[pct-l] Current Snow Conditions, Forester Pass

[Hernandez]

Returned yesterday from an 11 day Advanced Snow Skills Course offered by the
non-profit group Mountain Education, based in South Lake Tahoe, and led by
Ned Tibbits. Highly recommend this course for those looking to learn
advanced navigation and route finding in backcountry, and in this case high
altitude, snow. Also taught are reading snow conditions, tips for camping in
snow, crossing mountain passes, cutting steps, weather prediction based on
cloud formations, and a host of other more subtle techniques like looking
for signs of man to gauge where there is trail. Mountain Education’s website
is being overhauled and expanded, but it is operational during its rebuild;
check them out at: http://mountaineducation.org/

Allbest,
HR HuffnPuff

-----Original Message-----
From: pct-l-bounces at backcountry.net [mailto:pct-l-bounces at backcountry.net]
On Behalf Of Ann Marie
Sent: Thursday, June 02, 2011 5:09 PM
To: pct-l at backcountry.net
Subject: Re: [pct-l] Current Snow Conditions, Forester Pass

I recently completed Ned's snow advanced course from Kennedy Meadows to
Onion Valley/Independence.

My deep gratitude to Mountain Ned and HR Huff-and-Puff for getting me thru
the trail and back to our cars safely.  No way would I do such a trek alone.

What I learned (and I'm a small woman....):

1. Obviously, be prepared. When my partner left midway (elevation sickness)
I only had map and compass.  The GPS is such a wonderful instrument, but I
wouldn't have begun to understand the map as well as I did without Mtn Ned
and HR were discussing the trail conditions every day.  Make sure you look
UP in the direction you need to head, besides looking down at your feet.

2. Be well-balanced.  I cannot repeat this rule enough. My first trek thru
Washington in snow last year I was miserable in trail runners only. This
year I had Merrell leather boots and aluminum crampons. (Side note: BEFORE
leaving the store, check the sizes of both pieces of footware - my left
crampon was packaged incorrectly as a larger size, which I didn't try on
before leaving the store, and we had to patch it with duct tape to make it
work for me. Still it slid off my heel unless I tightened the straps super
tight.)  By well-balanced I mean that you will hardly ever be walking on
flat snowy terrain. Traversing on snow bumps in hard all day long.
Traversing on snowly slopes approaching 50 degrees of slope is downright
scary. You want SECURE footing - HR tried the microspikes which worked for
him going up/down snow bumps/slopes but just balled up with snow on the
traverses. And you mostly do traverses since you are bypassing switchbacks
in the trail
 to save yourself mileage every day. Microspikes and aluminum crampons don't
have a significant weight difference. Make the smart choice.

3. Take 1 1/2 times your normal daily food. I'm a section hiker and didn't
eat all my foot - but you thru-hikers are going to be hungry. A hot
breakfast and dinner will do wonders for your morale.

4. I was surprised by the amount of climbing I did in the snow. Even the
saddles were murder for me because of all the snow bumps. I added a thousand
feet to every day's official elevation profile, because I quickly became
exhausted by day's end. Even slogging (I detest slogging!!!!!) thru meadows
burned up so much of my energy. Frankly, going up the trail was almost the
easiest of all walking because I was mentally prepared for the uphill
climbs. The "so-called" flats almost drove me crazy.

5. Understand that you cannot always glissade (sp?) down from passes or
ridges, because of tree exposure and rocks, so you will spend energy walking
down on your heels.

6. Water is not always easily available in the snow. I would recommend you
carry 2 bottles so you can always empty one (by drinking) and re-filling
whenever you cross a small stream. Getting water from small streams is SO
much safer than water for a big water crossing. At one big water crossing, I
filled my platypus and bottles while Ned held onto my jacket and HR held
onto Ned's legs to make sure none of us fell into the fast flowing creek.
I'm small and carried a liter and a half at most, but I frequently got
thirsty and dehydrated. Fill up regularly with easy water.

7. Wind is going to drive you crazy and  will almost always work against
you. Ned taught us to read the clouds looking for storm warnings. But
whenever you are crossing a flat expanse like Bighorn Plateau (a huge
meadow) expect to work doubly hard. The wind blowing coming down Kearsarge
Pass made me curse.

8. I hope you all are carrying stand-alone tents that you can anchor well
with snow stakes. When my partner departed I was left trying to erect a
Golite tarp tent. I never could get the bathtub up high enough to block the
snow blowing into the tent. At one point, the inside of my tent looked like
the game "Mousetrap" since I had cords hanging thru every loop trying to
raise the bathtub. Then we rode out one stormy day (5 brief snowstorms that
day) in our tents and I awoke from an hour's nap to find puddles of water
everywhere from the sun's heat in the afternoon. Not fun. Take a stand-alone
tent, anchor the windward side with your snow axe and deadman those ice
stakes. And then you can sleep thru the midnight winds. (maybe....if your
tent panels are not flapping all night like mine were.....)

