Well we’re off tomorrow for what might be our first PCT hiking of the new season. “Might be” is the right phrase too; past and present weather conditions are gonna make this an interesting trip.
In making plans, I assumed that the trail near Crater Lake would be at least mostly snow-free by this late in the spring. Certainly our ground here in the Sierra is very snow-free up to over 7,000 feet. And the first 30 miles beyond our last end point are lower than 6,500 feet elevation. Plus it’s June.
Not so fast though. Everything I’ve been able to find about the PCT through Crater Lake National Park shows that there is still snow over most (maybe even all) of the trail. So?
So we go anyway and see what (if anything) we can get done. We’re taking snowshoes, all-weather gear and backpacking equipment. Maybe we’ll hike some. Maybe we’ll backpack on snowshoes instead. Or, maybe we’ll end up calling it a reconnaissance of the area and retreating to the Oregon coast, or to lower elevations at least. Either way, we’re off for some family fun….
(And when we’re done we’ll drive down to U.C.S.B. for Katie’s college graduation; where the hell did those four years go!?)
