Got a later start than intended and started up the trail at 8am. The road to the trail head is in the best shape its been in years and suitable for any vehicle. The wooded portion of the trail was fairly muddy due to heavy rain for the last few days. The logs at the first water crossing are gone, there is a section of wood in place that while bending alarmingly, did hold my 240lb body and pack weight.
The third and main water crossing is 20 yards upstream of the old one. While the current pile of limbs is more tenuous than the old tree crossing, the consequences of falling in are also much less.
Snow starts shortly after reaching the hanging valley. The snow has consolidated since the previous trip report and with just a bit of slush on the surface was in good shape for the whole hike. Headlee pass required kicking steps, it was not solid enough for crampons to bite and hold. I put my poles away and used my axe for the pass but the skier in front of me was comfortable with just his poles.
PLEASE BE CAREFUL crossing the traverse after Headlee. It's that time of year that the slope is riddled with snow bridges, some are obvious but many are hidden. Luckily the few times I broke through I only fell 1 to 2 feet but there are spots where its possible to break through and fall 6+ feet. The snow to the summit was solid though. The summit is melted out leaving a nice area to sit and rest. The summit register is completely full and could use a new notebook. I glissaded all the way down to the traverse to Headlee and made it back to the trailhead at 2pm.
For the climbers, the top pitches of Ragged Edge and True Grit are melted out and even appeared dry despite rain the day prior. Any large ledges still had patches of snow. I couldn't observe the base of the route but I'd assume the traverse from the ridge to the start of the climbs is still covered in snow.
Overall conditions were good and it was a great day to be in the mountains.
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