[RumiDude]

Except for the snow that is on the ground, there is not any snow accumulation in the forecast for the next few days in the North Cascades. There is rain and some wind mixed into it all. The snow depth at Harts Pass SNOTEL went from 16" two days ago to 10" now. It is wickedly unpleasant out there. Rumi

[Pahoehoe]

[Roly Poly]

Rumi, do you think the group leaving Stevens today has a good chance of getting to the terminus? Weather looks good for a week.

[RumiDude]

It's still going to be cold with daytime highs in the mid to upper 30s and overnight lows in mid to high 20s. Throw in rain and snow flurries along with the temps can either make for brisk hiking or slow hiking. That will mean icy tread each morning, which will slow them down. I think a week from Steven's is ambitious even in the summer. That section between Steven's and Rainy is a real butt kicker and should not be underestimated. Rumi

[thunderhead]

Hope they have crampons and nice sleeping bags.

[Kim Brown]

[neek]

On the subject of self-reliance--hasn't hitchhiking to town for resupply always been part of PCT culture? Not to mention reliance on infrastructure (e.g. the trail itself), artifacts (gear, food, etc.) and more abstract things (freedom, protection, knowledge) that countless others have worked hard and in many cases sacrificed their lives to bring us, and without which the very concept of hiking the PCT wouldn't exist. You can dismiss this as extreme but I do think the line is arbitrary and in fact full self-reliance isn't even a real thing, for show me a human who can survive indefinitely when dropped naked into a lonely wilderness, and if you do happen to find one, then show me a newborn who can do the same (even one raised by wolves still had some help). And yet clearly you need some sort of real-world competence to complete a thru-hike. But how is working for a corporation to earn the cash to buy the gear and the idle time to train, for example, all that different from figuring out how to trick someone into giving you something (e.g. shelter or transportation) that you need? We have this imaginary concept of self-reliance when we in fact are inescapably social animals, and then pass judgment when someone crosses our arbitrary lines, perhaps evoking the concept of equally arbitrary social norms as justification. In an online forum it's all downhill from there--or maybe the inevitable disrespectful tones and hurt feelings are just part of the game that ultimately drives it all forward, I don't know. There are certain things I would want out of a PCT (or any) experience, and of course I'm going to argue in a way that guides people toward facilitating that experience. Let's hope my wants and ways of getting them are sufficiently compatible with everyone else's.

[Kim Brown]

Hitchhiking, obtaining clarifying information from fellow hikers, use of apps, maps, and GPS, etc. still require some skill to plan ahead, and know what the heck you’re doing and where you are. We could probably get down to the molecular level about self-reliance, but actually, the over-the-top examples are meant to show that perhaps someday, there may be so much hand-holding to the point that people lose the skill and necessity to plan, and the loss of the ability to reason and work through a situation where suffering is necessary to get through. Embrace the suffer. So do people with no skills have a right to through hike? You bet they do. But the willful loss of skills is (and this is the point) can diminish the PCT experience by the implementation of more Rules, more Regs, more Fees, more Requirements in order to obtain a permit, etc.

[RumiDude]

[zephyr]

[Malachai Constant]

You guys are pretty far off about a Trail Angeles. We have done the JMT, Yosemite to Tahoe, and Bend to Hood sections of the PCT over 600 mi. During that period we saw one Trail Angel who gave us a Shasta cola at Sisters Pass that was it. While we appreciated it I do not believe we expected it.

[RumiDude]

[markweth]

[Malachai Constant]

We are members of the PCT Association and I still subscribe to the JMT and Yosemite to Tahoe FB groups. I do not read much about TAs in either. Both of those are quite far from town and have a few well established commercial resupply points. A prominent NW Hiker friend recently did the PCT from Mexico to Carson Pass blogging all the way. They did not seem to complain about TAs. I realize there was some abuse in CA and the PCTA put a stop to it. I notice that next year yo-young will not be allowed which could be a problem if there is another big snow year.

[Pahoehoe]