July 9th Trip To Seven Gables & French, are we SCREWED???

[Flux]

I did as much research as I could, but it was the June 23rd aerial photos that convinced me. Thank goodness for that thread because you couldn't even see a lake outline let alone open water in French. I also heard talk that Royce may not even melt out this year. Who knows??

10 days of postholing just to see frozen lakes is not my idea of an epic Backcountry Fishing/Peakbagging expedition. Now I just gotta find a little place where I can can Beerpack to where the fish are waking up.

[Wandering Daisy]

If your goal were only scenic with no fishing, and if you were experienced with snow, I think the trip would be OK, as long as you were willing to change route if stream crossings were high. Even with all that snow, you would be able to find small patches of dry ground to camp on, particularly if you used a bivy sack. I often camp on the top of a flat rock in my bivy. I have been out several times so far and the snow is hard and easy to walk on in the mornings. I personally like to go out early season in the snow, but accept the restrictions of shorter distances, stopping early afternoon, and taking no chances on crossings and accept the fact that I will have wet feet every day. It is not everyone's cup of tea and I am an experience snow condition mountaineer. I am just saying that snow in the high country is not a trip-stopper per se. The unique scenic value of snow on the mountains is worth the discomforts for me and I have enough experience to have good judgement on when to turn back. Since fishing is a large part of your trip, I agree that you should wait.