Planning Scout trips for 2016

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psykokid
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Planning Scout trips for 2016

Post by psykokid »

So some of the older boys in my sons boy scout troop have expressed interest in doing a couple of week long trips this upcoming year. I'm the only adult leader in the troop with any experience doing longer trips at high elevations so the planning for this has fallen on my shoulders. The two trips that they have expressed interest in taking would be:

Whitney starting from Horseshoe Meadows and exiting via Shepherds Pass using part of the PCT
and
Eagle Scout Peak as an out and back via the HST starting at Crescent Meadow

The thing is with the upcoming El Nino winter the snow levels in the high country are probably going to be substantial which makes figuring out when things open up a challenge. As far as trying to schedule things - our last week of school for the year is the first week of June. We have Scout Camp in San Diego penciled in for the last week of July. School usually starts back up again the 3rd full week of August.

I personally usually take trips up in the high country in late August or September so I don't have a lot of experience as to when the trails become clear early in the season. For those of you that frequent those areas early in the season - in high snow years when do the trails generally become passable in those two areas? I know that it can vary a lot from season to season. I'm just trying to get a general idea of when I should try to pencil things in for the upcoming summer so I can prepare to pull permits, reserve the rental bearikades, and make sure that I have plenty of time to get the boys that are going prepared. Thanks in advance!
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maverick
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Re: Planning Scout trips for 2016

Post by maverick »

It is to early to predict a high, or even mid level snow year, some forecasters are predicting that the southern part of the state will bear the main impact of the El Nino, and the mountains will not, we will see.
Besides snow, river/creek crossings become issues during mid/high snow years, which you will need to include into your pre-planning, either way, if you plan you trips for August, you should be okay.
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I don't give out specific route information, my belief is that it takes away from the whole adventure spirit of a trip, if you need every inch planned out, you'll have to get that from someone else.

Have a safer backcountry experience by using the HST ReConn Form 2.0, named after Larry Conn, a HST member: http://reconn.org
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balzaccom
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Re: Planning Scout trips for 2016

Post by balzaccom »

I agree. While El Nino looks to be on course, remember that usually these are warmer storms. They may bring more rain than snow at lower elevations, and so the snow pack may not be a thick as all that....

Keep your options open, aim for later in the summer, and you should be fine!
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overheadx2
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Re: Planning Scout trips for 2016

Post by overheadx2 »

One factor that might make you lean toward Eagle Scout peak is elevation. The first day or two is relatively low elevation and the kids can get acclimated. Either way, a shorter trip at elevation is always a good idea to check for altitude issues prior to a week long trip with 14 and 12k hiking.
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