[pct-l] Gear for late spring snow?

[Jim & Jane Moody]

Here we go again.  The answers to all your questions are "yes". 



I'm an old guy whose only mountaineering experience was at Mtn Ned's Snow School in December.  I have hiked the AT, however, so I wasn't a complete neophyte. 



Here's what I did.  I switched from sneakers, aka trail runners, to fairly sturdy boots (Garmont Synchros) at Kennedy Meadows.  I didn't have crampons till after Forester Pass, w hen th e rest of my group told me they thought I was endangering myself and them without them.  I bought a pair of Kahtoolas in Lone Pine , and I'm glad I did.  I wore them infrequently, but when I wore them, they really helped with traction.  By the way, 4 of our group of 6 wore sneakers.  The other wore boots, which were lighter than mine.  If and when I do it again, I will wear boots from Lone Pine (Horseshoe Meadows, south of Forester Pass) to at least Sonora Pass.  They gave me stability on snow (especially on traverses) and on stream crossings.  Yes, th ey got wet.  Yes, they were slow to dry.  So what!   And y es, they froze at night, but when I remembered to loosen up the laces a lot, I could still get them on fairly easily. 



As to ice axes, we all carried one north of KM.  A very valuable piece of gear for conditions we faced this year - self-belaying, rudder when glissading, digging catholes, holding up tent lines, self-arrest, etc.  If 2011 is anything like 2010, I definitely recommend carrying your ice axe from south of Forester.  You might also need it in the San Jacintos above Idlewild (Apache Peak, South Peak, Fuller Ridge). 



Good luck and have a great hike. 

Mango 


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jeff Davis" <jeffd1242 at fairpoint.net> 
To: pct-l at backcountry.net 
Sent: Sunday, November 7, 2010 2:34:05 PM 
Subject: [pct-l] Gear for late spring snow? 

?I managed Oregon and Washington this year so it's time to do the whole 
thing.  Right now I'm worrying about gear for snow in California and would 
like to know what the list thinks after dealing with the late snow of 2010. 
More specifically: 

Is an ice axe necessary?  I've got a mountaineering background and am very 
familiar with self-arrest.  I could use a trekking pole to stop on fairly 
steep slopes if they're not really icy. 

Are running crampons like Kahtoola Microspikes effective or should I go with 
lightweight regular crampons (or maybe with none)? 

Running shoes versus light boots for snowy sections? 

Grendel