Thanks for the photos. As you entered Big Horn Park, your photo of Big Horn Park with Wotans Throne in the background is one of my favorite viewing locations on the Main Trail. As depicted in the foreground in the middle of your photo, my key landmark for the view location (and a photo opportunity) is the broken tree stump with a sharp remainder pointing to the sky. With the colors in the Fall, it makes for a stunning photo.
As I was heading out of the trees and down to the meadow, I saw a really cool scene with the mountains, trees, snow and water...I tried to get out onto the meadow to take a photo of it, but the spin hitting me in the face had me snap a quick photo and haul @$$ for the trees...
I think the reason I keep "suffering" through these hikes is the amazement at the pristine scenes...fluffy looking snowfields with no disturbance...the billions of "diamonds" shining in the sun...not to mention that I really like being places "no one else has been before..."
Mirror Lake Snowshoe - 02.28.2024 ==============================
6 hours to get to the Log Crossing the first time up... 1:50 this morning...
I cheated: E-Bike locked to the hand rail at the WPS...
I made it up a little past Mirror Lake (about 10.7k') and wanted to continue, but Shin San is guiding a group up Baldy for the Leap Day...so I headed home.
Lots of alternative for getting up to The Bowl...we'll see if the series of storms that one Weatherman is saying could dump TEN FEET on the Sierra...
Here are a few photos:
Parked the car by Giggle Springs (?) and rode the E-Bike from there...stopped to check on some of the "off" roads that I think Doug was mentioning above the homes...
Worried that I might dump myself into the stream, I detoured around the Log Crossing...still no signs of anybody else being up here...
Wilderness Zone...Spin filled a lot of the tracks...
Shortcut across Bighorn Park...
Looking down at Outpost Camp and Bighorn Park...
Trail area on the left and a cool looking coulior on the right...across from Mirror Lake...
I've done this "route" between Wotan's Throne and Pinnacle Ridge in summer...it looks like it would go right now...up-and-over and straight to The Bowl...
That was me (it's an old Integra too, not a Lexus, the green one?). I went up Monday to Lower Boy Scout. The forecast I had said Monday through Thursday would be calm, 15-25F at LBS, 5-10F at the summit more or less.
Well it was not so calm Monday night at LBSL. I was woken up pretty frequently which was a bummer because I was trying to summit Tuesday. When the alarm rang at 3:30 am Tuesday the wind was the same. At 4:30, same. 5:30, same. I got up around 6:15 or so and shortly thereafter the wind died. I got ready as fast as I could, departed at 7:20 am and made it up to Iceberg Lake but it was already 1:30 pm. That was my first time above Upper BS Lake on the mountaineers route, so it probably took a little longer than it should but still I was on all fours with cramp ons and two ice tools here and there so it wasn't really easy. I summited the main route a few years back. September on the main route might as well be a diff mountain than Feb on the MR.
Back to now: At Iceberg Lake I decided to turn around because a hypothetical summit got me there by 4:30 pm probably and back to my tent at LBSL at 8-9 pm. Any inability to return to camp meant a vey cold night out waiting for the CHP chopper to (hopefully) respond to an SOS call the next daylight. I had a heavy down jacket, light down pants and an SOS-Bivy in my backpack but this just seemed like too little room for error.
Wednesday morning I contemplated another attempt today (Thursday) but the precip is supposed to be coming in tonight so, a repeat attempt (with 1-3 am departure) wasn't in the cards. At least not with my risk tolerance.
I'm sure I used some of your snowshoe tracks, and thanks to others laying track. I post holed here and there (at times up to my nether region) but mostly managed to "find a line" where I could stay above the snow. I was boots and cramp ons from about 8.6k and above. Below that, hiking boots.
I had a blast, felt like I pretty much had the mountain to myself for 3 days and I think at my elevation and up I did. Oh, I also was walking past Portal thinking "Who's the nut up here with a bike with knobby tires?". Nice work!
I saw the remnants of maybe were some snowballs on my windsheild? I couldn't figure out how the dirt and tiny rocks got there other than snowballs (snow had all melted by the time I returned).
Richard your pics helped me decide to give Whitney a try. I had an attempt up Shasta planned but the weather window got too small and Whitney offered better weather. I'll try to post some photos here, be patient with me this is my first time posting to a forum like this (I'm uploading photos, creating links etc). Regarding the feeling solo in the wilderness: I love it but I feel respectful and that I'm being tolerated by nature, and am grateful when I come out unscathed.
