[pct-l] April 1st Sierra snowpack

[Weathercarrot -]

Hi - 

Hiked up to Kaiser Ridge today in the central Sierra (or northern end of the southern Sierra?), maxing out at almost 9,800 feet.  April 1st in this part of the world is considered the average maximum snow depth for the year, so it was interesting to have an opportunity to hike in and check out where we are this season.  In a normal year, it should have been solid deep snow all the way to the bottom at lake level.  We had bare ground almost the entire climb and only had a few snow fields at 9,700. North-east facing slopes had fairly consistent coverage down to around 9,300.  China Peak ski area was mostly bare and closed.  Huntington Lake was extremely low, as was viewable Lake Edison.  The Sierra Crest in general seems to be more like June 15th in a normal year, which would put us two and half months ahead.  

Some photos from today's hike are here:

http://weathercarrot.smugmug.com/Weathercarrot-photos/Kaiser-Ridge-CA