How late could I start the PCT?

[rpiontek]

I'm wondering how late I could start the PCT and still have a reasonable chance of finishing? Would it be purely a race with winter in the north (going northbound), or would there be other concerns? Would it be better to go southbound if I want to start late?

[Squeaky 2]

you can still start in june and july in the south, but it will be hellishly hot and the water caches may not be maintained that late so you will have to do your home work on water soucres. realistically you will have to look at a schedule of 100 days or less. southbound in june or july you might hit some snow in washington but you will give yourself more time to finish.

[Spirit Walker]

If you have to start late, in June, you might consider starting at Walker Pass or Kennedy Meadows and hiking north, then flipping and hiking south. If you can't start until July, then southbound is probably the best way to go.

As Squeaky said, there is a lot of desert in southern California. We started in mid-April and temps were in the '90s in some places. There was water, since it had been a wet spring. But they get very little rain in the desert in late spring, so all the water sources are likely to be dry if you start after mid-May.

[chris]

The heat in June and July in the south will be harder to manage than the water. If you are looking at a mid or late June start, and are committed (and able) to a fast hike, consider starting in the north instead. You get one of the absolute best sections of trail right at the start. You'll still be racing snows (in the Sierra), however, the end point of the race southbound (i.e, Kennedy Meadows) is closer than the end point of the race northbound (i.e, Manning).

[rpiontek]

Does winter arrive earlier in the Cascades than in the Sierra Nevada?

Let's assume I start southbound from Canada in June/early July. How long might I have to get through the Sierra before snow shuts me down? If I make it through the Sierra, is the water situation managable in the desert? I have read that the natural soucres will be dry, but what exactly does that mean for me - how much water to carry - how far between other sources, etc?

[Mags]

A good rule of thumb is that you want to finish a NoBo trek of the PCT no later than Oct 1st. After Oct 1st, you stand a good chance of getting a heavy snow dump. No fun! Note, this snow dump can happen earlier, but the snow dump almost always happens after Oct 1st and then sticks around.

Not to say you can't finish later than this date, but you are pushing the envelope a bit, esp. wit the light gear most thru-hikers use.

[Tha Wookie]

Island Mama and I started on May 17th. My first bit of advice to everyone who wants to hike the PCT is to start earlier. We were at several caches, reading the entries, and had 110 degrees heat. In the register, from two weeks before, they reported SNOW!

I would like to hike the OCT again someday, and when I do, I guarantee I will not start as late as I did. The heat was staggering. Every morning was a shock to wake up, while we rushed to get going before the sun rose. As soon as it did, the heat would already be kicking in. Imagine 30 people holding blowdryers all around your body at one time. That is how I felt in some stretches. Remember the first 700 miles contains significant desert, and apparently 2 weeks can mean all the difference.

Some people may not mind the heat. I don't know when Squeaky did it remember he also did it very fast and is a freak to begin with

For us mere mortals, I would recommend starting no later than very early May for a spring start.

Also I highly advise an umbrella (mylar covering a big bonus) for the desert.

For the love of God, avoid hell if at all possible!

[Tha Wookie]

I forgot to mention that we were some of the very last, if not THE last people to finish at teh border marker. I know of some others that finished later, but they lost the trail in the snow, missed the marker, and ended up on a road in Canada before they knew they were done!

By the way, we finished Oct 7th!

http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=51622

Good luck!

[chris]

Does winter arrive earlier in the Cascades than in the Sierra Nevada?

Let's assume I start southbound from Canada in June/early July. How long might I have to get through the Sierra before snow shuts me down? If I make it through the Sierra, is the water situation managable in the desert? I have read that the natural soucres will be dry, but what exactly does that mean for me - how much water to carry - how far between other sources, etc?

Every year is different. In 04, September was reasonably stable in WA, though with plenty of rain. In 05, we had a ton of rain in Sept. In October, it rained constantly and there was snow as well.

Heading south, I personally would like to get out of the Sierra by mid September to early October. I've hiked there in Oct before with success, but I'm a soft hiker and would rather have good conditions than bad. Making Tuolumne on or about Sept 1 would be my goal.

In SoCal, water will be very scarce (more so than in June), but the heat shouldn't be much of an issue. More of an issue will be wildfires, which seem to come up every fall down there.

