High Sierra Topix

The big melt is on for sure, finally. Fresno has been hot for a week or more now. The gauge at Charlotte Lake (if it can be trusted) has gone from 47 inches to 21 inches in just ten days. Another week or so of summer heat and Charlotte will be melted out. Then the skeeters come!

A late melt, but not nearly as bad as we expected just three weeks ago. Some areas, like Blackcap Basin, appear to still have a prodigious amount of snow cover (Blackcap had almost 80 inches on 6/11 and is now down to 59 inches). The Tioga Pass entry station area (elevation 9945') had 100 inches on 6/11 and is showing 71 inches now. Further south, Chagoopa Plateau (10,300') had 21 inches on 6/11 and is now showing less than half an inch.

Mike

The Charlotte Lake sensor spiked up to 33" yesterday and is now showing 14". Assuming yesterday's reading was an anomaly, Charlotte should be melted out my mid week next week, if not sooner. 107 degrees in Fresno yesterday. Hot!

Mike

As of early afternoon today (Sunday 6/26), the Charlotte Lake sensor is showing 2.4"on the ground, which means that the melt is over at that location for all intents and purposes.

The Blackcap Basin sensor shows the snow depth falling from 69.10" on the 15th to 45.80" today. It is really melting fast.

Good news!

Mike

One can get to Charlotte L via the creek without getting above the elevation of the lake. I've been down that creek twice and up it once. I really liked those hikes but you should first know that I didn't take my name (CC) for nothing. I loved going cc. The problem with the route is that you should cross the creek once, normally easy but I don't think one can count on easy until LATE this BP season. Having said all of this I will now express my opinion of Charlotte L. It's very low on my list of places to go. I went there with my two sons because it's very doable for a six year old. I also had heard that there was a nice ranger there (he was -- 1988) We, of course went over Kearsarge Pass. I would never take a six year old up or down that creek.

Re Charlotte Lake, the DWR real time sensor states that there is .80 inches of snow but 16.80 inches of WC, which I take to mean water content. Anyone riddle me this one? I'm perfectly willing to admit I may not be reading it correctly. Here's the link: http://cdec.water.ca.gov/cgi-progs/queryF?s=CRL" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

sensors aren't accurate.. conditions affect them. you have to read between the lines. and not trust them.

Its funny how we remember the great years and the crummy years. But for me, as the years pass, the exact years and conditions fade from my memory until I pull out the slides and try to remember. I wish I kept a journal. I do remember last May/June - the Forks of the Carson were pumping like crazy. And I remember doing the JMT sometime in the 90's, and having trouble with creek crossings in Yosemite (like in Virginia Canyon).

I also remember during the drought during the 80's having no water from Evolution Valley to Courtwright Reservoir, and finally reaching a stock pond. The three of us bellied up next to the cows and just drank right out of the fouled waterhole. None of us got sick, but who knows if the subsequent beer jag helped us through it?

Although I'm a scientist, and have professionally tracked daily river flows in every CA river for many years, I personally don't - my fault - look at data that is available for my recreation. I just move when I have to and accept what is happening at the time.