I reached the trailhead a few minutes before 8 AM, temps were already 36 F! Still, the found the trail icy, and started off with StabilIcers. Soon after I reached the original Crawford Path I found that the water ice, hard and smooth, was a bit steeper than I was comfortable going up in StabilIcers, so I put on my crampons (and kept them on for the rest of the trip).
By and large the trail had snow/ice cover all the way to the junction with the Webster Ciliff Trail; there was a short section of bare trail around the Gibbs Fall spur but that was essentially it. The section of the Webster Cliff Trail going to the summit of Pierce was a mixture of bare trail, ice and snow.
The section of the trail between Pierce and the summit of Eisenhower was a mix of everything. There were a very few sections of bare trail, some rocky and some less so. Lots of ice, much compacted snow, and a few deep snow drifts that were fairly compact earlier in the day (on the way up). Lots of water flowing down from the melting snow/ice! The final approach to the summit of Eisnhower was bare.
By the time I reached the summit of Eisenhower (around 11:30 AM) the wind had picked up a bit, enough to make me layer up, but not enough to spoil my enjoyment of the summit. The views were interesting: there was a haze that gently blurred the distant peaks without completely obscuring them.
On the way back I found that a few of the drifts, which had been compact enough to support me earlier in the day, now had softened to the point that I occasionally postholed. But, by and large, the snow was still well compacted.
Beyond the Webster Cliff Trail junction there were no drifts, and the snow was compact, if somewhat softened, all the way down.
Summary: Lots of ice, but the snow has not yet started rotting. Of course, todays tropical temps (expected to continue overnight) plus tomorow's rain may well change things fast! Trail conditions reports have a short shelf life at this time of the year.
By and large the trail had snow/ice cover all the way to the junction with the Webster Ciliff Trail; there was a short section of bare trail around the Gibbs Fall spur but that was essentially it. The section of the Webster Cliff Trail going to the summit of Pierce was a mixture of bare trail, ice and snow.
The section of the trail between Pierce and the summit of Eisenhower was a mix of everything. There were a very few sections of bare trail, some rocky and some less so. Lots of ice, much compacted snow, and a few deep snow drifts that were fairly compact earlier in the day (on the way up). Lots of water flowing down from the melting snow/ice! The final approach to the summit of Eisnhower was bare.
By the time I reached the summit of Eisenhower (around 11:30 AM) the wind had picked up a bit, enough to make me layer up, but not enough to spoil my enjoyment of the summit. The views were interesting: there was a haze that gently blurred the distant peaks without completely obscuring them.
On the way back I found that a few of the drifts, which had been compact enough to support me earlier in the day, now had softened to the point that I occasionally postholed. But, by and large, the snow was still well compacted.
Beyond the Webster Cliff Trail junction there were no drifts, and the snow was compact, if somewhat softened, all the way down.
Summary: Lots of ice, but the snow has not yet started rotting. Of course, todays tropical temps (expected to continue overnight) plus tomorow's rain may well change things fast! Trail conditions reports have a short shelf life at this time of the year.
