Sonora Pass is Open

[Preston]

From our local Tuolumne County, CA news...

"Sonora Pass Open"

"Caltrans opened the highway at noon today [4/29]. Crews removed all the snow and debris from the recent spring storms. There is no word from Caltrans on Highway 4 Ebbetts Pass. In addition, Yosemite National Park is still working on Highway 120 Tioga Pass. Crews have been clearing snow and debris on and along the highway since April 15."

--P

[Drew Wiley]

Snow conditions seem to be deeper farther south. Kaiser Pass is not scheduled to open until May 20th, and the Courtright road remains closed. Be safe out there, folks.
Stream runoff will still be high.

[ROL]

Steam runoff will most certainly not be high this year. There simply isn't enough snow(pack) in the central and southern CA watersheds to make it so. Sure, it will be higher than a month ago, but then they will retreat quickly to sub normal levels as summer approaches, never having become bank full. One should always be careful and mindful of conditions in the mountains, but streams hitting high water marks won't be a risk this year. The bigger risk is in streams going dry early in the summer season from two back-to-back drought years. The lower, free-flowing Kings River, having one of the largest watersheds in the central Sierra, will likely peak, given continuing, reasonably warm, average spring temperatures, by the middle of May at less than 5000 cfs. That is far below bank full at 10K or greater, in June, during "wet" years. Courtwright, being quite high, frequently opens up near Memorial Day. Kaiser Pass is normally plowed quickly so that SCE can get into Edison and Florence with ease as early as possible, as those two reservoirs are much lower…





…he says crankily.

[tgtaylor]

Stream runoff right now is probably at mid July levels: The small reflection pool for Cathedral Rocks is dry except for a tiny 5 sq foot spot in the center of the meadow; the meadow by Swinging Bridge is bone dry and the water level in the Merced from thee center of the bridge is a few inches - the gravel bed is plainly visible. But the width of the Merced is perfect for photographing Three Brothers from the best vantage point and if you're shooting color you'll capture some nice water color and reflection in the late afternoon.

Of course things will pick-up if El Nino sets in which, as noted above, is a distinct possibility this year.

Thomas

[Drew Wiley]

Gosh Ben, it's not just us seasoned ole mtn goats who read these kinds of posts. So do flatlanders. And I've yet to see a year in the Sierras ever when several naive people didn't drown in the Kern and Merced, and various backcountry streams. You know darn well that once it gets hot, a helluva lot of snow melts fast and keep comin until all those high basins have thinned out. It doesn't take much for someone to lose their footing.

[ROL]

You know darn well that once it gets hot, a helluva lot of snow melts fast and keep comin until all those high basins have thinned out. It doesn't take much for someone to lose their footing.

Gol durn it, Drew, I (I mean ROL!) intimated as much. The point is that there is not going to be a helluva lot of snow melt no matter how, or soon, it gets hot. Snowpack is already thin. 30% of normal is not 100% of high. It doesn't take much for someone to lose their footing on a dry trail, much less not having the mental acuity not go near the lip of water rushing over smooth granite. Shall we enforce a no entry codicil during thunderstorms to our wilderness permits in order to ensure safety? No point in being an alarmist. That's not freedom of the hills.

[Drew Wiley]

Never ever underestimate the ability of a neophyte to get in trouble, Ben. We just had two people killed on one of the easiest dry (but steep - with stairs no less!)
trails right around here this past month. Better safe than sorry. If I was heading into a completely unknown kind of terrain relative to my own experience, I'd want
to learn about the dangers first. I've even been considerate enough to warn first-time backpackers out here at Pt Reyes about the dangers encountered on the two
miles of gravel road between the parking lot and official campground, namely the man-eating centipedes and carnivorous deer.

[ROL]

No need to lecture ROL about this, Drew. I'm sure he's never underestimated anyone's ignorance. It's just that he knows the difference between being an actual experienced leader and an armchair alarmist. If you don't appreciate the basic qualities of wilderness that demand the best of the individual, then you understand nothing of the reasons people seek out the wild. ROL Out!

[Vaughn]

...But the width of the Merced is perfect for photographing Three Brothers from the best vantage point...Thomas

You mean like this?

Three Brothers, Three Brothers
8x10 Platinum Print

PS -- A couple weeks ago I went to take a wander up Indian Canyon Creek in Yosemite Valley and was surprised that it was bone dry -- usually it has a nice flow in April.

[tgtaylor]

You mean like this?

Three Brothers, Three Brothers
8x10 Platinum Print

PS -- A couple weeks ago I went to take a wander up Indian Canyon Creek in Yosemite Valley and was surprised that it was bone dry -- usually it has a nice flow in April.

No but close - probably where those people are in the picture. There's a spot there where you get an excellent view of 3 Brothers and the river and not more than 10 feet away (around the bush) El Capitan.

Thomas