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Re: [pct-l] John Muir Trail
About the JMT this year on July 1, nobody has yet answered the north-south
question, so...
Personally, I think where you start will have a huge imapct on snow levels.
Assuming it takes you 3 weeks to hike the JMT, a LOT of snow melt can take place
between when you start and when you end. Obviously, there are huge ups and downs
along the trail, but basically the northern terminus is at 4,000 ft and the
southern at 13,000 ft, which (allow me to oversimplify here) means that the trail
gets progressively higher the more south you go.
So, going N ->S should allow a lot more snow to melt before you get there. Also,
it allows you to build up strength, stamina, and pass experience as they get
progressively higher. And, although I love Yosemite, I think it is even more of a
thrill to finish a big hike on top of Whitney!
I hiked the JMT in '94 N -> S and whenever we passed northbounders we always were
told about all of the snow we'd soon face. As we continued though the stories
about conditions improved. So, from the beggining of our trip when we heard about
an impassable Forester with 15 ft of snow to the time we got there it had all
melted and we were hard pressed to see snow, let alone cross any.
Good luck out there!
-David Ferguson PCT '97
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