2014 Snow Level Thread

[awildman]

No appreciable snow on Silver Star, January 4.

[CraigG]

Greetings All -

Does anybody have an idea (guess?) of the snow levels on Tanner Butte right now in the Gorge, between Dublin Lake and the Tanner Butte viewpoint?

I was guessing it had 1 foot to 18 inches of snow after last week at 4500 feet elevation, but now I am not so sure.

I want to go up there tomorrow (Sat 1/18) from Wahclella Falls TH and am trying to decide whether I need to bring snowshoes. It will be a long day (into the early evening), but an adventure for sure.

Thanks for any info, guesses, predictions, tea leaves, etc.

-CraigG

[awildman]

Mt. Hood, 6800', east side (Gnarl Ridge on right, Heather Canyon on left), January 17.



The snow is very consolidated.

[K.Wagner]

We were in the Gifford Pinchot Sat, Jan 18, on the 66 road along the east side of Big Lava Bed. First snow on road just below 3,000 ft. Got up to the jct at S Prairie, just above the Little Huckleberry TH, 3,100 ft. A couple of inches. As far as we felt comfortable going without chains. S Prairie covered with ice. Did have some water in the lake about 2 months ago, which froze over about 4 inches thick. Water now all drained, ice now laying on grass. Strange to see.

[kepPNW]

Similar report to Kelly's. We ran into a couple-few inches of snow at about 3000' on Silver Star yesterday (1/18), though all the roads around it are just fine. (People were even using the north trailhead!) Above 4000', the snow was anywhere from 6"-18", mostly consolidated and easy to walk on. It was patchy off-trail, deeper in more sheltered areas; more than a few times we plunged in to our knees. We were still glad we "hadn't bothered" to bring snowshoes, though! They would've been far more trouble than they'd have saved.


55° on the summit, with light breeze.



As we descend cross-country, it was 72° here! That white stuff between rocks and beargrass easy to sink into.

[payslee]

Thanks for the road updates yesterday Karl! Made it over the 1200 without trouble, althought the obliterating clearcut at the Skamania Mines junction almost got me lost

While you were enjoying balmy sun it was about 38 degrees along the river at Moulton
-payslee

[kepPNW]

My pleasure, payslee! One of these days, our paths will actually cross up there.

We couldn't believe that logging operation, either. His instrument of death was operating right in the middle of the road, when we came up. We sat there, in total awe, at what it could do. Really wished, afterward, to have had the presence of mind to whip out a video of it.

It was soooooooo good to get up out of the fog!!! Been sitting under it all week long. Still looked like most of the Tualatin and Willamette valleys were suffering from it, though most of Clark County looked relatively clear.

[K.Wagner]

Karl,

In your last picture, not sure of the orientation. Are you looking basically south, with Pyramid Rock on the ridge line to the left & Sturgeon Rock poking over the ridge on the right?

[turtle]

I was on Benson Plateau 1-18. No snow or ice at all on the way up from Herman Creek. This shot is from Benson Spur and Ruckel Creek trail intersection. The snow seems to be mostly on the western and southern sides of the plateau. The creek is flowing nicely.

Benson Ruckel/PCT.

[kepPNW]

Karl, In your last picture, not sure of the orientation. Are you looking basically south, with Pyramid Rock on the ridge line to the left & Sturgeon Rock poking over the ridge on the right?

Well, I would've said "basically west", but yeah Pyramid on the left and Sturgeon/Star2 on the right. It's three images stitched together, spanning about 135° horizontally.

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  Location and approximate span of photo.