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I love how IG and other SM platforms allow one to get an excellent sense of current conditions. The current storm is expected to only drop 3-4" in the S Sierra, so conditions shouldn't be much different than what is shown here when it blows through by Thursday:
Andy & I are planning on heading up to Whitney Friday, and perhaps summitting Saturday before returning Sunday. The weather this weekend is supposed to be spectacular: highs in the 50s, with overnight lows barely below freezing; and that's for 12-14k. LP is supposed to be in the high 80s, so an early heat wave.
Great picture but still looks a little too cold for me.
"On this proud and beautiful mountain we have lived hours of fraternal, warm and exalting nobility. Here for a few days we have ceased to be slaves and have really been men. It is hard to return to servitude."
-- Lionel Terray
To be honest, it is nice to see snow up there. Things were so bad by the end of January, I was wondering what the summer would be like. Not a good snow year, but not horrible....well, kinda horrible .
Wandering Daisy wrote:Notice that the guy has REAL crampons, not microspikes.
I think increasingly that people who are either more athletic and/or experienced - many from overseas - are now hiking the PCT. One blogger received the trail name "Token" because she was the only American out of 15 hikers in her group. Also, a lot of people are realizing they can challenge themselves with a true alpine mountaineering experience as part of a "routine" thru-hike. Hence the photos of people with proper gear.
I'm taking my boots & BD contact crampons + helmet. At this point, I'm not even sure if we'll try the summit. It may just be Trail camp and the Chute, or change gears and decide on either Kearsarge and/or Bishop. Doug Sr posted this last night:
10 inches of snow and as of 5 PM still falling , temp this AM about 26 and may have hit 34 ,pond froze , hiker missing and 3 cars in the lots
One group of 3 headed up but chose to take routes Doug and I have never thought of taking , but one returned after 100' and got on the trail, the other 2 making great time somewhere.
I took a short walk to the North Fork crossing and trail is in fair shape several sets of tracks so some of the weekend people came down and out overnight , the missing hiker ? his car was gone either stolen or he drove off ? CHP and Sheriff came up to check.
Storm may clear overnight but with the existing snow on the upper elevation and the cold air mass Sunday afternoon ,this new snow is falling on ice so may slide/or you will not be able to get deep enough with crampons to secure a footing.
Check the web cam for coverage on Thor and the summit ridge the next few days , Unless you are a very strong winter climber I would plan for a day trip to around Outpost or at most Trailcamp until this system clears out and the snow sets in.
A few hints about what will happen the next few days ,the snow on the trees will refresh you as you walk up the trail, the trail will turn to a river in sections as the melt starts , the ground was warm before the storm so any sun will kick off the melt, nights the trail will freeze and black ice may cover the rocks at the water crossings.
The good news is we will have several more storms before mid June about the same conditions . Last bit of knowledge I can offer is don't follow tracks if you are not sure where they go. Past years following tracks have lead to serious accidents.
OK so serious now wait till the trail is dry ,days are warm and long hours of light. Come in late August or the first part of Sept. mid week and see if you can get a walk in permit . Early May to mid June is not a great time to be on the mountain. Did I mention the young man that fell? on the slope above trailcamp Sunday, wrong gear, and little if any experience with snow travel.
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