73 replies to this topic

[ALooneyGuy]

7/17, Mount Lady Washington - Entire trail is completely clear of snow. Well, I took literally 4 steps in snow. It is wet though, especially after today's thunderstorms.

[AliceH]

Forgot to mention, we did Mills Lake again weekend before last. The first bridge (the one that was 'repaired' by tossing a bunch of smaller pines across the creek) had been replaced by a solid single log. The plan apparently is to double the width at some point, I don't know if they've gotten around to it yet.

[AliceH]

Estes Cone is entirely free of snow the entire route. I don't think we even saw a tiny snowpatch.

Inn Brook (the brook by Eugenia Mine) is COLD, so cold we couldn't dip our feet in for more than ten seconds.

[DrCloud]

Glacier Gorge update:

Yesterday, they started rebuilding the main bridge over Glacier Creek (below Mills Lake); the small one just before it has a single, wide half-log with a industry-grade handrail already. The crossing to the campsite above Jewel Lake is still broken but apparently serviceable.

The hike into Black Lake is not quite snow free, but you can avoid stepping in it if you don't mind mud -- of which there's a lot. Eeeww. HPH

[ALooneyGuy]

8/7, Bluebird Lake - Trail is clear until the avalanche damage, which is .8 miles past the Ouzel/Bluebird junction. The good news is that debris only covers about 100 yards of the trail, and if you're familiar with the area, you can loop around to the right, carefully "tree-hop" for a while, loop back to the left, and you're back on the trail. There are several more trees across the trail after that, but you can easily step over them. On the short switchback section just before the lake, there is one snowfield that it appears no one has crossed blocking the trail, but there is another trail that has been blazed away from the snow that will get you back to the main trail quickly. The last push to the lake has the usual snowfield. Overall, conditions were better than I expected, but definitely less than ideal.

[ALooneyGuy]

8/14, Crystal Lake - Trail is snow-free, but it is quite wet in places, most notably behind Lawn Lake.

[ALooneyGuy]

8/20, Otis Peak - area of snow just before Flattop Mountain has now melted off the trail. Trail is clear and dry.

[Igloo Ed]

ALooneyGuy, on 20 August 2011 - 06:28 PM, said:

8/20, Otis Peak - area of snow just before Flattop Mountain has now melted off the trail. Trail is clear and dry.

Thanks for the trail condition reports. Looks like you are getting up quite a bit, good on ya.

[ALooneyGuy]

8/27, Sky Pond/Haiyaha loop - Trail is completely free of snow. Snow comes very close to the trail just before Timberline Falls, and probably covered it there last weekend. Also, the section from the Loch Vale trail to Haiyaha which had been called "unimproved" has now been improved. I never really thought it was that bad before, but it is no longer called "unimproved". The biggest thing I noticed was the installation of stepping stone type of rocks in areas that would have been quite muddy otherwise.

[Igloo Ed]

ALooneyGuy, on 27 August 2011 - 02:59 PM, said:

8/27, Sky Pond/Haiyaha loop - Trail is completely free of snow. Snow comes very close to the trail just before Timberline Falls, and probably covered it there last weekend. Also, the section from the Loch Vale trail to Haiyaha which had been called "unimproved" has now been improved. I never really thought it was that bad before, but it is no longer called "unimproved". The biggest thing I noticed was the installation of stepping stone type of rocks in areas that would have been quite muddy otherwise.

Thanks again for the report. I'll be coming down Andrews Glacier tomorrow and I imagine the snow below the tarn will be melted off the trail or very minimal at least.
Yes, they had been working on the unimproved Haiyaha trail last summer and the summer before. It was quite muddy at times in those spots you mentioned. They also did a little work on the switchbacks right before you get to the junction up by Haiyaha.

[cardinal]

Went up to Snowbank and then over to Fan Falls and down to Thunder Lake. With the exception of one snow bank right by Trio Falls there was no snow. Easy hiking conditions.

[ALooneyGuy]

Just a few words of warning about "that other" trail conditions site. Based on its name and who runs it, you would expect it to have the most accurate info, but recent postings suggest otherwise. Someone on there posted the other day that the Timber Lake trail was now open. A few days later, that post was removed and a new post said the trail was still closed. Also, several days after the snowfield melted off the trail just before Flattop, a ranger posted that there was "only one snowfield to cross". So take anything you read over there with a grain of salt, then come to this forum to get the REAL conditions.

[cardinal]

Anybody been up to Boulder Grand Pass yet? I see the "other trail conditions" site says the north side of the pass is OK (a lot of snow on most of the pass still) and can be gained without any techincal/crampon gear. Just seeing tha last post makes me wonder if that is really accurate. Any thoughts or experience on that route recenrly? Thanks

[ALooneyGuy]

You will probably get better results if you start a new thread for this one.

cardinal, on 30 August 2011 - 11:21 AM, said:

Anybody been up to Boulder Grand Pass yet? I see the "other trail conditions" site says the north side of the pass is OK (a lot of snow on most of the pass still) and can be gained without any techincal/crampon gear. Just seeing tha last post makes me wonder if that is really accurate. Any thoughts or experience on that route recenrly? Thanks