Emigrant Wilderness Route Planning

[seanr]

I'll try to find time to update this into a more complete condition/trip report with pictures later. I didn't visit western Emigrant Wilderness, but did visit the northeastern portion last weekend.

I drove back over Sonora Pass on Monday 5/26 after spending a few nights in the first dirt pullout/car campsite just east of the pass at about 9,400 feet. Saturday I hiked creeks and small waterfalls near the campsite with my kids.

Sunday 5/25 I hiked Leavitt Peak with my dogs, mostly following/staying near the PCT south of Sonora Pass. Fresh snow was mostly only found above 10,000 feet by the time we got there and was melting fast during our visit. Fresh snow should be gone or consolidated to almost nothing by now. The snowpack was lingering in patches from 9,000 feet up, mostly hanging around in forested areas, on north facing slopes, in canyons, and in east facing areas partially shaded by steep terrain. With the exception of the the north facing slope south of Sonora Pass used to start hikes heading south on the PCT, avoiding snow was generally possible for those determined (I wasn't) once up on the ridge. The PCT was snow free from the wilderness boundary signs atop the ridge along the west facing stretch until long stretches of snow became mostly unavoidable as the trail dips to the eastside of the ridge.

Streams were flowing strongly and the snowpack was well consolidated in most places. Postholing one to two feet was very rare; I mostly only sank about 1-4 inches into the snow even though most of the hiking was in the afternoon. There were some steep slopes to cross that wouldn't be fun if too firm/icy, but at worst kick stepping was possible and generally not necessary with trekking poles for support. I carried microspikes, but didn't use them. It seems like substantial freezing temperatures mostly ended for the season with the storms last week, but there were no mosquitos to be seen or felt yet. Lakes around 9,500 feet looked partially melted, with those above 10,000 looking on the cusp.