3

I forgot to mention … I’m located in the Sierra Foothills not far from Kirkwood, on Highway 88 corridor, just South of Lake Tahoe. I snowshoed last week near Carson Pass.

Leslie

#4

Please keep us posted on the snow melt/fall in the Sierra’s… I very much appreciate it! Thanks!

debi