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[pct-l] Sierra snow report (firsthand, very long and tedious...:-)



Great report.  These are EXACTLY the conditions that I caveat my Sierra 
Spring earliest entry prediction with and the benefits of doing so IF you are 
properly equipped and experienced.  Oh, I wish, I wish, I wish to have gone with 
you!  The Sierra in such conditions are truely a wonder to behold!

Strider

In a message dated 6/15/2005 4:52:43 PM Pacific Daylight Time, 
ukstoveman@hotmail.com writes:
Today being ray day seems an appropriate time to be posting a conditinos 
report for the Sierra.
First, a disclaimer. The conditions will change (the report is up to 15 days 
outdated) and my memory may be incorrect due to stupidity, altitude etc. Our 
equipment and mountaineering experience may be different from normal.

Background
Michele and I (Dave) entered the sierras on 1 June at kennedy meadows, 
carrying 11 days food and planning to see how far we could get. We hiked 
looselty with freebird until whitney portal where he exited to begin a 
planned flipflop. thereafter we hiked with Mr Roboto, who we'd met at KM and 
all agreed to team up once the snow got significant.

Summary
We made it to VVR in 11 days, then 2 days more to mammoth after a nero and a 
zero at VVR (which is an amazing, fantastic place that we can't speak highly 
enough of).  The sierras are therefore passable to correctly equiped, 
skilled parties. The trail was 90% snow free from KM to Whitney Portal. 
Thereafter around 30% snow free until Mammoth. Snow conditions are hard/icy 
until 10-11am (refreezing above 10k FT after 5pm). Snow level minimal below 
9k FT, near constant above 10k FT annoying in between as insufficient for 
x-country travel but enough to make trail-following difficult. Add 1k FT to 
these heights for S slopes and subtract 1k FT for N slopes. The snow softens 
10-11am to give frequent postholing in the afternoon, There is extensive sun 
cupping, usually 6-12" deep although up to 3 feet deep approaching mammoth.  
River fords were often on snow bridges above 10k FT, others presented no 
problems. Evolution was mid calf deep only, Bear was knee deep. Mono was 
waist deep but short, silver was waist deep and also short.

Navigation was by major features (mountaineering style) above 10k ft, by 
trail below 9k FT, and by blind luck in between.

Passes in order of difficulty (hardest first) were Mather, Glen, Forrester, 
Pinchot, Muir, Seldon.

We were not the first hikers through - Squeaky left KM on 23 May arrived in 
VVR 30 May.

Equipment: We used 6 point crampons, cassin ghost axes, Garmin foretrex GPS 
preloaded with More-than-a-mile waypoints. We wore trail runners rather than 
boots. We have both suffered some nerve damage (minor frostnip) to our toes 
leading to a loss of sensation. Mr Roboto had instep crampons and a real 
steel headed ice axe which was much better for cutting the huge row of steps 
across forrester. Toll for using these is 1 beer.

Weather. Days 1-7 were clear and sunny with patchy pm clouds. Days 8 & 9 
were cloudy with light rain/snow (1" fresh snow on Seldon). Day 10 was 
sunny. Temperatures bottomed at 10-15F overnight at 12k FT.

Other comments.
1 The sierras were incredibly beautiful and wild. We saw only 2 other people 
- one 2 hrs out of KM, the other at the woods creek junction who'd hiked in 
for a day.
2 We had to hiked very long tough days, but it was worth it. We averaged 
around 1.2mph.
3 There were absolutely no mosquitoes.
4 The conditions were not nearly as bad as people speculated in advance. THe 
postholing was not too bad if you got the snow over with in the morning, the 
passes were not particularly steep (Mather was the only one where we'd have 
roped up if we had it, and then because of soft chossy snow), the fords 
weren't as deep, the navigation not as hard, ....  Most importantly, VVR was 
open (in fact, it now opens in April!).
5 The hardest thing was timing tyo get over passes before posthole hell 
started at 11am and to set up the next pass for an early ascent the next 
day. As a result we had 4 nights at over 11.5kFT; this is debilitating.
6 We used bear canisters the whole way and managed to get 20lb of food into 
each, and carried an additional 10lb for the first 2 days. BEtween 2 of us 
we ate 50lb of food and were still hungry.
7 Finally, special shanks to Tom Reynolds for his immense help in discussing 
snow and water conditions. Almost everyone else we spoke to would spend 
hours listing the problems. Tom was unusual in devoting his efforts to 
finding solutions. It was largely through his influence that we entered so 
early, in an effort to ensure the fords were all manageable. This appeared a 
successful strategy.

I'll send a second mail detailing each day and route.

Dave & Michele.