March, 2023 came.
I needed to make a decision on my summer hike. The plan was to catch some orphaned sections in the Sierras and about 100 miles in Oregon. This would complete the PCT for me except for the southern desert and Washington. These will have to wait until that significant cessation of my full time employment.
I started following the SNODAS in February and by April, the snow pack in the Sierras was still measuring in feet. The alternative was the Colorado Trail, which had less snow and should have cleared by early July. So I booked a flight to Denver. A trail angel met me at the airport, actually brought me a gas canister, and drove me 45 minutes to the trailhead.
Post Script
As I neared Salida, I was encountering north bound CDT hikers who were reporting that the trail south of Salida was “treacherous”. I spent three days in the lovely town of Salida resting and trying to decide what was next. It was the San Juan mountains that were still under a lot of snow. I could have made it to Creede, but my internet searches did not avail any information of buses in or out of the small mining town. The best exit was Salida as there is a bus directly to Denver.
I knew what my hike would be in 2024. By the way, there were some sections of the PCT in the Sierras that never melted completely…
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