Jogged up Hinman today via East Fork Foss (Necklace Valley). I went up the Waterfall Route to La Bohn Gap then took the standard climber's route (class II) east to the summit.
Trail conditions: There are a few blowdowns before and after Jade Lake which will be annoying for backpackers. There's some brush in the lower portions of the trail, but not enough to slow you down or be painful (if you avoid the devil's club). Between Jade Lake and La Bohn Gap, the standard route (what's on opentopomap.org) is in great shape with no obstacles. There are great bridges on all the water crossings which can't be hopped over.
The scramble and gear: Above La Bohn Gap, I made a few deviations from the standard route based on where the snow patches are. The snow conditions made me wish I had magically acquired skis at the summit; there was 2-3 inches of corn/slush on a firm layer. This means spikes are almost useless (since they fill with slush) and any steps you do kick are slippery (unless you have boots and can really dig into the firm layer). There were one or two little patches of ice, but not enough to warrant gear. I brought spikes and put them on for the last push to the summit, then kept them on for half a mile on the way back (to the top of the short stretch of steep snow leading up the little point at 7250'). I stayed on lower-angle snow rather than rocks much more going back down, and should have heeded previous advice and done the same going up. The steep slope just before the summit was doable but it would have been more comfortable to wrap around further, following the standard route. Going down from the summit, I had a nice fast glissade down 75' and across 250' (my watch says I only hit 15 mph, but it felt faster, probably because it was quite bumpy). I'd have preferred to stay under 10 mph, but didn't want to dig my fingers in. If I were doing this again tomorrow, I'd leave the spikes at home and bring full-fingered gloves instead. The snow was perfect consistency today for finger cramponing.
Water: Every few miles. Last significant water before the summit is La Bohn Lakes, although there's a few little puddles and streams above that. The biggest of La Bohn Lakes is still 15% snow-covered.
Crowds: A ton of backpackers (~20 groups) up to Emerald Lake, but I didn't see anyone above that. Saw one or two sets of tracks up on Hinman, probably from yesterday. I got to the trailhead at 7 am and there were several spots open but quite a few cars along the road, presumably from backpackers arriving yesterday before day folks left.
See my route in the CalTopo map linked below, titled "Hinman 14AUG22" in the "Summer Hikes" folder. Also see a Google photo sphere I took from the summit.
Overall stats: 23.3 miles, 7100' gain, 8.25 hours (including 1 hour of breaks)
Comments
johnry on Mount Hinman, East Fork Foss - Necklace Valley, La Bohn Gap
Great photos! I'm KUOW reporter John Ryan and would like to use one of your photos for a story I'm doing on Mount Hinman. Can you drop me a line? Thank you! jryan@kuow.org
Posted by:
johnry on Jan 13, 2023 07:34 AM
johnry on Mount Hinman, East Fork Foss - Necklace Valley, La Bohn Gap
Great photos! I'm KUOW reporter John Ryan and would like to use one of your photos for a story I'm doing on Mount Hinman. Can you drop me a line? Thank you! jryan@kuow.org
Posted by:
johnry on Jan 13, 2023 07:35 AM