May 16-17, 2007, Mary Peak, Bean Creek Basin
5/16/07
2634
0
The seasons are moving along and it's getting more like summer each week. The snow is getting old and tired now too where I have been, even above 6000 feet. So I think this will be my last ski camping trip of the season. It's the point of diminishing returns for me. I'll try to remember the good times and look forward to next fall; I have had a wonderful ski season and no point staying at the party too long.
This week at Bean Creek, I walked all the way to the junction with the Standup Creek trail, the last bit mostly on snow covered with a lot of dirt and needles. At least it was fairly firm. With the warm weather, the creek was running fast, so the crossing at ~4200 feet was tricky with a full pack plus skis.
I camped near the Standup Creek junction hoping to preserve more vertical for the day ski on Thursday, but the lower portions of the basin turned out to be nothing special. I did manage to keep the skis on with the exception of a few brief carries over bare spots. I skinned up to "Judi Peak", with the ski crampons being quite handy once again, and then on to Mary Peak. 6680'+ My GPS, which I have found is typically accurate to say 5 to 10 feet on summits, gave the elevation as ~ 6718 - 6720'. Compared to the week before, the run off the east face was ho-hum. Hard to get excited about, although the scenery was very nice; it's a joy just to be there. There is still nice smooth snow off the north side, but it's a long way in, and the run is not that long.
I'm sure that there is still good snow on the east face of Earl, but the west face has reached a discontinuity. There is more snow to the west, but weigh that against the effort to get to it. My gut feeling is that compared to previous years the slopes out of the sun are holding up better than average, while the sun exposed slopes, and that includes a lot of the approaches in this area now, have melted out and or pruned up sooner.
As for the snow, maybe this pic from Mary Peak will give an idea:
This week at Bean Creek, I walked all the way to the junction with the Standup Creek trail, the last bit mostly on snow covered with a lot of dirt and needles. At least it was fairly firm. With the warm weather, the creek was running fast, so the crossing at ~4200 feet was tricky with a full pack plus skis.
I camped near the Standup Creek junction hoping to preserve more vertical for the day ski on Thursday, but the lower portions of the basin turned out to be nothing special. I did manage to keep the skis on with the exception of a few brief carries over bare spots. I skinned up to "Judi Peak", with the ski crampons being quite handy once again, and then on to Mary Peak. 6680'+ My GPS, which I have found is typically accurate to say 5 to 10 feet on summits, gave the elevation as ~ 6718 - 6720'. Compared to the week before, the run off the east face was ho-hum. Hard to get excited about, although the scenery was very nice; it's a joy just to be there. There is still nice smooth snow off the north side, but it's a long way in, and the run is not that long.
I'm sure that there is still good snow on the east face of Earl, but the west face has reached a discontinuity. There is more snow to the west, but weigh that against the effort to get to it. My gut feeling is that compared to previous years the slopes out of the sun are holding up better than average, while the sun exposed slopes, and that includes a lot of the approaches in this area now, have melted out and or pruned up sooner.
As for the snow, maybe this pic from Mary Peak will give an idea:
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