Bottom Line:
I should have taken the winter route! I tried the summer route, as I could see the south-facing upper reaches of both Bandera and Granite were largely snow free on the drive up I90. But the warm conditions today were not conducive to completing the final 2-1/2 switchbacks up to the saddle, with a warm snowpack threatening a wet avalanche that might not bury you but could propel you down the slope towards hazards. There was no trail broken beyond where I stopped, with folks trying to scale the cliff bands rather than follow the boardwalk summer trail, which I am sure would be much easier :) On the way back, I hiked out to Source Lake and the winter trail - it looked MUCH easier, and there were plenty of skiers heading up :) And yes, I am a tad embarrassed I did not make it do the saddle :)
Stats:
- Distance: 5-3/4 miles
- Vertical: 1160 ft
- Duration: 2-3/4 hours
- Road/Parking: Plenty of parking at the Alpental parking lot. There is a QR code to scan to pay for parking (cell reception is good), which is pretty steep in the winter if you are not a Snoqualmie Summit pass holder (I am, although I have not skied there once this year so at least I got a day of parking out of my pass!!). The lower parking lot was empty when I arrived around 11am but had a few cars on the return. Toilets available, and real ones in the ski area lodge!
- Weather: Sunny with increasing cloud, 40-50Fs, no wind. There is little snow left on the trees, so no dripping trees or bombs. The Northwest Avalanche Center listed the danger as "Low" below 5500 ft (which would get you to the saddle), and "Moderate" above. Unfortunately, the day was warmer than expected and the snowpack was deep and isothermal on the final switchbacks up to the saddle, making navigation difficult (there was no broken trail, and postholing was up to the waist in spots). I followed their guidance and turned around as I was sinking in well beyond my ankles, and a wet avalanche would definitely propel one down the slope into a terrain trap. Besides, I have a few ski days left down in Oregon for this week's storm, and I did not want to injure myself!
- Trail: The trail is 100% snow-covered - microspikes and poles are super useful. While some creeks have melted out the snow (with deep dips to navigate down to the water), others are still covered by snow bridges; listen for water and look for the punch-thru holes exposing the voids underneath. Area of avalanche debris near (across the trail) and far on distant peaks. Temperatures were relatively warm overnight, so the snow is not really set. There are a handful of down trees on the trail, but all easy to get under/over. The snow is deeper than expected, but not "dirty" at all - really was a pleasant, mid-winter scene. The main track has enough traffic to keep to well-compressed, so no post-holing until the final switchbacks up to the saddle, which became wet isothermal concrete with multi-foot holes and obstacles. I will give it a little more time :) Would not be a problem with skis (aside from the steepness), but hiking boots and snowshoes are going to sink right in until we have a deep freeze. It goes without saying that running shoes are not going to get you there despite many attempts otherwise today! :>
- Takeaway: There should be some new snow this week, so the snow is likely to get a little wilder before it starts to thin out on the switchbacks. I do want to make it down to the lake while it is semi-frozen with blue pools of water above the ice - unusual for this time of year! Looking forward to packrafting on the lake, although "the bergs" are likely to be smaller this year, and melt-out much earlier (usually target mid-June but it may be months earlier with so little snow).
There are higher resolution pics at the attached Instagram link.
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