Mt. Morrison 5-23-09
Norma R and I climbed Mt. Morrison from Convict Lake. The area had been receiving early afternoon thunderstorms, so we got a fairly early start but at approx. 300' below the summit we got hit with graupel snow which made the rock extremely slippery. Not knowing how long it would last or the severity, we decided to bail, fully satisfied with the experience of being on this awesome alpine peak. Another great adventure with a great partner! Pix are here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/21042415@N ... 747622955/
Dave - nice pics. That area is so beautiful. And thanks for the new word "graupel" or rather "graupel snow". I never heard that before.
Did you need crampons at all? The snow cover looks minimal and manageable, but I'm jsut curious. I'll be climbing nearby next weekend and if all goes well, the following weekend.
Did you need crampons at all? The snow cover looks minimal and manageable, but I'm jsut curious. I'll be climbing nearby next weekend and if all goes well, the following weekend.
)I didn't think crampons were necessary, but everyone has their own comfort level. I found my ice axe invaluable, though. One steep traverse in particular involved heavy wet snow that was thigh to waist deep and was slabbing off the rock. I would like to go back and do Morrison a little earlier in the year, or at least after a more "normal" winter on harder snow. Also, be very careful with what you pull on up there. It's extremely loose and every piece must be tested. A helmet is a good idea, too.EnFuego wrote: Did you need crampons at all? The snow cover looks minimal and manageable, but I'm jsut curious. I'll be climbing nearby next weekend and if all goes well, the following weekend.
Have fun--what are you climbing up there (or is it a secret)?
better than later than never?...
here is the link to my pix: http://picasaweb.google.com/ryan.norma8 ... 2145200050
en fuego, regarding crampons: the snow was so wet that crampons probably did not make much of a difference, but i for one like the emotional security that they provided. even in the snowfields down below that were shaded, we did not hit any hard snow that had frozen during the night. i don't want to complain, but darn, it was a short snow season this year.
as always though, a great day in the mountains!
dave headed home on sunday and i stayed on and hiked Trailmaster out of Cottonwood Pass with lik2hik, phil. here are those pix: http://picasaweb.google.com/ryan.norma8 ... aster52509#
here is the link to my pix: http://picasaweb.google.com/ryan.norma8 ... 2145200050
en fuego, regarding crampons: the snow was so wet that crampons probably did not make much of a difference, but i for one like the emotional security that they provided. even in the snowfields down below that were shaded, we did not hit any hard snow that had frozen during the night. i don't want to complain, but darn, it was a short snow season this year.
as always though, a great day in the mountains!
dave headed home on sunday and i stayed on and hiked Trailmaster out of Cottonwood Pass with lik2hik, phil. here are those pix: http://picasaweb.google.com/ryan.norma8 ... aster52509#