The parking lot is freshly graded and completely pothole free. Come enjoy it while it lasts! All the blowdowns from the recent windstorms have been cleared from the trail. You can tell some people have put in a bunch of trail work recently so if you're reading this, thank you!
Besides some icy snow on the wood walkways at Snag Flat (which should be mostly gone by tomorrow afternoon) the snow doesn't start until about 2,800 feet. This is where I donned microspikes for the remainder. With the sun melting out many spots, you could probably wait until 3,000 feet tomorrow. Just know that with the current very cold overnight lows and dry weather, the snow has been heavily compacted and is extremely icy and slick in the morning. Even in the afternoon much of the trail is in perpetual shade so caution is advised and traction devices are recommended.
The talus rock outcroppings at the top are melting out a bit more in the sunshine and make the climb up a bit easier. I blazed a trail up the backside of the second rock "peak" through about a foot of snow. Hopefully someone will find it useful in the coming days. The temp was very cold but with the sun shining and little wind it was very pleasant at the top. Had it all to myself for a good 20 minutes too. A bit surprised there were so few people on such a beautiful bluebird day. I'll certainly take it though!
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