Christmas in July: The High Sierra After One of the Snowiest Sierra Winters on Record

View South from Forester Pass, July 19,2017

View South from Forester Pass, July 4, 2015, for comparison

The Sierra Nevadas are a popular backpacking destination for many reasons. They offer hundreds of miles of some of the world's most spectacular wilderness hiking with no roads, stores, or hint of modern trappings. 

There are countless alpine meadows, granite peaks, and pristine mountain creeks.

View North, from Mt. Whitney Summit

There are hundreds of lakes; so many that  the majority remain nameless. 

Hitchcock lakes, below Mt Whitney, still frozen on July 17, 2017

The weather in the summer is typically pleasant. By comparison, the Sierras are usually quite friendly when compared to similar alpine landscapes on the average

Same View, July 6, 2015

Below Forester, late July 2017

Same Lake, Early July 2015

Both the Pacific Crest Trail and the John Muir Trail pass through the center of the range, bringing the through hiker into the region in vast numbers. The Sierra section is the undisputed highlight of the PCT.

With all the good comes one bad- it can be hard to find solitude. I have seen up to a hundred or more people in a single day in the Rae Lakes and Evolution sections. 

This year, the 160% snowfall over the winter of 2016-2017 brought Christmas in July to the Sierra hiker seeking solitude, or, at least thinner crowds. Many roads were impassable or damaged. Deep snowpack covered many of the passes late into July, rendering passage more difficult and in many cases dangerous or impossible. Otherwise pleasant creeks turned into raging torrents.

Snowfield, below Forester Pass

Hidden creek, beneath the snowfield below Forester Pass 

Many decided to cancel their plans, a decision which I consider wise, given the danger and uncertainty. 

We had the opportunity to do a week long trip starting and ending at Horseshoe Meadows in the southern end of the Sierras starting July 15. Traveling North, we were able to do side trips to Soldier lake, Mount Whitney, Forrester Pass, and the Kern River. The total number of people encountered during the week was similar to what may be seen typical day in the Sierras. Deep creek crossings and snow fields slowed our progress, and we endured some unbelievable swarms of mosquitos. With a flexible itinerary, we were able to see some of the High Sierra's greatest sights, including the highest point on the PCT (Foreseter Pass), and the summiting the highest peak in the lower 48, Mt. Whitney. We had the summit of Whitney to ourselves on July 17.

Mt Whitney, observed from Bighorn Plateau, Marmot in foreground

Very chilly July camp below Forester Pass

The snow pack may have increased difficulty and danger, but it also added a layer of interest. I only once had a group set up camp right next to me even though there are perfectly good spots farther away, and then laugh stupidly all night long. Only twice I endured the blaring of the worst of yesterday's top 40 from cellphone speakers. In the past, these have been daily experiences in the Sierras. For the most part we camped in relative solitude. The majority of the people we met were pretty awesome. It would be a tough year to try and do the full JMT through hike, but the snow was not all bad. 

You can meet some of the most amazing people in the backcountry. This is me and my new hero Douglas. Douglas was finishing his 20th the John Muir Trail at the age of 75, but exiting Cottonwood.  "Whitney Portal is very dangerous" he explained, due to the amount of  snow and ice covering the upper parts of Whitney Portal. He started in late June, with a 70 lb pack over 200 miles north from where we met, in Yosemite Valley. He believed someone had stolen his ice axe, requiring him to exit at the farther south Horseshoe Meadows. He was a super friendly and inspiring dude. "Life is very hard, and we need this" he explained, followed by "See you next year!". 

Switchbacks below trailcrest, en route to Mt Whitney from Whitney Portal

The final section up Mt Whitney from the west side was clear

Snowfield atop Mt Whitney, avoidable by a steeper bypass route through the talus. The summit itself was free of snow, but there was some en route.