[Cdt-l] Snow on the Waterton route?

[Trekker4 at aol.com]

According to the TI/Nat'l Geo map of Glacier NP,  there are 5-6 snow 
problem areas in the Park; they're all clearly marked on the  map; one place 
implies it may just be a problem for stock, but are  horses even allowed? Since 
I'm a section hiker, and have the luxury  to pick and choose, I'll skip GNP 
this year; I don't think a relatively  snow problem-free start can be made 
until 1 Jul. Another front is coming thru  right now, w/snow at higher 
elevations, according to the Backcountry Head  Ranger. 
    In response to my specific question, he also said  one could probably 
go south from E Glacier Park right now, as it's lower  elevation and south 
facing, w/a caveat about the 2 creeks probably being  up. EGP is where I'll be 
starting about 25 Jun. I'll still have to  just hike to Anaconda, as I have 
to finish the PCT fm Trout Lake in WA in Aug.  I've contacted Lewis and 
Clark NF; they're just now getting people out to  check the trails; 3 weeks ago 
they had snow down to 6,500 ft; I'll be calling  them back about 15 Jun, 
and will hopefully remember to post what I find out to  the list.
    I won't be carrying an ice axe, although I own one  from S CA in '05, a 
high snow year. I do have 2 oz of sheet metal screws, 13  per shoe, that I 
pre-tested on my shoes. According to Wolf's book the  elevations south fm 
Marias Pass are almost all below 8,000 ft, mostly in the  5-6,000 ft range for 
a long, long ways south - and every day is another day of  melting.  
 
Good luck to all you early hikers!
Bob  "Trekker"
Big Bend Desert Denizen, and...
Naturalized Citizen - Republic  of Texas

"Government cripples you, then hands you a crutch and says,  'See, if it 
wasn't for us, you couldn't walk.' " -- Harry Browne

"If you  think health care is expensive now, wait until you see what it 
costs when its  free." -- P J O'Rourke



In a message dated 6/9/2010 2:49:01 P.M. Central Daylight Time,  
jonathan at phlumf.com writes:

One  dangerous bit will be the ahern drift... This is a place where the 
snow sluffs  off a steep cliff onto the trail right below it. It gets icy there 
as there is  little sun exposure, and it's pretty steep where the trail 
crosses /  traverses. However, the dangerous bit isn't very long... Maybe 50 
yards or so?  If you have an ice ax, you can chop steps pretty easily.  I 
wouldn't want  to go through there without an ax. Later in the season, the nps 
shovels out a  path, but don't expect that to be done by June 18th or 
whatever. Surely  they'll try to discourage people from traveling this route, but 
if you're  familiar with this kind of travel, it's not bad.

Another area that can  be trouble if it's not melted is the trail down from 
swiftcurrent pass, if you  go that way. 

The passes tend not to be too steep... It's the traverses  that are more 
problematic on the highline trail. When I went through there the  snow had 
melted just enough that we had a sliver of trail to walk on usually.  If there 
had been another foot of snow, many of those trail sections would  have been 
more challenging... Bottom line is that an ice ax (and the knowledge  to 
use it properly) is a good idea in GNP in  June.

Jonathan



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