Thanks for the tip Richard, I eventually gathered as much (after a few failures). Please keep posting. I'm 400 miles away again, back in the grind, and the posts keep the rat race tolerable.
One question: did you ever bivy as a plan on a long simmit attempt, to rest up, in a non emergency situation? If so, what were your limits in terms of temps and weather? I hear about people making a bivy in pretty cold conditions and I'd like to understand it more before actually trying it, i.e. being comitted and finding out something is inadequate.
I'm not sure if you've ever seen this youtube video of Steve House packing for a 2-3 day climbing excursion, but the dude packs light. I'd say his normal pack is a near summit pack for me.
Back in 2012 when I did my every weekend for a year project (Thanks Scully), there was only 1 weekend when I thought I couldn't get it done in a day...
I threw a few garbage bags (as a ground cloth), a short foam pad, a BD bivy, a 20 degree bag, 3 liters of Gatorade (I have found that it takes a lot for sealed "bottles" to freeze.), a Footlong Subway Sandwich and some snacks in an overnight pack...camped in relative comfort at the JMT Junction on the west side...
I've had 2 unplanned bivouacs in my climbing "career"...1 high up on the plateau above Meysan Lake (doing HM to WP via The Miter Basin) I ran out of daylight and wasn't in the mood to search for the route down by headlamp) and the other on the last weekend of my 52 weekends project. The first time was an "Oh well, it's finally happened"...and I did have a 40 degree bag with me...(I've been blessed with a pretty good instinct...) the 2nd was a struggle I didn't know I'd survive because of the conditions...
If I'm not mistaken, House was part of a team that tried a different strategy of climbing on Mt. Everest...sleep by day and climb by night...
A foot plus of spindrift has been stripped from the HM Sensor...I saw lots of spin blowing off of the Crest on yesterday's Webcam images...
There was nearly 3' of new snow at HM...
If going up the NF, the snow that hasn't been blown off of the cliffs will start to slide soon after the sun hits it...especially the south-facing slope...
On the Main Trail side, there is going to be plenty of additional (soft) snow because of the spin...
If the wind drops off, I'm going to head up on Wednesday...don't know if I'll even make it past the Portal...(the FS Snow Maps showed snow down to Olivas Ranch Road...)
I’ve got a 9 day window. I was planning on bringing plenty of food and fuel and progressively making higher camps to iceberg lake. Maybe with the current conditions it’s not possible to make it to the summit (which is okay) but I still plan on taking a look. My main concern is avalanches. Do you think it would be better conditions this wknd? Thanks again Richard! Greatly appreciated
You shoukd be good with the cold , high winds most of the week todays 50-55 MPH gust dropping down later in the week . The high wind issue is drifts and camping without getting your tent destroyed or lost in a gust, tree blow down in the first canyon , no history of what to expect since that area was cleaned last season with several avalanches , so now exposed to the wind.
Main trail area will have deep drifts starting around outpost camp to trailcrest the west side should be mostly dry as it gets the wind during the storms and cleared shortly after with more wind , drifts on the west side can be expected and unsafe travel if still blowing. I assume you are in a group, if solo carry a PLB/INREACH/SPOT and expect areas of no coverage , cold will take out the battery life also . My winter guess is for most it is about a 4-6 day trip , breaking trail is the time factor and with wind in the forecast tracks will be covered requiring breaking trail down.
Looks like you were sending as I was typing , NF look at the webcam and expand/zoom you can see the area from just above the Portal to past Upper Boyscout lake, Again we had 3 avalanches in that canyon last year and at least one near Lower Boyscout lake, Stay clear of the south side of that area and away from the slope off Thor and the summit ridge, this new snow is sitting on old snow that may have melted and froze so the fresh snow can slide. Yes later in the week is best , gives everything time to settle and the system mid week should pass ,also if Richard gets to the Portal you will have a chance to read his report.
This time of the year with the storm cycle starting to look like the norm neither route is safe, last season one guide aborted 15 climbs out of 16, many aborted at the mouth of the Mountaineers Route and most before Lower Boyscout Lake.
I was thinking about getting a cheap pulk sled and hauling my gear up until it was a hindrance and then stash it and use it on the way back. Smart or dumb?
