Attempted overnight, did not complete. I decided the final log bridge before Jade Lake was too slippery with slush to cross. Started around 0900, turned around at 1330 and returned to car around 1630.
It rained almost the entire time I was hiking. When it wasn't raining, it was sleet or graupel. I kept hoping I would gain enough elevation for it to become snow proper, but it never happened. The slush started accumulating somewhere around 3000', and made the trail extremely slippery. See photo below of the log crossing before Jade Lake. I passed one other group of backpackers and showed them, they also decided to turn around.
While the forecast called for wind, and I saw some in the lowlands driving out, I never experienced any wind on this trail. Checked NOAA and in the seven hours I was on trail it rained about 1".
There's a new blowdown (approx 3' diameter) about five minutes into the trail, and one smaller one a few miles in. The lower trail towards the back of those first five miles had many stretches of pooled water. The upper trail has many stretches of running water over the trail where it could be diverted off with some work.
Overall very glad I got out and spent the day on trail, but also glad I decided not to overnight. Would have been a very wet and chilly night. Also, while I was packing up at the car on the way out, several cars with SAR came zooming down the road, perhaps towards the West Fork Foss trail. Stay safe out there!
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