Snow in the peaks?
Last winter, after a quick winter trip to Vermont where I was won over by the promise of snowshoeing (it ended up being freakishly warm and extremely muddy, but the place I stayed at had some really cool snowshoeing magazines), I bought a pair of my own snowshoes. I did actually get to rent one pair and try it out before I made the purchase, and I was enthusiastic about padding around in the mountains in the middle of winter.
Of course, since I live down here in the lowlands, any time anyone has seen my snowshoes hanging up in my closet, or I have mentioned in passing, people think I am a total moron. I admit, it is a little strange to own a product you have to drive/hike up a mountain to have a passing chance at using. It is a far cry from the romantic notions I had of trekking through a woodsy trail through six-foot snow drifts..
Well, the one time I rented the shoes in Big Bear turned out to be the only snow accumulation we had the entire winter. I became a slave to several mountain web cams, some as far away as Sequoia National Park, and Bishop, CA (I was willing to travel far for snow) but there was nothing. I did manage to find some thin snow in San Jacinto State Park by trekking up to 9,000 feet, but it was patchy at best, and realistically, more easily navigated with boots than with snow shoes.
Still, I am holding up hope for this weekend's forecast:
PARTLY TO MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF RAIN AND SNOW
SHOWERS. SNOW LEVEL 4000 TO 5000 FEET. SNOW ACCUMULATION LESS THAN 3
INCHES. LOWS IN THE UPPER 20S TO MID 30S AT LOW ELEVATIONS TO 17 TO
25 IN HIGH VALLEYS AND PEAKS. NORTHWEST WINDS 20 TO 30 MPH WITH
LOCAL GUSTS TO AROUND 40 MPH
The forecast last night was for snow up in the peaks, but the mountains were too obscured to show much, and the web cams were pretty much whited out by clouds/rain/snow. I imagine there is some out there, but is it enough to keep me from scraping up the metal blades of my snow shoe?



I'm going up there this morning. Temp at Mt Wilson is 27 degrees. The road will definitely be icy. The Mt Wilson cam is totally obscured.
Dennis- I also want up there Sunday... the road was pretty icy up there past Mt. Wilson, so I turned back and hiked up Strawberry Peak. Great views.