[pct-l] Current Tahoe Backcountry Recon

[Ned Tibbits]

Desolation Wilderness, 2/15-17/14:

Mountain Education just got back from one of its Snow Basics Courses run into the awesome Desolation Wilderness on the PCT/TRT and would like to tell you what we saw...

Prior to the recent big snow storm, this area (8,000 feet in elevation) held only about 2 feet of snow in the shade and on northern aspects. On the sunny southern ones, the trail was free of snow entirely. The place from Echo Summit, Echo Lake on into Lake Aloha looked more like Fall than Winter!

Now, after the storm dumped up to 5 feet of fresh powder, we snowshoed into the winter wonderland we were used to. Finally, Winter had arrived! Whereas most of Echo Lakes were only frozen before, they were now almost ready to take our weight walking straight down the middle (so we walked down the western, shady side). All aspects were covered in 3 to 5 feet of snow with snow bridges intact and quite useable. 

By 4:00pm on 2/15, it started snowing and by 4:30, when we arrived at our basecamp at Tamarack Lake, it was blowing ferociously and snowing so hard we couldn’t see “across the street.” Yet, all of our students got their tents up and themselves inside in time to stay warm and dry and cook dinner!

That night tents blew every which way as we felt that we had camped on an airport runway! It was still snowing the next morning, but the wind had kept the snow from piling up on the tents and collapsing them, so everyone spent a good, though anxious night. Those who had tents with fly sheets that didn’t go to the ground, realized that snow can easily blow inside and onto sleeping bags and gear and get everything wet. Those with tents that only had a couple of poles, discovered that it turns into a waving feather in the wind, hitting them in the head while they were sleeping. We received about 6-8 inches of wet snow.

Our avalanche pit revealed two ice layers in the pack where an avalanche could sheer off, one at about 6 inches off the ground and the recent one about 3 or so feet above that with the new 6-inch layer on the very top. No avalanches were spotted the next day when we taught over-snow Navigational skills between Tamarack and Aloha and back (this took 5 hours to do). Everyone realized just how exhausting snow-hiking can be! Dinner was at our outdoor kitchen overlooking Echo Lakes below and we all went to bed by 7:30!

Another storm is hitting the northern sierra tonight http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=38.85721225061391&lon=-120.11421203613281#.UwPYHYWsgxG , 

but the real dumpage will be felt in Oregon http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=44.163949064848374&lon=-121.83563232421875#.UwPYX4WsgxE 

and Washington http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=47.73412049632336&lon=-121.11671447753906#.UwPYiIWsgxE

Winter is not over yet!

Mountain Education will be teaching two Snow Basics Courses in Oregon the next two weekends (2/21 and 2/28) followed by two in Washington (based out of the Dinsmore’s Hiker Haven and Stevens Pass Ski Area) on the weekends of 3/7 and 3/14. If you are interested in preparing yourself with a little practical knowledge and skills to snow-hike safely and wisely, register to attend at www.mountaineducation.org 

That’s it for now! Oregon is next...


Ned Tibbits, Director
Mountain Education
www.mountaineducation.org