[pct-l] Avalanche!!!

[ned at mountaineducation.org]

Hey, Jeff!

As I recall, these trees were only about 12 feet tall and there were few of 
them beside the lake, mainly bushes, but of those that are there, some of 
them were broken off at about 8 feet off the ground with diameters of 6 
inches.



Ned Tibbits, Director
Mountain Education
1106A Ski Run Blvd
South Lake Tahoe, Ca. 96150
    P: 888-996-8333
    F: 530-541-1456
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    http://www.mountaineducation.org
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jeffrey Olson" <jolson at olc.edu>
To: <pct-l at backcountry.net>
Sent: Tuesday, October 05, 2010 5:55 PM
Subject: [pct-l] Avalanche!!!


>  I've hiked through LeConte Canyon a couple times and my memory has me
> say that there are few trees over 15' - avalanches are normal in that
> part of the trail.  One of the spectacles that would have me stop and
> imagine being in the h eart of winter was 8" trees broken off at 10' off
> the ground.
>
> And how about the avalanche slopes in the North CAscades!  I remember
> countless swathes on valley sides.  I'd imagine the avalanche blasting
> down the mountainside and rising up to the trail, which it actually did
> in a couple places.
>
> I'd really like some photographs of avalanche chutes - any webpages with
> them on it?
>
> Thanks...
>
> Jeff Olson
> Martin, SD
>
> On 10/5/2010 6:33 PM, ned at mountaineducation.org wrote:
>> Seems to me that the LeConte Canyon Ranger, Rick Sanger, told us this 
>> past
>> June when we were in there filming that there had been a group studying
>> frogs in the unnamed, crescent-shaped lake at Starr's Camp just above Big
>> Pete Meadow and below Black Giant prior to this summer. Unfortunately, 
>> this
>> winter a large avalanche swept down from Black Giant and gouged-out the 
>> lake
>> scattering ice from the frozen lake's surface and all their nets and
>> measuring devices all across the nearby meadow and bushes.
>>
>> For the early hikers that went through that area, that is what all that 
>> ice
>> in the meadow was all about. Did you notice all the fine, grey silt on 
>> top
>> of the ice? That was from the bottom of the lake! You probably noticed 
>> the
>> broken branches strewn about the open meadow that came from trees 150 
>> feet
>> away around the lake at tree line. Pretty amazing aftermath!
>>
>>
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