If the goal is to get to Tuolumne by Sept 1 (and so out of the Sierra by Sept 15), you have to cover about 1700 miles. If you are fit and strong and carrying a light load and committed, you can do this in 2 months, allowing you a leave date of July 1, which gives you great weather in WA and OR. Back it up to June 15 and you should still be ok with weather, though with some snow still in the Cascades (maybe).

[Spirit Walker]

If you're southbound, you could get serious snow in the Sierras by mid-October - but for the most part those early snows will melt off pretty fast, so if you can bail out for a few days and come back, you should be okay. The 'high Sierras' are only a couple of weeks of hiking. Past Whitney you'll have ocassional forays into the high country, but only for a day or two at a time. Main problem southbound is that the desert is a bit of a let down compared to finishing in the Cascades. But it is quick hiking - and it is nice to do desert in the fall/winter when it is cool.

[Ridge]

You need to be leaving Campo by the last week in May, earlier if possible.
Trying to predict weather conditions on any part of the trail by more than 24 hours is pure voodoo. I think the "Farmers Almanac" does about as good a job as the weather people. Now, the weather people can predict pretty good any real serious storms a few days in advance.

[Spirit Walker]

Some of it has to do with your willingness to tolerate bad weather. Some people need to be finished with the PCT or CDT by mid-September because they are not willing to risk getting cold/wet in autumn storms. If you are prepared however, they are just another part of the trail, and not something to stress over. There were people who finished the PCT in mid-October when we hiked. Last year a few guys were hiking in Montana on the CDT in November. Sure, the weather sucked, but they kept on hiking. If you are willing to accept that the weather will be bad, and bring the gear to keep you safe - then you can hike in the Sierras in October or even later. Years ago I heard a Norwegian axiom - there's no bad weather, just improper gear.

[rpiontek]

Thanks for all the advice everyone, it's greatly appreciated!

[Mouse]

So if sometime in May is the latest to start NOBO, what is the earliest reasonable time to start?

[Sly]

I wouldn't start any later than the 1st week in May which would probably get you to Kennedy Meadows mid-June. Starting any later, besides, getting rediculously hot, unless you intend on averaging 20-25 miles a day the rest of the way, you'll be racing the clock to Manning Park.

Unless you're starting in July (going southbound), I like the option of starting (northbound) 100 miles up the trail per week from the end of April.

[chris]

So if sometime in May is the latest to start NOBO, what is the earliest reasonable time to start?

I would start in early May to try to get the best conditions in the Sierra. Starting in late April tends to get people to the Sierra a bit too early and they have to fight snow. I wouldn't start any earlier than early April as you can still run in to snow in the mountains of SoCal and you'll have to find some way to deal with all the time you'll have waiting for good conditions in the Sierra.

[Sly]

Logistically PCT is a numbers game much more than the AT. 700 miles to Kennedy Meadows, 1950 more or 2650 to Manning Park. One typically takes 5 months, finishing by Oct 1. Not counting days off, 17-18 miles per day is a good average. So... if you average 20 miles for 6 days you've earned a day off.

[wilderness bob]

In order to miss the heat on a NOBO thru hike of the PCT, would it be advisable to start early April and perhaps take a zero week or more before entering the Sierras? Or does the snow and other weather problems cause concern from the very beginning. I am planning a trip in 07

[chris]

I didn't find the heat to be much of an issue and started in early-mid May. When you enter the Sierra is dictated by snow conditions during that particular year and your ability to route find, travel on snow, and desire to suffer. The only places where you might have issues in SoCal with dangerous snow is in the San Jacinto range, near Idyllwild, about 180 miles in. If you start in mid April, you're giving yourself 2 months (roughly) to hike 700 miles. You'll probably find you'll take two or three weeks off waiting out snow.

[Spirit Walker]

If you start early in April you will run into snow in southern California - how much depends on the year. We started a week before the kick off and had snow in several places - including Fuller Ridge and Baden Powell. It was not difficult - but it was a low snow year in the southern Sierra. We had real snow from Forester to Sonora Pass, and a little all the way to Tahoe. It was all doable - but we carried the ice axe all the way to Sierra City. One of the things we discovered was that it was hard to go really slow in southern California because of the water issue. I had a sprained ankle, so we were only doing 15 mpd, but we still got to the Sierras too soon. We took a couple of days off in Lone Pine - but even so, snow melt was a problem. The snow in the Sierras wasn't the problem it's the meltoff that was dangerous.