April 10, 2008, North Lake Area,Bishop

Jill and I met Bryan, Carol, Art and Craig in the Buttermilk area for some south facing touring.  We are touring to higher elevations as the freezing level rises and consolidates the snowpack.  We toured above Aspendell like I did 2 weeks earlier and descended to North Lake.  The younger group spotted a southeast facing gulley beyond the lake that seemed ideal.  The senior group, Jill and I, spotted some low hanging fruit much closer and lower in elevation.  Both groups returned with smiles so a good day was had by all.  Bryan and Carol are veterans of touring the eastern Sierra so I look for their evaluation of the conditions.  "OK Bryan, what do you think about the snow quality ?"  "Well Zap, it's not prime Sierra corn yet. It still needs more consolidation and freeze/thaw cycles."  Here's a scene where where the youngsters toured.