[pct-l] snow shoes

[Scott Williams]

I carried MSR Lightning snow shoes with me from Horseshoe Meadows, over
Forester and out at Kearsarge Pass, as the snow was deep this year in early
June, and I thought they'd be needed.  I used them for part of one day, and
didn't go any faster than the others in my group.  They're great snowshoes,
and will be a lot of fun in the Sierras this winter, but I sent them home
when we resupplied at Lone Pine.  They were not needed for the conditions we
experienced, which were relatively cool weather, no storms, and almost no
postholing.  We got lucky on the weather.

Because the snow was hard, and sometimes icy, some kind of traction device,
from heal cramps, instep cramps, to microspikes or nearly full crampons, was
worn by all of us at different times. Going over the harder passes these
were a real help.  I hiked in light trail runner Montrails,  but one of my
favorite pieces of gear this year turned out to be a lightweight pair of
Kahtoola KTS crampons.  They are almost as light as microspikes, but are
aluminum, 10 point crampons, held together with a thin, springy piece of
stainless steel.  They're basically crampons for tennis shoes.  The benefit
over microspikes is that they don't role when traversing difficult terrain,
but stay on your shoes more securely.  Two of us used them with tennis
shoes, and both of us liked them a lot.

Shroomer