[pct-l] Re: Ice Axe in Late July?

[dencisco at eos.arc.nasa.gov (Dave Encisco)]

> From: "Griffith, Paul C" <Paul.C.Griffith@bankofamerica.com>

> Any reason for me to take an ice axe from Kennedy Meadows to Sonora
>Pass, including Mt.Whitney, if I'm leaving KM two weeks from today
>(July 14)?  (I'm used to steep snow and willing to wait for
>sun-softening if necessary).

Don't bother. I was up in Pioneer Basin last weekend and the remainder
of snow patches should almost be gone by this weekend. Mt. Hopkins is
fairly clear of snow on the southern side; Mono Pass (which I did not
go over) had a small patch at the summit just as you start descending.
It's actually surprising how little snow remains considering the late
Spring storms.

Rest assure that by the time you hit the Whitney trail junction the
PCTers will have beaten down a trail in any snow pack that may still
remain.

Dave