[pct-l] Sierra Snow Update

[Reinhold Metzger]

Yes Shroomer,
Excellent advice.....I have been sending Sierra snow warnings to the list
since December which have mostly fallen on deaf ears.
It appears folks are not accepting the facts or are in a denial stage.
If you think last year was bad, you might be in a state of shock when you
hit the Sierra this year.
I have been prowling around the Sierra, Summer&  Winter, for 40+ years and
don't really remember ever seeing more snow than this year.
I just came back this weekend from another week of skiing at Mammoth and can
tell you, huge boulders that normally protrude way above the snow line are still
completely covered by snow.
Mammoth averages 340" of snow per year...it got 516" by this time last year and
has already received 626" this year.
Do the math.....this ain't rocket science....everybody should be able to figure
out what kind of snow year this is.
A good friend in the Tahoe area told me 2weeks ago that Donner Summit had received
740" so far and that there is about as much snow as he has ever seen.

So, what does that mean?..It means there is a hell of a lot of snow in the Sierra
and the snow pack (base), at the higher elevations is still 23 feet high which is
about 8-9 feet higher then what it was last year this time of the year.
I know, some folks say it may all melt by the time we get there in June.
I say, don't count on it..23 feet of snow take a lot longer to melt than 14-15 feet.
Take Shroomer's&  Ned's advice....be prepared and don't get caught with your pants
down.

Although,...if Melanie&  Sugar Moma should get caught with their pants down
I want to be there.....it should be quiet a spectacular sight.
I think I will bring my camera......and wide angle lens......I want to make sure I
capture all of them.

This will be a spectacular photo opportunity....Sugar Moma&  Melanie, in color, on
wide angle, on the PCT, knee deep in snow, WITH THEIR PANTS DOWN.
This almost certainly will win the "PACIFIC CREST TRAIL COMMUNICATOR" picture of
the year award and grace the center fold.

Deems and Monte Dodge will be so jealous.

I'm so excited about this I can't sleep...I'm like a little kid in a candy store...I
cant keep my mind of Sugar Moma and Melanie.

JMT Reinhold
Your sleepless trail companion

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Shroomer wrote;
Because of a lot of snow in the San Jacinto and beyond last year, and the
recommendation at the "snow report" at KO, many people had their winter gear
sent to Idyllwild, (Paradise was closed) and decided at that point.  Some of
us jumped forward to hike the Mojave and Tehachapis first and came back
several weeks later, and still found lots of snow to deal with.  People who
had sent their winter gear on to Kennedy Meadows were either buying new
traction devices etc in Idyllwild or were yogiing it from other hikers.  I
remember the gear shops had a huge run on winter gear because of us, and had
to ship in extra microspikes.  I loaned my ice axe to a Fidget, and then
ended up using Bacon's ice axe later.  Everybody was traiding gear to make
it work.  And then many chose to hike the roads around Fuller Ridge instead.
  If you want to hike that section in deep snow, have the gear.

My recommendation, given the snowiness of this year, is to have ice axe and
traction devices sent to Idyllwild, and then decide when you get there.  If
it's all melted down to a manageable level, as in many past years, then just
ship it on to KM.  But if you end up in conditions like last year, you will
be glad of anything you had planned to use in the High Sierra.  You may need
the option, or you may not, but if you need the gear and don't have it, you
may miss one of the great parts of the trail.  Frankly, those mtns, and
Fuller Ridge, which was scary even with the gear for many of us, were
beautiful, and a lot of fun to hike over.

Shroomer