[pct-l] High Sierra Pass Conditions

[J Matis]

Here are the conditions of the high sierra passes after I traveled through
the area northbound, between June 15-25. These conditions are very
subjective, from my fuzzy memory, and likely to be wrong.
The start of the summer was very cold and most of these passes have likely
received more snow since I came through. They have also likely experienced
about 7 days of recent warm weather. The continuous snow level was between
10,000 and 11,000 feet, with more snow on the northern side. Above this
level, I found the trail to be almost completely obscured by 3 to 6 feet of
snow and postholing was a problem everywhere and at most times of the day.
The snow was also very soft which made glissading (and falling) nearly
impossible except on the steepest snow, with some important exceptions:

Forester Pass - The trail was mostly covered in snow with some switchbacks
melted clear. The steep chute at the top was covered in snow, but the steps
were deep and I felt safe. There was much more snow on the north side and it
was a long slog until we were free. I did cut some time off by glissading
directly to the lake, but be careful walking around it. Route finding is
easy since you can see the switchbacks from a distance.

Glen Pass- A fun little pass that winds around the mountains in the snow.
The top 30 feet was a bit steep and sketchy since I took a direct route up
it. The northside had much more snow but we got down with a quick glissade.
Route finding is easy since the pass is so narrow.

Pinchot Pass - Pinchot was a pain finding an efficient route up the snow and
took time and mental energy to get up. I don't remember anything dangerous
about it though.

Mather Pass- This was the most dangerous pass with very steep snow covering
80% of the switchbacks on the southern side. I elected to avoid the snow and
climb the steep rocks instead. The northern side was covered in snow and a
long safe slog to get below the snowline. This was the one pass where I
wished for an ice axe.

Muir Pass - This was 8 miles of snow travel on 12 inches on fresh powder (on
top of plenty of old snow) that sucked. Since the snow was powder, there
were no dangerous places but it took a lot of energy to get through.

Seldon Pass- The south side is almost completely devoid of snow. The north
side has snow for a few miles. This was the easiest pass.

Silver Pass- This one is a bit foggy but I remember just a little snow on
the south side. The north side had some great glissading  that allowed you
to get off the snow very quickly. For southbound hikers, expect to spend a
couple of hours coming up the snow.

Donahue Pass - There is a mess of suncups above 10,400 feet. This one took a
fair amount of energy to get around.

-Sprinkler Dash