Trip Report: Over Piute Pass to Humphrey's Basin

[Harlen]

Kpeter,

I think you are right on the elevation of the snow coverage, and that it may have begun lower down on the north-facing side of the valley. We only considered that side for the downhill run from the pass, which we didn't do, just noted it for the tele skiers among us. I think I can call up one more photo that may show the snow coverage on the north side of the valley, around Piute and Loch Leven. Here it is- Loch Leven is seen in the far distance:

[paul]

I just use 3-pins. They are actually Voile 3-pin cables, but I take off the cables and leave them at home. I know some guys carry the cables as backup in case the pin holes rip out, but I've never come close to that so I don't bother. If I had lots of cash I think I'd give give some light AT gear a try, as the light AT boots are significantly lighter than the lightest plastic 3-pin boots (like my Garmont Excursions) and the bindings can be just as light or lighter than 3-pins.

[Harlen]

Thanks Paul.

[Harlen]

Thanks Paul, that's food for thought. My Scarpa 2's were killing me on the Kearsarge to Shepherd trip! Better plastic boots are my great desire for next winter's travels.

[SSSdave]

Turquoise aqua color of snow ponds has always fascinated this person. Very nice image of the Muriel edge so with Wolf Bear Lizzie and Humphreys. One will note that color is more saturated where the pond is apparently deeper. Pure water as is the situation with such snow melt, is colorless. However water strongly absorbs longer sunlight wavelengths of light, ie red, yellow, green, more so than the short blue wavelengths that are scattered in all directions including up back above the water. At the same time, much full spectrum sunlight reaches the highly reflective shallow snow/ice pond bottom and combines with the scattered blue creating a bright mix between white and blue. Same effect on tropical white corral sand beaches.

As one observes such color earlier or later in a day when the sun altitude is lower, the color would be correspondingly less saturated and darker. That shadow beneath Bear shows this was shot at mid day.

David

[windknot]

Wow, neat report. Thanks for taking us vicariously on your trip!

[Matthewkphx]

Wolfie is a handsome pup!

[giantbrookie]

Nice trip and report. Whereas I myself wait for the high lakes to thaw so as to catch their residents without an auger rig, I enjoy viewing the photos of the high country with a lot of snow about.

[Harlen]

"As one observes such color earlier or later in a day when the sun altitude is lower, the color would be correspondingly less saturated and darker. That shadow beneath Bear shows this was shot at mid day."

David.

Thanks for the clear description of that color phenomenon. And you are dead right David- these pics were taken about 11:30. Are you an atmospheric scientist, or just curious and studious?
Interesting correlation between the ice-bottom lake color, and that of the coral sand shallows in the tropics. I assume that yet another correlation would be the water color in the waters found over "glacial flour-bottomed" lakes, for instance around Glacier NP?

It is my favorite color in the world! Once more below David:

[SSSdave]

That color just makes you want to jump right in like it is super sweet Koolaide you could drink and when you climbed back out would be glowing like a aqua firefly. How about a comment of coping with the intense noonday light even with dark sunglasses. One can literally feel the radiation heat broiling one's exposed skin.

Curious and studious about all the natural sciences. Know or can readily look up a modest amount about a broad range of subjects without being an expert at any haha. In the case of Rayleigh light scattering do not understand the math a physics major would have had to deal with. A terrific classic 1954 book by a dutch physicist that can be bought used barely above the usual Amazon shipping cost:

https://www.amazon.com/Nature-Light-Col ... ref=sr_1_1

David