Link to a long discussion on starting the trail in March. My thoughts and plans below.
At the moment, Win and I are planning to start the desert section of the PCT in late March, right after GaryCon.
Given our various time commitments, between GaryCon and NTRPGCON is when we can do it.
Additionally:
- It is cooler than an April start.
- Water is more available.
- The bubble isn’t as heavy.
- Fewer mosquitoes 🦟.
- Fewer and less active snakes 🐍
- Our chances of getting a permit are better.
As to going further? A lot depends on whether it is a high or a low snow year. High snow years make the Sierras look like Alaskan winter into the middle of June.
Low snow years and everything is clear in May.
Right now, who really knows how the Sierras will be? All I know is I don’t want to do anything foolish. I already did that at Goat Rocks. We are lucky that our schedule is flexible.
The truth is also that I’m currently expecting/planning/hoping to do the Sierras in early September.
So the plan is to do the desert in late March through April.
After that we plan to do Lionshead just before PCT trail days followed by Stehekin and the terminus right after trail days.
Following the Northern Terminus we do the Sierras. That skips the snow (other than in the desert section) and the crowds and the bugs (somewhat).
We might go home for two weeks of altitude training first.
Of course our plans are all subject to the vagaries of weather.
For example, this year the Sierras had a killing heat wave (as in people actually died) right when we had planned on them (though we got there right afterwards) and then early freezes and snow.
As for our start, it got derailed by record breaking snow fall in the north.
[Reprise. Our original plan was Ashland to the terminus then Ashland to Campo. Too much snow so we did just north of Fish Camp to Yosemite until the smoke and fire and ash was too much then Fish Camp north, some fire reroutes and to Stehekin where fires finished the trail.
Then back to Tuolumne Meadows and altitude sickness and snow/early freezes. Yes. Weather was unpredictable.]
Next year we will do our best to finish the trail.
Blog by someone who started the trail in March (in a high snow year).