I just returned from a week long stay at the Golden Trout Camp which is three miles up the Cottonwood pass trailhead at the end of Horseshoe Meadow Road, which is south off of Whitney Portal Road. As of yesterday, the trails were wet and muddy in many spots and above 10,500 feet there were patches of snow along the trails. The second river crossing log on Cottonwood Creek is under several inches of running water. By 11,000 feet the patches of snow blocked the trails in many spots necessitating some creative detouring. It was possible to get up into the Cottonwood Lakes Basin with some care. There was still ice on Lake #4 and the meadows were extremely muddy. Tragically, a woman died day before yesterday while on horseback attempting to cross a snow field that was above some running water. The snowfield collapsed and her horse started thrashing around and crushed her chest.
The snow is melting fast. All and all, with caution, it is possible to travel to the upper lakes. I am not sure if Army Pass is "passable" yet.
As of today, driving along 395 there was surprisingly little snow on the peaks south of Mammoth. Driving west along 120, Tioga Lake is still iced over. Tenaya Lake is free of ice. The eastern end of Tuolemne meadow is not flooded, but the western end still looks like a lake in many areas.
For comparison, the amount of snow along 120 in Yosemite at 9500 feet is about the same as the amount of snow in the Cottonwood Lakes area at 11,000 feet.
Photography wise, there were scant clouds all week, and several days were quite windy. It was spectacularly beautiful, with all the granite, snow, water, and sky, even though though the light was not ideal. I'll post some photos in a few days.
Posted by Bill Brennan on June 26, 2011 at 12:45 PM
Discussion
2 repliesThe snow is melting fast. All and all, with caution, it is possible to travel to the upper lakes. I am not sure if Army Pass is "passable" yet.
As of today, driving along 395 there was surprisingly little snow on the peaks south of Mammoth. Driving west along 120, Tioga Lake is still iced over. Tenaya Lake is free of ice. The eastern end of Tuolemne meadow is not flooded, but the western end still looks like a lake in many areas.
For comparison, the amount of snow along 120 in Yosemite at 9500 feet is about the same as the amount of snow in the Cottonwood Lakes area at 11,000 feet.
Photography wise, there were scant clouds all week, and several days were quite windy. It was spectacularly beautiful, with all the granite, snow, water, and sky, even though though the light was not ideal. I'll post some photos in a few days.
Bill Brennan