This was a snow-camping field trip with the Mountaineers. The road into Longmire was plowed and sanded, but still had a layer of packed snow and ice. I used 4WD to get in and I don't know that I would have felt safe without it. We met at Longmire at 9:30 and our trip leaders got the backcountry permits for our group so we could stay out overnight. When you get your permit, the rangers will tell you where you can camp and where to park, so I'm not going to include that in this trip report. The road to Paradise was closed due to the massive amount of snowfall the park received; the road looked pretty plowed, so I imagine this was due to avalanche danger as opposed to road conditions.
The Wonderland Trail is pretty well-trodden at this time, so it was no issue following it. I would recommend wearing snowshoes, even on the packed portions of trail as there are some surprisingly soft parts. And, even if you don't mind post-holing, you're punching holes in the trail, which makes travel more difficult and less safe for everyone else on the trail. We passed a few groups coming down the trail, pretty much everyone was masked and stepped aside to let our group pass.
We reached our destination and set up camp. There was another group in the area practicing avalanche rescue, otherwise it was just us! We had specific activities planned as a part of the field trip, so that took up the majority of our daylight hours. We had patches of sun throughout the day that felt wonderful. Overnight temperatures were in the high 20s and we were in a clearing surrounded by trees, so we didn't get much wind. It snowed lightly overnight, so I occasionally woke up to the sound of snow clumps sliding off my tent. But all around, it was a pretty comfortable night of sleep!
The next day was completely overcast and a bit warmer than the previous day. The snow was wetter and more compacted and we had to watch out for giant clumps of snow falling from the trees. The weather started dry, then we had a light dusting of snow, which then changed to a misty rain. After completing the day's activities, we packed up and made the trek back.
We crossed paths with quite a few groups on the way down, most of whom were wearing masks. Those who weren't wearing them were kind enough to step off trail and turn away as we passed. Usually, downhill travelers yield to uphill travelers on trail, but a few members of our group were pulling gear sleds, which did not allow for them to step off trail. We really had to watch out for falling snow on the trail. The clumps falling from the trees were large and wet and heavy. So, especially if you have smaller children, watch out for this on warmer days.
Back at the parking lot, pretty much everything had melted out from the previous day. The lot was quite busy with cars and snowshoers coming and going. All around, this was a really great experience for my first snow backpacking trip and I'll definitely have to do it again!
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