Tioga Pass to Open on 6/18!

[Jeffrey Sipress]

I'll be there Saturday or so.

[tgtaylor]

The Merced will probably exceed flood stage early tomorrow morning:

http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwisweb/gr...00065&period=7

The first PCT hikers are nearing Yosemite from the south. Here's the latest on their progress:

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6/14/2011
Don’t Panic and Wing-it are likely hikers #5-6 in the northbound wave. I talked to them today, June 14th, from Mammoth Lakes. They have some interesting and potentially helpful information to pass along. As you read this, know that the conditions they faced are likely much different from those that you will face. That doesn’t necessarily mean that it will be easier, but it will be different. Note that Don’t Panic and Wing-it have already hike the PCT, CDT and AT (Wing-it missed some miles on the PCT so they’re doing the whole trail again). They are super fit and strong hikers who averaged 29 miles per day from the border, often walk 30+ miles per day and don’t take many days off.
They left the Kennedy Meadows area on June 2nd, and arrived at VVR on the 10th (where they zeroed). They left VVR on the 12th and arrived at Mammoth Lakes on the 13th. “It’s been wild. It’s nothing I’ve ever experienced.” Wing-it said. While there were decent steps across Forester, the chute was “hard snow and ice that our ice-axes couldn’t penetrate”. They felt that their Microspikes were essential but wished they had real crampons. An impassible cornice blocked Mather Pass and they did a near vertical rock climb on the left side of the pass to bypass it.
It seems like runoff hadn’t peaked yet. They crossed Evolution Creek at the appropriate crossing, upstream of the PCT at the meadow crossing. Bear Creek was their hardest crossing. They crossed it at the PCT, in tandem technique, it was swift and reached Don’t Panic’s upper thigh (he’s 6’2’’).
They never had to camp on snow, but only achieved this through a lot of hard work. Generally, it was all snow walking from south of Crabtree Meadows to Woods Creek. They report 8-10 feet of snow in the valleys and that it “won’t melt anytime soon”. In a few weeks, “it won’t be any easier because the snow is like a series of ramps that you need to walk up and down”.
“Snow makes it an incredible amount of work. It’s discouraging to hike the hardest you’ve ever hiked for only 13 miles of progress.” “We did things that not a lot of average thru-hikers could do. We hiked Pinchot and Mather Passes in the same day to avoid camping in snow. It was about 20 miles on snow.”
“This is not hiking the trail. It’s more a winter ice endurance event. The experience doesn’t relate to thruhiking. For people who aren’t into that, it won’t be fun at all.” They also made sure to emphasize that the Sierra is “beautiful!”
Please be prepared if you’re heading into the Sierra. A fall on snow, a slip in a creek or running out of food because of slower miles and exhaustion are all real possibilities.
VVR is open. The road to Red’s Meadow was just starting to be plowed on June 13th (there was ten feet of snow), so Red’s is unlikely to open any time soon. Tuolumne Meadows is still closed and will be closed for a long time. Don’t Panic and Wing-it plan to resupply at Kennedy Meadows North. The store at Echo Lakes is closed, the road has not been plowed and it is possible that it won’t open until early July. The box that they sent there is being held in nearby Twin Bridges, CA.
Written by Trail Information Specialist, Jack Haskel.

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Thomas

Here's the latest update from Don't panic & Wing-It posted Sunday 6/19:

Wing It and I were forced to turn around from our hike shortly after leaving Tuolumne Meadows.We experienced significant high water in the 15 Miles North of Tuolumne Meadows. The Tuolumne River overflowed the ends of the bridge at 947.4 and the one shortly after. Our real problems were in Virginia Canyon (956.7). The first crossing, McCabe Creek, was the most dangerous and difficult ford we had encountered to date. However, the next creek was worse. We could not make it across Return Creek. We made 3 attempts, 2 in the evening (5ish) and 1 the next morning (8ish). We scouted 1/2 mile upstream and found no safer crossings.
There was evidence (footprints in the snow), that some or all of the 4 hikers ahead of us turned back as well.
Our decision to leave and flip ahead are based on 2 primary factors. The Return Creek crossing is not known as a particularly difficult ford, whereas the Piute River ford and Kerrick Canyon fords just ahead are. All indications are that water levels are not going to be going down significantly soon, and that the peak of the melt has not even happened yet.
However you proceed, best of luck and safe hiking.
Don't Panic and Wing It

[Drew Wiley]

The backcountry will be exceptionally dangerous the next few weeks due to heavy
runoff. Under such conditions I'd always have a good length of static line rope available
to stretch across creeks, and some fool willing to wade across and stretch it. In
approaches to the Karakoram my nephew used camels for the glacial streams because
they could withstand the current much better than ponies. So you might want to pack
a live camel or two in you backpack as well. I'll wait it out, or as usual, plan shorter
trips which don't involve significant crossings yet.