Backpacking SEKI in June

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c9h13no3
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Re: Backpacking SEKI in June

Post by c9h13no3 »

Forget the snowshoes, especially June 27th. At that point, the snow is consolidated enough you don't need floatation. And the snow will be mega-sun cupped, so it won't be pleasant to snowshoe anyways. If you wanna snow shoe, do it in mid-May.

Crabtree trailhead is right by Dodge Ridge ski resort, which is open all year.
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Re: Backpacking SEKI in June

Post by dustybottoms21 »

Ok good to know, C9. Thanks.

rightstar, I'll keep this one in mind. I found a short youtube backpacking video and it looks pretty cool. But at the end of the day, I'm REALLY hoping we can stick with the original plan in SEKI.
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Re: Backpacking SEKI in June

Post by dustybottoms21 »

Our permit application has officially been submitted \:D/

We went with June 20th-23rd in the Sugarloaf, Belle Canyon areas.
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paul
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Re: Backpacking SEKI in June

Post by paul »

If you did end up bailing to Emigrant, you should be able to get to Crabtree. It is relatively low. Stream crossings may still be an issue on that route. Gianelli is a better bet as far as the streams, and I generally prefer it all around, but it's possible that might not be open, as it is higher. There is a snow survey measuring location and a remote sensor right near the Gianelli trailhead, at Gianelli Meadow. Snow depth was measured March 1st there at 161 inches - 13 1/2 feet. Since then, the sensor shows 10 more inches of water content, which could be anything from 2 to 6 feet more snow, depending on density.
There isa also a station closer to Crabtree trailhead, but a little lower than the trailhead (Bell Meadow). That was 86 inches of snow on March 1st. No sensor there, so can't tell how much more they have. But you can see that if Crabtree is about halfway between the two stations, elevation-wise, then the snowpack is likely to be about halfway between also, since they are all close together. So, several feet less snow at Crabtree, and at a lower elevation it will be clear much earlier.
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dustybottoms21
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Re: Backpacking SEKI in June

Post by dustybottoms21 »

Great. So did I just go from worrying about the snow to now worrying about the amount of skeeters we’ll be dealing with?

I guess first we need our permits which we still haven’t heard back on yet.
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Re: Backpacking SEKI in June

Post by c9h13no3 »

dustybottoms21 wrote: Mon Mar 11, 2019 4:07 am Great. So did I just go from worrying about the snow to now worrying about the amount of skeeters we’ll be dealing with?
Always something to worry about. Snow, skeeters. And even when the conditions are good, you'll worry about it being too crowded.
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Re: Backpacking SEKI in June

Post by Wandering Daisy »

You are over-thinking your trip. Relax! :p
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Last edited by rightstar76 on Mon May 04, 2020 2:41 am, edited 1 time in total.
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