Hiked Gunn Peak and Tailgunner. Details below.
Summary: The last good water is the stream in the alpine before you get into the snow. For gear, it would be advisable to have crampons, an ice axe, and a rope in case you want them, but doable without if your are comfortable in steep slippery exposed snow. The hike is still completely snowed in once you reach the ridgeline. Avi danger was mid. Snow was soft but sunk in no more than 6 inches. Full details below:
River Crossing: There are two river/stream crossings right at the start. Be careful on these as both crossings are extremely slippery.
Trail to the Alpine: There is no snow on the trail until you reach the alpine. The trail (actually more of a boot path) is fairly distinct, but you could lose it if you aren't watching carefully. It is overgrown a little in places but mostly navigable. As previous reports note, this hike is very steep and involves a little light scrambling.
Alpine to ridgeline: Once you clear the tree line, pockets of snow start. The snow does not become sustained until you reach the first ridge. It is all snow from there. Your last good source of water is the stream that runs along the trail before you reach the ridgeline. There are a few small trickles of water up higher, but your best bet for water is the stream next to the trail.
Ridge line to base of peak: It is completely snowed in from the ridgeline to the base of Gunn Peak. The snow was soft, but I sunk in no more than 6 inches. I didn't need snow shoes. Be careful on the last 100 yards before you reach the rock at the base of Gunn Peak as it is easy to post hole through the snow into gaps in the boulders.
Base of Peak to Summit: From the base of the peak to the summit requires a little scrambling and some steep snow. When you circle around the peak and start heading for the summit use caution. This area is still snowed in, has very steep snow, and if you slip you will slide off the mountain. The footing is fairly solid, but depending on how comfortable you are in steep snow, you may want crampons, an ice axe, and a rope. I was able to do it with poles and in my trail runners following the steps kicked by others (thank you to the team in front of me) but I would suggest brining more gear in case you want it. I threw my spikes on for the descent to add a little stability.
Downhill. The snow was great for a fast sprint/slide downhill.
Gunn to Tailgunner. I side hilled across some steep snow to reach tailgunner. This route involved steep snow and potential avi danger so I was cautious in route to make sure I could run out if necessary.
Summit of Tailgunner. There is still a large cornice on Tailgunner. I avoided the cornice by doing some low class 5 rock climbing. You can also avoid the cornice by going up a very steep section of snow.
360 photos in the links below.
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