9. Temps got into the low teens by morning. I slept in a base layer and a
mid layer of fleece pants/tops, plus socks/down booties.  On top of 2 foams
pads and an air torso pad. Still one night my feet were freezing until I
added an extra pair of socks, a down jacket, and put a trash compacter bag
and my maps (in a plastic bag) under my feet.

10. I'm home but suffering from a burned face, nostrils, and lips. And they
hurt. I rubbed sunscreen and chapstick all over my face. I would recommend
taking a mentholated rub like Vicks to use at night.

11. We three, Mountain Ned, HR Huff-and-Puff, and me, watched Marcus, Mason
(Tightpants), and Finn go over Forester. Marcus cut the initial steps across
the icy chute. When we got up there, Mountain Ned cut more steps to make the
chute crossing more gradual.  There are 4 parts to the pass: the initial
steep and icy slope - I lost count of the switchbacks Ned took me thru and I
was so scared I couldn't look down; then you traverse a rocky/partly snowy
trail (much easier) to the chute; then you have about 40 feet to cross the
chute - but the steps are so incredibly helpful; then finally you complete
the ascent up to the pass. Ned made a lower route than what the trio did
before us.  Crampons will give you so much peace of mind thru all 4 parts of
this pass.  Then you can enjoy glissading down on the other side.

12. I'm going to repeat that being well-balanced is SO key to snow travel.
My backpack is a Golite Pinnacle. It shifted on me quite a few times on
traverses that I almost (or did) fall. I now want something with a frame of
some type.  Also my poles collapsed on me during some critical times. I'm
not happy with them either.

13. My feet got wet in boots (socks got sweaty) and I got some heel blisters
from the twisting your feet do all day on snow that I didn't have the first
two days on dirt trails out of Kennedy Meadows, but I was SO glad I wasn't
in trail runners.  I used trail runners in snowy Washington last summer and
was miserable. The trail in snow turns to muddy rivers of mud quite often
since the snow is melting daily. At least in my boots my feet were warm and
mostly dry and I could make haste on the muddy trail with some confidence.
Tightpants was using trail runners and crampons and said he wished he had
boots since when he postholed his trail runners with crampons almost (or
did) come off his feet at times.

14. Plastic bags over my socks didn't work for me. Increases the sweat,
socks get more soaked.  The socks will dry better in the boots as you
continue to walk without the plastic.  Take more socks than you think you
will need. I took 4 pairs, keeping one pair as strictly sleep socks. Still
it was hard to dry the wet pair during the cold windy day.

15. Take more hydration (gatorade, Emergen-C, whatever) than you think you
will need. Eating noodle soup before breakfast and before dinner gave me
extra salt and liquid.

16. Be prepared to change your schedule. You cannot call trail angels when
you are stuck in the Sierra because of a storm. Waiting out storms while
comfortable in your tent is wise. The trio before us walked during the day's
snowstorms and commented later that they found out they were hiking south at
one point. Constantly scan the terrain for landmarks that are on your maps
to make sure you are headed in the right direction. Ned is right. When you
are high, set your direction because you willl no longer be able to SEE
those landmarks when you drop in elevation. 

17. If you are planning on more than 1 mile/hour thru snow, you are being
overly optimistic.  Yes you can do 15 mile days but think about how many
hours you will be hiking.  Be smart and stop for re-fueling/water breaks
often.

18. I used short gaiters. I wished I had tall gaiters when crossing streams.

19. Leaving camp later in the AM gives you time to dry out your gear before
packing it. We were in such a hurry to get over Kearsarge pass on our last
day that we left at 7:40 am.  For 10 days I was whittling down my pack
weight and then on the last day my pack was super heavy from all the
condensation. And Kearsarge was worse than Forester, in my opinion. The snow
was deeper, the slopes steeper or rockier (loose shale), and once on the
pass the winds were stronger. I wouldn't have made it over and down without
Mountain Ned and HR Huff-and-Puff.  These are two great guys.  My deep
gratitude to you both.

20. Would I do it again?   Ask me next year.  :)

P.S.  There is a now a ranch down from Horseshoe Meadow whose owner (Julie)
actually drove our buckets up for us.  Her website is Delacour-ranch.com.  
She was so helpful since the public road going up to Horseshoe Meadow was
still closed as of June 1st.

Good luck thru-hikers.  Don't wait for the snow to melt, if I can do it, so
can you.

Deb



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