I'm in.

Andrew - They are Alpina 1575 boots. Not sure about the relative fit. I think my feet are "normal" despite what my wife says.

Hey Ya'll,

UC Berkeley Grad Student UL'r interested in potentially joining everyone +1 or 2...are we digging snow caves or are people bringing proper 4-Season tents? Also, it's not clear what the finalized dates are...lastly several of the Sierra huts near Tahoe appear to have openings that weekend...could be cool to do a hut and camp...Thoughts?

Thanks,

Phil

A good way to work it is to organize gear such that there are enough good tents to be able to shelter everybody, and also enough shovels that everybody can take a crack at building a snow shelter. The reason is that sometimes the snow is really bad, too thin, or otherwise difficult to use for any sort of snow shelter, and also that sometimes it is intensely cold, and the tents might be uncomfortable.

So, prepare for both and then see which method works best for the conditions that you run into.

I led a beginner snow camping trip once about thirty years ago, and we put seven people into a 3-person tent. They stayed awfully warm.

--B.G.--

I'd like to go, so put me down as a tentative yes. I'll either be bringing my SMD Wild Oasis (Hoping the netting doesn't freeze with the snow), or a waterproof breathable bivy and digging a snow trench. I'd be interested in digging a Quinzee hut if the conditions are right.

Hey gang.

To recap for those who may not have have noticed - I updated the original post a few days ago to reflect popular opinion on the trip location and dates.


Scott's Lake is outside of both Desolation and Mokelumne wilderness; Tahoe Basin Management is responsible for the area and they confirmed all we need is a campfire permit. The bad news is, the parking lot at the trailhead is not plowed in the winter and might not be much more than a turnout. The Ranger indicated there is a wide shoulder there which is normally used for chain up and *IF* the roads are not under chain control at the time, overnight parking is allowed. Ranger said we can confirm this with the highway patrol.

My guide book says use the parking lot, other info online says park along the highway down the road from the trailhead. Not sure how I'm feeling about the parking, if snow is in the forecast it could become an issue.

Thoughts?

David, I think I won't risk it on whether the boots fit or not. It would suck to get out there and find out they don't. Thanks for the offer to share, though.

Jacob, it sounds risky to depend on the forecast to not get out cars towed - I assume that's what would happen if we were parked there and they started chain control. If there isn't any other parking than the chain control area, that might be a good reason to go to Devils Dancefloor...

Andrew - agreed. I think I'll try to speak with the highway patrol and if I can't get this sorted tomorrow, maybe a change of location is in order.

No sweat Andrew.

Destination option: Peter Grubb hut?

Peter Grubb Hut has a Sno-Park lot near Boreal. You just need to get a permit.

--B.G.--

Hey Ya'll,

I called up there today and the first available at Peter Grub is 3/30 for 4 people...sorry to be the bearer of bad tidings.

FWIW - I'm pretty sure we can camp out anywhere in the valley around the hut. Which I would rather do anyway.

But it's just a suggestion....

"I'm pretty sure we can camp out anywhere in the valley around the hut."

Yes. I've seen people camping about 75 yards northwest of the hut.

Some people hike in there expecting to be a squatter at the hut. One guy had been living in the hut for more than two months, and he burned up all of the firewood. The next group with reservations got a harsh surprise.

I was staying in the hut one time when two people came to the door. They were snow camping and one person was getting hypothermic. So, we sat that person down next to the wood stove and served them hot drinks until they were OK. Then they returned to their camp out in the woods.

--B.G.--

I'm fine with wherever we end up going. My plan is to come up on Friday and use skis. The more skiers the bigger my grin will be.

deleted

Edited by JacobD on 02/21/2013 17:47:18 MST.

Jacob passed the following information on to me to post when BPL came back online.

"CHP...said that the turnout should be plowed, the parking lot (where my book says to park) is not plowed and is closed. Parking in the turnout or along the highway is ok as long as not signed for no parking *HOWEVER* if snow removal conditions occur it's possible that our vehicles may be towed. He also mentioned they've had some break in's out there when vehicles have been parked overnight. He recommended parking in Christmas Valley, which is about 2 miles up the road from the trailhead, or parking at the sno park in Hope Valley, which makes for a shorter but steeper hike to Scott's Lake in avalanche prone terrarin (from what I've read). That sounds less fun.

So, if the weather looks clear we should be good, other than some break in risk.

If the weather is uncertain, or snowing we'd have to park 2 miles away, and hope we find parking.

It might not be the best idea for a group trip unless everyone is on board with the risks."

I believe Jacob will respond later this evening. I mentioned to him that we could still plan for the Big Meadow to Scott's Lake route pending weather and the number of interested parties. If there is greater interest and/or the weather forecast calls for snow, we should probably look at doing the trip out of the Sno-Park lot near Donner and choosing a camp near Peter Grubb hut.

Edited by cobberman on 02/05/2013 13:16:07 MST.

If we need an alternative Peter Grubb sounds good. Another location in this general area is Echo Lake area which has a sno-park.

Eric, thanks for posting that for me. I just got back in... long day.

Richard, I'd prefer Grubb Hut over Echo Lake area (my usual stomping grounds up there).

I'm ok with changing the plan up to hiking out to the Grubb Hut and camping around there somewhere if that's the popular vote. I am still interested in Big Meadow / Scott's Lake / Waterhouse Peak but I don't want the parking issues to weigh on anyone. The weather shouldn't be too hard to call a few days in advance.

Hey All -

Just thought I would post up this thread and see what's up.

Anything new?

Everyone still in?

I'm still in. I dont think anything has changed. I like Eric's suggestion of sticking to the plan and if we expect snow change to the Grubb Hut vicinity.