No Problem. Crossing a pass

?alone late in the day is a cool experience.?

On Jun 8, 2024, at 7:00 AM, Jingbo Ni <jnistargazer@...> wrote:

I’m planning our SOBO trip from Aug 23-Sept 15. The wisdom says that one’d better climb over passes in the morning. I understand that this strategy is for taking advantage of better snow conditions in the morning and avoiding afternoon storms. However this strategy also makes my daily itinerary planning less flexible, like always camping before a pass (at least for big ones).?

Do you think in our hiking window of 8/23-9/15, afternoon storms still a concern (I know snow should be out of the equation by that time)?

I had experience of climbing over Forester in a late June day, but that was a dry year.

Thanks in advance for your input.

Happy trails!

Jingbo?

I like to get the climb out of the way early.? That said plans are great but it all kinda goes out the window when you do the trip. ? the magic of it.?

Enjoy !Sent from my iPad

On Jun 8, 2024, at 10:01?AM, Jingbo Ni <jnistargazer@...> wrote:

?

I’m planning our SOBO trip from Aug 23-Sept 15. The wisdom says that one’d better climb over passes in the morning. I understand that this strategy is for taking advantage of better snow conditions in the morning and avoiding afternoon storms. However this strategy also makes my daily itinerary planning less flexible, like always camping before a pass (at least for big ones).?

Do you think in our hiking window of 8/23-9/15, afternoon storms still a concern (I know snow should be out of the equation by that time)?

I had experience of climbing over Forester in a late June day, but that was a dry year.

Thanks in advance for your input.

Happy trails!

Jingbo?

Couldn’t say storms are *not* a concern at that time of year, but neither does it storm every afternoon in the peak season. Plan your hike the way you want to plan it, and you can make a call on the day regarding afternoon weather for a pass crossing.?

On 9 Jun 2024, at 12:01?AM, Jingbo Ni <jnistargazer@...> wrote:

?

I’m planning our SOBO trip from Aug 23-Sept 15. The wisdom says that one’d better climb over passes in the morning. I understand that this strategy is for taking advantage of better snow conditions in the morning and avoiding afternoon storms. However this strategy also makes my daily itinerary planning less flexible, like always camping before a pass (at least for big ones).?

Do you think in our hiking window of 8/23-9/15, afternoon storms still a concern (I know snow should be out of the equation by that time)?

I had experience of climbing over Forester in a late June day, but that was a dry year.

Thanks in advance for your input.

Happy trails!

Jingbo?

So was this a big snow winter, average, or low snow winter?? I know there are folks on this group who monitor snow levels.

Thanks

Judy McGuire

I am on the PCT this year, just now in Ridgecrest for a town day and will be back on trail at Walker Pass tomorrow. Whitney in 2nd week of June, can tell you more when I'll be in Bishop.

I would expect that mid July there won't be any snow at all left on the ascent from Guitar Lake. The snow has melted exceptionally fast until now.

Henning

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Am 02.06.24, 11:18 schrieb "WanderingJim via " <jimjmt2020=[email protected]>:

So, I'm planning my treks for the summer and have a couple questions for the group. I have a set-in-stone week off on the July 4th week to work with, plus other flexible time I can take off during the summer.

The first question is how likely it is that the west switchbacks up to Mt Whitney will be climbable in mid July (say between July 12th and 14th)?
I figure with the average snow year we just had, the west side should be have melted out enough to reach the summit from that side. I’d be coming up from the PCT.

If the east side isn’t clear enough to descend directly to the portal, I would go down via Shepherds Pass or Kearsarge Pass. My plan is to leave a resupply package at Horseshoe Meadows with enough food to get to any of those exit points based on conditions mid-July.

BUT that got me thinking: I could just keep going NOBO on the JMT since I found the area between Glen Pass and Muir Trail Ranch one of the most scenic parts of the JMT when I did it SOBO in 2020 (of course, the other parts are great too).

The South Fork San Joaquin River Bridge being out is a complication.? How likely is the river to be low enough in mid to late July to ford the river near the missing bridge? The detour skips some of my favorite parts of the JMT, so probably wouldn’t bother continuing if I couldn’t get to MTR directly.

So, approximately 2 weeks ?along PCT section G from Walker Pass to Whitney (add 5 days or so to exit via Kearsarge), or 4-5 weeks to Yosemite Valley.

I could also exit from Kearsarge Pass, take 2-3 weeks back in civilization (my boss would appreciate that), and then restart JMT NOBO from there in mid August. Better chance of fordable rivers then. Getting a permit may be an issue for a restart.

So, really the final question is: Split the trek in two to be more likely to be able to do Kearsarge to Happy Isles with better chances in August or tempt fate by trying for a full 5 week uninterrupted trek (except for maybe some zero days in Independence and/or Reds Meadow during resupplies there)?

Thoughts?

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