High Sierra Topix

A friend of mine was up there two weekends ago, he said it was fine, no traction or ice axe needed, there was a well worn path in the snowy section at the top.

maverick wrote:A friend of mine was up there two weekends ago, he said it was fine, no traction or ice axe needed, there was a well worn path in the snowy section at the top.

That's good to know. Thanks.

Here are couple of pix taken Sunday 7/22. The first is looking uphill, the second looking down. The steps go above the trail and back down and are deep and solid at midday. The edge of the trail had started to melt out, visible in second pic. It was easy but the consequences of a slip would certainly be dire; westbound travelers will have gotten a taste of what can happen while stepping over the piles of deer carcasses in the trail below.

Of note: there was a big hailstorm on Sunday night over the lower section of the trail, on the first ridge between Symmes Creek and Mahogany Flat. The trail had been in beautiful condition when we hiked up a week ago; now it is a mess with many washouts and lots of debris on the trail. Nothing really big, just lots of it. If I can find a couple of decent photos I will post them when I have more time.

a couple photos of the storm damage

I went through the snow field on July 24, and I took only five steps on snow. By July 27, no steps on snow. The track was now dry. The problem is the deer herd carcasses just 300-400 feet below there. It's kind of sad to see such unassuming creatures die a tragic death by avalanche.

Yes, the trail washouts were a bit of an inconvenience, but they didn't make big problems. When I was exiting out the last three miles on July 28, I met a wilderness ranger who was going in to check out the washouts.