I'm planning to make a hiking trip to the pacific northwest

>>19633
How harsh is the winter there?
>plan for 0-30 degrees with rain 23.5/24 hours of the day
How expensive is accommodation?
>You what nigger? Dont you have a tent pussy, a cheap hotel anywhere is always $50-$100, what are you 17?
What's the best towns to stay at for the purpose of being close to hiking trails?
>Your purple circle takes 12 hours to drive from end to end you should be more specific
Will I be in danger from the wildlife considering I come from a no gun country?
>Yes there is always danger. Bears and cougars and elk and moose and rattlesnakes. Get bear spray and a knife. If bear doesnt react to spray, hold knife from your chest pointed at bear, impale bear with your last dying breathes

>>19634
>Don't you have a tent pussy
I don't have the experience to camp in snow, let alone for 3 weeks.

>>19635
Yeah so you shouldn't do it. Fucking dumb

>>19635
Just roleplay as a homeless person theres more homeless than people in these parts

>>19635
>>19637
Also, it doesnt snow here. Its nothing but 30 degree rain for 6 months out of the year, minimum.

>>19636
>Have little to no experience camping
>Make your baptism of fire by camping with temperatures below freezing point
What could possibly go wrong?

Also, witnessed

>>19633
lol this is a terrible plan, OP
>How harsh is the winter there?
temperatures will range from about 0C at sea level to -40C at the top of the tallest volcanoes (14,000 ft). 23.5 hrs of rain per day is correct, but only at sea level, and the big cities tend to be protected by rainshadow from the mountains. in the mountains where you'd want to be hiking, not only does that rain fall as snow above about 2000ft, but rainshadow works the opposite way, making the PNW mountains the snowiest places on earth. winter accumulations of 50ft and single-storm snowfalls of 5ft are not unusual for some locations. "hiking" is basically not an option unless you're going to stay in the coastal forests. anything above the snow line will require skis or snowshoes
>How expensive is accommodation?
anywhere from free to $18,000/night
>What's the best towns to stay at for the purpose of being close to hiking trails?
the rough geographic center of that purple area is portland, but you're gonna really have to narrow down your ambitions for a better answer
>Will I be in danger from the wildlife considering I come from a no gun country?
no, you only rarely see large mammals, and nothing that will go out of its way to harm you

>>19640
tldr , so should I just go to Portland?

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The PNW is not a small area, and it's very rugged terrain for the most part. Be more specific about where you want to go and what you want to do.

All the good hiking is between Salem and Vancouver so maybe just get a hotel room by the Portland airport and make day trips

>>19641
personally I think the terrain gets better the further north you are, but you haven't told us what you want other than that you want to go hiking in a 500,000 square kilometer area, so we're having a hard time giving you good advice

>>19633
expect a lot of rain as far as hiking in january goes. Most of the coast should be fine if not excessively wet. The desert out east of the cascades is cold as hell, and I imagine the Columbia gorge has some winter hiking. For anything else you will need snowshoes and some real 4 season camping gear.

but in all honesty Bend

>>19641
It depends. Not only does your purple circle include the Cascades, it also includes the Hoh Rain Forest. The two have radically different climates. If you just want nice scenic woods and mountains go in early Fall. If you want rainstorms worse than hurricanes go to Whidbey Island in Nov. If you want to be burried alive in an Avalanch try White Pass in Feb/Mar.

Until you tell us what terrain or experience you are after we cannot give better advice.

OP, if you are inexperienced and want a fun winter trip to the Northwest go to Mt. Rainier National Park in Washington.

It's fucking beautiful, they do Ranger-guided snowshoe hikes for beginners and it's a great place to learn about winter camping. There's lots of front-country camping space by Paradise and there are plenty of rangers around if you need help.

If you don't want to camp, you can stay in one of the lodges in the park or a motel in nearby Ashford. You can also rent stuff like snowshoes and 4 season gear from Whitaker Mountaineering in Ashford.

Other good options include Summit at Snoqualmie, near the town of North Bend, which is a ski resort that also has a Nordic/Snowshoe center. Or you can go to Leavenworth, it's a cheesey fake Bavarian village in the east Cascades but there's lots of great beginner snowshoe hikes and even guided tours.

Many REI stores in the area (and there are a LOT of REI stores in the Northwest) offer clinics on winter camping, avalanche and snowshoeing for beginners.

Or if you want to really go all out, you can take a class with the Seattle Mountaineers, one of the top /out/ organizations in the USA.

You're a beginner, don't fuck around in the mountains in winter until you've learned and practiced some basics.

OP here

What I would be interested in doing is the oregon and washington portions of the pacific crest trail.

How long would it take me?
Is it doable in january - february?

>>19648
To specify, I would do the PCT from portland to seattle, which seems to be an addecuate distance for a thru-hiking first timer

>>19649
Why do you want to do it in January?

Parts of the trail are usually snowed in till June/July.

>>19650
Because I live in the southern hemisphere and it's the only month of the year when I can take my vacations.

>>19651
Well, I'm just going to be brutally honest with you. Doing a 2-3 week section hike of the Northern PCT in winter is difficult. even for experienced hikers.

That part of the trail includes Goat Rocks, which is one of the most beautiful sections of the trail, but it's damn treacherous in the dead of winter.

You'll need 4 season gear, including skis or snowshoes, as well as knowledge in winter camping, avalanche awareness and back country self-rescue.

>>19652
Maybe I should consider the southern section of the apalachian trail then?

>>19653
Not familiar with the AT so I can't weigh in on that, but I know the Cascades and they're rough in the winter.

Any AT fags care to chime in?

Or, honestly, you could do something like
>>19647 suggests and come up to the NW to learn some stuff. Seriously, some of the best /out/door education is there.

Hope you enjoy hypothermia OP

>>19649
this would in all likelihood actually kill you, anon

>>19656
You mean because i'm new at this or because of the weather?

>>19657
Bit of column A, bit of column B.

>>19633
Speaking for NW Oregon, it rains a lot and is pretty cold for most of the year except for in summer

>>19648
You could do it in a month. It's much easier in the winter because less crowds and easier to forage for food.

PNW during winter isn't the place for an inexperienced hiker.
At BEST you'll be marching through mud and rain and you won't enjoy it.

Also the sun sets at 4:30

At worst, you're facing storms, wind, floods, and snow depending on area.
Stick to a dry climate or come back in summer where everything is awesome.

OP here

Alright lads, you've convinced me that doing the PCT during winter is a terrible idea.

I think I'm gonna switch to the AT. Made a new thread if you wanna advise me. >>980319

>>19636
you sound like you're from the east coast

>>19663
Sike. Grew up in Cascades. If this guy doesn't know what he's doing he shouldn't go.

>>19633
>>19634
Generally not below freezing. It doesnt rain when its 0, faggot.
It does rain a lot. Where are you from, OP?

>>19665
Argentina. Buenos Aires metropolitan area