[pct-l] snow/trail conditions

[Birgitte Jensen <bjensen4@juno.com>]

    In the westside southern Sierra this past week, I didn't use
snowshoes until well over10,000', mostly not even then, and they were
useless in the afternoon; could've done without them entirely. Many
ridges were blown dry, and there were dry spots all over. Higher
elevation snow was mostly good for walking or for self-arrest. Spring
temps seem to have arrived, along with snowmelt and the first few
mosquitoes, sob. Breezy, very pleasant coolish weather; occasional
afternoon showers - everything normal. Kept my water near me at night,
and it did not freeze up.

    Throughout winter (and now spring) I never encountered deep on-trail
snow or dicey walking conditions in the San Jacintos; trail was for the
most part unusually dry, or patchy, or less-than-boottop-deep. Trails
were well-marked (could wander off occasionally along the Fuller ridge
when other hikers hadn't gone before or after new snow, but it was easy
to re-orient), and slick spots were tiresome but straightforward - walk
around, rock/dry spot hop through, or watch-your-step. None of those
steep icy slopes where an axe comes in handy: the trail itself was
flat/wide, and the berms were too soft for purchase, anyway. (One could
certainly slip or fall down on one of the ice patches, but an axe
wouldn't have softened the landing <g>)
    The only  deep snow I saw was off-trail near San J. itself (well
above the PCT), and it tended to be too fluffy for snowshoes or an axe.
The weather seems to have settled down, and with what little snow there
was melting fast, locals are resuming their daily fitness-walks up the
Devil's Slide toward the Divide.    

      Blowdowns in both places, but nothing interesting.             bj




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