High Sierra Topix

This is not a place to post trip reports, but a place for members to
post current conditions experienced in the backcountry on recent trips.
Posting photo's of these difficult sections encountered is encouraged.
This will give other members considering visiting, or traveling, through
the same location a heads up on difficult sections, so they can plan/prepare
accordingly.
This is a quick reference for members, with up to date information saving
time from having to look through numerous trip reports to gather pertinent
information for an upcoming trip.
Just paste the form below, and fill out the info.


In the "Subject" section post the area you visited, include the date.



Route taken:



Difficult section encountered:



Special equipment needed/used:



Possible alternative routes:


SAMPLE:

Subject: Rae Lakes-Lake Reflection-Sphinx Lakes 7/12/12 to 7/18/12

Route: Roads End-Upper Paradise Valley-Rae Lakes-Glen Pass-Junction Meadow-Lake
Reflection-Longley Pass-Cinder Col-Sphinx Col-Sphinx Lakes-Roads End

Difficult section encountered on this trip:
- Lost of snow on northern side of Glen Pass icy in the morning hours.
- Bubbs Creek crossing very difficult, found the best crossing point 400 yards west
of the usual low water crossing section.
- Big cornice encountered on Longley Pass, which was bypass by climbing rocky
section north of the pass (class 3).

Special equipment needed/used:
- Ice Axe
- Crampons
- Trekking Poles

Possible alternative routes:
- When crossing Bubb's, I notice a section about 100 yards further west that looked
much easier.
- Should have bypassed the cornice on the southern side, route looked barely class 2.

Hiked Kibbie Ridge to Boundary Lake this weekend (May 4-5). Patchy snow started about a mile before Styx Pass. Lots of water on the trail. Easy patches continued between pass and lake. It was patchy but mostly melted out. It's probably too much work for me to travel any higher right now.

No special equipment needed.

Road to Shingle Springs is open.

5/3/13 - Trail almost completely clear of snow to the pass and down the other side, just a few patchy sections, no more than 50 ft with good boot tracks. Gilbert and Flower lakes (10,500') clear of ice and plenty of snow free campsites. Lower Matlock lake clear, Upper Matlock Lake some open water, Bench lake mostly frozen but water is available in a place or two, melting fast, access to Matlock lakes was postholing through alot of snow from Flower lake. Kearsarge lakes: some frozen still some melting out and there is enough bare ground to find campsites out of snow. Rae lakes area looks to have significant snow still, lakes mostly frozen, melting out around the edges.
Mt Gould- some snow patches , easily climbable without stepping in snow.
No special equipment
Onion Valley road open as is the campground.

Route Taken:
Yosemite Falls Trail to North Dome, Indian Ridge, Snow Creek, Tenaya Lake, Clouds Rest, South to JMT, Echo Valley, Washburn Lake, LYV, Happy Isles.

Difficult Sections:

A few snow patches in Upper Snow Creek.

Tenaya Lake outlet crossing(at the stepping-stones) was crotch-deep. All other crossings were bridges or dry foot.

From about the middle of the Switchbacks up to Sunrise lakes to the top of Clouds Rest still holds quite a lot of snow and waterlogged trail, but the snow was soft enough in the AM to kick steps with trail runners, in the afternoon it was very soft and post holey.

Past the top of Clouds rest was snow-free.

Small section of JMT (bypassing Vernal Falls steps) is closed due to rock fall.

Special Equipment:

None

We also saw a crew headed up Merced Valley clearing Deadfall from the trail.

Dave

Route: Hetch-Hetchy, Beehive, Laurel Lk, Kendrick Ck, Edyth Lk, valley NE from Edyth (square 36 on topo map), along top of ridge between Edith and Bearup Lk from 8880 to 8100 ft, cross Frog Ck, 1mi up Jack Main Cyn, slabs to Lk Vernon, and back to TH.

Difficult sections:

2 sections of trail to Laurel Lk are flooded - have to wade.

Frog Ck crossed twice, fast water above knees.

Kendrick Ck and Falls Ck - look impossible to cross, but didn't look carefully as we didn't plan to cross them.

A lot of snow (more than 1 meter thick in places) above 8400 ft on WNW side and on top of the above mentioned ridge. View east from the ridge showing snow on nearby mountains. Bearup Lk is on the left. (Click on photos for larger versions) Part of switchbacks of trail from Moraine Ridge to Jack Main Cyn looks like this: Special equipment used: trekking poles.

Date: May 18, 2013

Where: Horseshoe Meadows area - Golden Trout Wilderness

Route: Horseshoe Meadows to Mulkey Pass and then down to Diaz Creek on the PCT and up to Muah Mountain from there.

Conditions: No snow on the trail at all and very dry out. There was some water flowing through Horseshoe Meadows and Diaz Creek, but not a lot. I'd guess Diaz Creek will go dry at some point later this year.

Some pics if interested: http://kathywing.smugmug.com/California ... 035_f9TkdH" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Thanks Kathy, It looks like it is scary dry. I have been contemplating another early season trip up Cirque Pk up the south ridge and it looks pretty snow free already

Route taken: Baxter Pass Trail to Baxter Lakes/Mount Baxter

Difficult section encountered: The Baxter Pass Trail has some sections where the trail is a bit difficult to follow and there are some down trees you have to go over or around, but it's a lot nicer than those highly maintained trails like the JMT. The cross country route from between the Largest Baxter Lake and the summit of Mount Baxter is a really loose slog - be careful if you decide to bag Baxter.

Creek Crossings - No problem.

Special equipment needed/used: None. Just a small patch or two of snow all the way to Baxter Pass, a little snow to cross at the pass, and then some good size snow fields between Baxter Pass and Baxter Lakes, but no special gear needed to cross them. I carried an axe and lightweight aluminum crampons just in case, but I never used them. The snow between Baxter Pass and Baxter Lakes was nice - consolidated and fairly smooth; so easier than the trail would have been. The terrain is also pretty gentle in that area.

Some photos (still need to label and remove redundant photos): http://kathywing.smugmug.com/California ... &k=7m7KP3T" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

5/25/13-5/27/13-Onion Valley to Kearsarge Lakes, Bullfrog Lake, and Charlotte Lake via the Kearsage Pass Trail and the Bullfrog Lake Trail

The trail for the entire trip was 99.9% snow free. Just small patches here and there, but all were easy to walk through in hiking shoes. Gilbert Lake, Flower Lake, Heart Lake, Kearsarge Lakes, Bullfrog Lake, and Charlotte Lake were all completely melted. Big Pothole Lake was mostly frozen with just the edges melted.

We did the Vernon Lake Loop May 22 to May 26, and there is really nothing to report, which is unusual. Conditions are more like early July with a few mosquitoes in places (2--3), there is water in the streams but far past spring runoff conditions, and I only saw one small patch of snow in a shaded protected area next to the meadow above TilTill Valley. The major streams were going at a good rate, but not at peak flow at all. A very very early spring that is more like July than May.