<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META content="text/html; charset=US-ASCII" http-equiv=Content-Type>
<META name=GENERATOR content="MSHTML 8.00.6001.18904"></HEAD>
<BODY style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: #000000; FONT-SIZE: 10pt" id=role_body bottomMargin=7 leftMargin=7 rightMargin=7 topMargin=7><FONT id=role_document color=#000000 size=2 face=Arial>
<DIV> 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. </DIV>
<DIV> 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.</DIV>
<DIV> 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. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Good luck to all you early hikers!</DIV>
<DIV><FONT lang=0 size=2 face=Arial FAMILY="SANSSERIF" PTSIZE="10">Bob
"Trekker"<BR>Big Bend Desert Denizen, and...<BR>Naturalized Citizen - Republic
of Texas<BR><BR>"Government cripples you, then hands you a crutch and says,
'See, if it wasn't for us, you couldn't walk.' " -- Harry Browne<BR><BR>"If you
think health care is expensive now, wait until you see what it costs when its
free." -- P J O'Rourke<BR><BR>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV>In a message dated 6/9/2010 2:49:01 P.M. Central Daylight Time,
jonathan@phlumf.com writes:</DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE style="BORDER-LEFT: blue 2px solid; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px"><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" color=#000000 size=2 face=Arial>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.<BR><BR>Another area that can
be trouble if it's not melted is the trail down from swiftcurrent pass, if you
go that way. <BR><BR>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.<BR><BR>Jonathan<BR><BR></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV></FONT></DIV></FONT></BODY></HTML>