Climbed Ruth Mountain with a base camp at Hannegan Pass. Road to the trailhead is good, bugs starting to get noticeable at the TH. The trail up to Hannegan Pass is in good shape overall. One tree down over the trail in the first mile, but easy enough to clamber over. Lots of running water on the trail in the first two miles, so waterproof shoes are highly recommended. The wildflowers are starting one the lower parts of the valley.
From about two miles on, there are snowfields to cross at avalanche chutes and creek crossings. Be very careful crossing these! Snow is melting fast, so they may not be as significant an issue even in the next few days, but for now, the melting is creating dangerous snow bridges that are not always obvious when just looking at the snow fields. Be sure to probe before you step and be wise about having the proper gear and knowledge for crossing these as the risk of punching through or sliding down a dangerous runout is somewhat significant right now. At about 3 miles in or so, the trail is completely snow covered, but passable and easy to follow until just below the pass.
We camped on snow at the pass, the closest running water was the waterfall/creek just before reaching the pass. Climbed slushy snow with some interesting traversing due to poor visibility making route finding a challenge, but made it relatively easily across the Ruth arm and had an uneventful but fun trip across the glacier to the summit. Peek-a-boo views of many surrounding peaks.
Again, snow conditions are likely to change quickly, so this may already even be out of date, but bottom line is be prudent and make good decisions about crossing snow along the trail right now. Have the proper gear and stay within your own abilities and comfort. The trail will be melted out soon enough, so if you are not comfortable with assessing and crossing these changing snow fields, err on the side of caution and wait a few more days/weeks.
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