Hi Tom,Tom_H wrote:You said you wanted to avoid snow. Hiking on packed snow is not bad IF you have the right gear and training. You might want to take an opportunity this winter to get some training in the use of ice axes, crampons, and snowshoes. The biggest problem I see is not knowing how much snow we will get this winter. The past two winters provided a dearth of snow-virtually none, and most places were snow free by the beginning of June. In mid-July of 2011 at an elevation of only 8000' I hiked on continual snowpack that was still 6-8' deep and even crossed drifts around 35' deep. The largest El Niño ever recorded is now providing good precipitation. There is also another immense warm water area being referred to as the "Blob" and climatologists do not know how the two may interact to bring even more or less precipitation. We also could get what is called a Pineapple Express, a string of heavy storms that sometimes bring warm rain which can melt the snowpack.
The jist of all this is that it is impossible at this point to know how much snow we will get and how long it will take for it to melt. Obviously, some places melt earlier than others. If we have a heavy winter, you may want to wait until August. I have no idea whether your occupations allow the flexibility to wait until late spring to select your time off or not. If so, it would be very advantageous to wait until then to set the date and location. If you have to decide now and set an early date, you need to be prepared to go somewhere at lower elevation. OTOH, you could go ahead and find some place near you (I don't believe you said where you are from) and get some training with snowshoes, crampons, and ice axes. You should also know that while your background in scouts (I was in scouts too) will be valuable in many ways, it will not prepare you for high altitude. Unless you are already acclimated to high altitude or are an accomplished distance runner, you could experience mountain sickness or edema of the lungs, cerebrum, or retinas, particularly if you go to high elevation destinations like Mt. Whitney.
Please continue to post here as the winter goes on and we can let you know what the snow pack is looking like. Good luck with your planning.
Tom
Thanks for the great advice. My buddy and I both have some flexibility with when we can go so with what alot of what people say, I think August may be a good bet for us. We both have limitted snow experience in climbing and for now I'd rather avoid it. I think we will look at the snow melt in may or so and make a final decision then.
I am a former college distance swimmer and still train regularly. I also am a competitive cyclist. I know both my friend and I would need to do some prep work through the spring to be ready for climbs at altitude. I figure we plan a hike for 4 or 5 days, but have that 6th day there if we decide to take it easy for a day or two.
I really appreciate the help. Thanks.