[pct-l] Sierra Snowpack

["Tom Reynolds"<Tom.Reynolds@ilan.com>]

A far as I can tell the Sierra is clearing of snow. This doesn't mean that
North facing slopes
at high altitude aren't full of snow. However, the normal 9,000-10,000
trail that runs from Kennedy Meadows to
Tioga Pass road is no longer white-just spotty.

This opineon-use it at your own risk-is based on eyewhitness accounts and
the snow sensor data along the route. All sensors
except Bishop Pass and Upper Tyndall Creek, both above 11,000' , show
little or no snow. Even the 11,000' sensors are likely to
be clear by this weekend.

My free advice [remember what free advice is worth] is that a PCT hiker
starting north from Kennedy meadows this weekend
would have trouble at the high passes-probably requiring ice axe and
crampon-and find difficult creek crossings but the trail
is doable by an experienced hiker with some mountaineering experience, as
opposed to a mountaineer.

If you have NO mountaineering experience, you could have a problem. Non
exposed slopes above 11,500 still have plenty of snow
[I draw this inference from the fact that the Whithey trail from Trailside
Meadow (11,5000 to Trail Crest (13,700) is still
full of snow. This means that Forrester, Glen etc. could be a problem.


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