Trip reports from 1995?

[ERIC]

1983, not 1993. Although 1993 was pretty wet, too.

No, I think he meant 1995. The headline that you will find on many websites is "the biggest snowpack in 22 years".

In any case, you really only need to go back six years to 2011 to see what a big winter means for backpacking in the High Sierra. And this year is already bigger than that.

I've seen both years used for comparison in the news and on Twitter, but more of the 83 reference following recent February storms. In the Kings and most of what's north of us we're tracking right at 1983 levels, which was a bigger year than 1995. Both were bigger than 2011, especially 1983.

Just yesterday a new snow depth record was recorded at Bench Lake.

[Jimr]

fording the Kings in 1983

san clemente uw2.JPG

[TehipiteTom]

Devils Washbowl was spectacular

One of the best and least known about water shows in the Sierra.

That whole stretch of canyon between Palisades Creek and Cartridge Creek is one of the under-appreciated wonders of the Sierra.

[Troutdog 59]

Now I'm basing this on a fading memory of the old fart that I am;), but I recall the summer of 93 being "monsoonal," not so much a heavy snow year. I did a loop with my brother in August from Florence, up into the Western Pinnacles area, over to the Bear Drainage, and back over Selden Pass to Florence. It was one of the wetter trips I have ever taken due to the rain (rain on 4 of 5 days with days 1 and 2 being quite exceptional), but I don't recall much snow. In 95 I did only one trip and recall it being a heavy year. We went up Horton Creek in I think July, and found snow still present near the lowest lake, with the upper lakes all being frozen. I'm not really sure it matters much to compare to years past (but I certainly do understand why we do), because unless we get heavy rains at high elevations this spring that washes the snow away early, there is going to be a lot of snow in the backcountry this year. Water crossings will be hazardous late into the season.

[rlown]

1983.. (Emigrant wilderness; August) Gianelli cabin trailhead through Whitesides meadow to the Wires and back around down and out via crabtree. Whitesides was white. Had no hat and got a little snowblind by the time we hit middle Wire. 6'-8' snowbanks in the trees. West Fork Cherry Creek was a challenge to cross. And the skeeters where huge and hungry.

[fourputt]

1983 was the wettest I remember. I wonder how it stacks up against this year.

First trip was Memorial Day out the High Sierra Trail. I parked at Moro Rock because Crescent Mdw road wasn't open yet. I started losing the trail under snow after Panther Creek. A couple miles past Mehrten Creek it was gone for good and I got on-trail map/compass training. Buck Creek was completely buried. I had no idea where the bridge (likely washed out) was and didn't chance a snow-bridge crossing. I descended halfway to the Middle Fork trail to find a dry camp. Returning I couldn't find my tracks thru the snow less than 24 hours later because they'd melted.

The first high trip was July 7 when the Mineral King Road opened. Over Glacier and Hands-and-Knees Passes to Big Five where only the lowest lake was mostly thawed. I carried an ice axe but just a ski pole would have worked better. I crossed the lower Big Arroyo at the end of the Lost Canyon Trail. Crews dropped trees at strategic crossings in those days, a regrettably discontinued practice. From there I climbed to Sky Parlor Mdw and took the HST to Kern Hot Springs. I returned via Lost Canyon and Sawtooth Pass where I saw the first other people since Day 1.

[longri]

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[ERIC]

Crap, longri. I just realized that in my haste I accidentally edited your post in my response (now embedded in your post above) rather than quoting and responding. I sincerely apologize for that, and for inadvertently removing a good portion of your original post which was great. If I could change it back I would! You've made some good points! Total fail on my part... :retard: I've added an appropriate footnote.

Add to the list - Must.move.admin.buttons.further.away.from.other.buttons.....

[kpeter]

Ack! That is an embarrassing error on my part. The article did indeed say 1995 and not 1993, and thus my personal recollections of 1993 are completely irrelevant. Sorry to get us all off on the wrong track.

So...1995 was the birth of my first child in June and I stayed home all summer. However, running the 1995 Charlotte Lake plot showed water content reached its peak on April 22 and was down to 0 by July 8. So there was snow at Charlotte all the way into early July.

Looking at 2011, the peak was April 10 and melt out was by 26 June. We look like we are way above 1995 to me.
http://cdec.water.ca.gov/cdecapp/snowap ... art.action

IMGP2127.jpg

There was no station operating at Charlotte in 1983.

Bishop pass cleared of snow by July 4, 1995, and by July 9, 2011.

On my North Lake to South Lake circle in 2011 I had to wade more than 30 streams, three of which were tricky even at the end of July: West Pinnacles Creek, Evolution Creek, and Dusy Creek. The snow coming downstream from Helen was a little tricky. Some adventurous souls did the same terrain weeks earlier but described pretty harrowing stream crossings. For my tastes, I would not have been comfortable doing that trip even a week earlier, and as it was I walked across solid snow from just above Sapphire to well below Helen. The last week of July was the earliest time I would have wanted to be doing that trip and a week or two later would have been safer for a conservative hiker like me.

My conclusion: July may not work for me unless going at lower elevations. This would be the best September year ever, but sadly I can't go then.

[longri]

Ha! No worries, Eric.

I thought it best to simply remove the whole thing at this point.