[pct-l] a thought on IMPASSABLE snow, the Fuller Ridge question

[Ray Drasher]

  In the last two weeks I have watch snow on the north face of the San
Gabriels go from under 7000ft to well over 8000ft with much of
Baden-Powell clearing at the same time. It also depends on when the snow
hits early or late in the season.
Ray

>
> It's possible that many of us seriously underestimate just how fast snow
> melts and conditions change.  I could rattle off a dozen examples,
> including this and last year's San Jacinto information, and non-PCT
> examples, but here's the one that really hit home for me:
>
> Last year, the news from those in front of me entering the Sierra was that
> there was a ton of snow and route-finding was difficult.  I entered a week
> later, and had an ice axe.  I found there to be some snow and obscured
> trail, but not such a huge deal, and ditched the axe in Independence.  At
> the time, i assumed everyone had just been a wuss and was overstating the
> snow.  (This can happen, for sure.)  Then, at Red's Meadow, i had a
> planned exit for 8 days  from the trail.  When i came back, the snow was
> practically gone!
>
> Then, when seeing the class DVD this year at Kickoff, i saw pictures taken
> by those just 3-6 days behind me in the Sierra.  Pictures of exact spots
> where i took pictures, like Bighorn Plateau, the bowl and lakes below
> Forrester Pass.  In my pictures, it's covered with snow.  In theirs, there
> is practically NONE.  Just 3-6 days difference.  In Squatch's movie, there
> is a sequence of 2 guys going up one little snow patch below Mather Pass.
> A week or 10 days before that was shot, i did the same route to the pass,
> but because the entire area was white, with no trail visible.
>
> So, as this pertains to Fuller Ridge, it's possible that those
> early-birders encountered conditions that just simply won't be a big deal
> as the herd moves through now, 10 days later.  Supporting this, the group
> of friends i had to bail on that went across Apache Peak 10 days ago
> encountered less snow than was reported a week before they went up.
>
> Snow melts.
>
>
>
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