[cdt-l] test

[Remy Levin]

test

Ginny & Jim Owen <spiritbear2k at hotmail.com> wrote: Caryl wrote:
>What would be the normal date when you could enter Colorado from the south 
>and expect not to need ice axe or crampons in the San Juans?

In a "normal" snow year, the South San Juans generally open up around June 
15.  Last year was a "low snow year."  Sorta - but not quite.  There were 
specific places (like Blue Lake) that had higher snowpack levels.  Low snow 
does NOT mean "no snow."  I think the average snowpack at Wolf Creek Pass is 
480 inches - that takes a while to melt out.

What apparently escaped the attention of most hikers last year was that 
north of Lake City the snow levels were either normal or above-normal.  So 
leaving the border early and hurrying to get through New Mexico and the "low 
snow" in southern Colorado just got them into a normal-to-high  snow year in 
northern Colorado - several weeks early.  Which is pretty much the 
equivalent of a "high snow year" from a hikers standpoint.

It was interesting to watch.  We left Cumbres Pass on June 5 and we were a 
week or two behind the pack.  And where they had fields of snow, we had 
fields of flowers.  Not that we had "no snow," but we didn't have a lot of 
postholing - just small patches.  Nor did we have nearly as much mud as some 
of them had.  Timing is everything.  

It'll be interesting to see what the Class of '07 does with the snowpack 
they find.

Hmm - ice axe and crampons - assuming "normal" (100%) snowpack and leaving 
Cumbres Pass on June 15, I wouldn't take either one.  If leaving Cumbres 
much earlier - I'd take the ice axe.  I consider the crampons useless if the 
snow is such that you're postholing.  Snowshoes might be better - but I 
doubt it. YMMV

Walk softly,
Jim

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