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

[ukstoveman at hotmail.com (David Toms)]

Thanks. People might be interested in a near-identical conditions report 
from 1998. The similarities are uncanny; we could be hiking the same trail 
at the same time.

http://web.archive.org/web/20000901072406/www.skydivenet.com/pcthike/

I'm glad I read the 98 journals before this year, it gave us very useful 
insight and great confidence that the sierras would be passable.

Also, freebird has posted some conditions info on trailforums that folks 
might find useful.

Cheers,
Dave


>From: Bighummel@aol.com
>To: ukstoveman@hotmail.com, pct-l@mailman.backcountry.net
>CC: reynolds@iLAN.com
>Subject: Re: [pct-l] Sierra snow report (firsthand, very long and 
>tedious...:-)
>Date: Thu, 16 Jun 2005 12:08:03 EDT
>
>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outdated) and my memory may be incorrect due to stupidity, altitude etc.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.

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