[pct-l] recent high sierra snow survey info

[ned at mountaineducation.org]

Here is a copy of three emails I received via the John Muir Trail Yahoo Group from a high sierra snow surveyor recently returned with the current %:

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Hi all, FYI 

We just returned from snow surveys along the JMT from Charlotte Lake to Mt Whitney. Generally speaking the snow pack water content is 110% in the north and 120% in the south. We will do one more survey at the end of April.


JD

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In the southern Sierra this is more snow than we have seen in a few years. There are so many variables between now and "summer". Unless we have a hot and dry spring, I would expect snow to linger on the passes into July, but again this is really just a guess.

JD

***

Hi Ned 



Manual surveys are still performed monthly throughout the Sierra by various governmental agencies and public utilities. I work as a member of a small team employed by the Cal State DWR.  We are responsible for measuring snow courses east and west of the crest from Piute Pass to Cottonwood Pass.


JD
***

There you have it. 

Now our advice as snow skills trainers:

The later you start or the longer you wait for the "snow to melt," the faster or longer in a day you will have to hike to get to Canada before the first storms stop you dead in your tracks. If being required to hike fast and shorten or curtail town visits and days off are ok with you, then wait all you think you need to. Just keep this in mind as you gamble on how long the hiking season will be as you near your precious destination, watching the skies as you scream through your days.

The fallacy is that "snow is bad" and it is not ideal for thru hikers. So what are we supposed to do, wait until some "scout" surveys the high sierra for large, lurking snow fields and reports back that the conditions are ideal before leaving Kennedy Meadows? Part of the thru hiker season is dealing with snow-covered trail, that is unless you can limit your hiking to August and September. There will be snow somewhere along your path in the months of June and July if you find yourself in the high sierra.

However, with just a little insight and training on how to safely travel across snow, come ice or postholing, it doesn't matter how deep the snow is, you deal with it the same. So, start early, go slower, fret less, and add a little mountaineer to your title. You'll be the wiser and safer for it. 


Ned Tibbits, Director
Mountain Education
P.O. Box 1477
South Lake Tahoe, Ca. 96156
    P: 888-996-8333
    F: 530-541-1456
    C: 530-721-1551
    http://www.mountaineducation.org


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