Snow continues to block some high-country trails

Now that it's well into August, you would think that snow should have ceased to be an issue on the high-country trails. Think again.

The Forest Service continues to issue bulletins warning of snow covering trails. Hardly a week goes by without news of lost hikers; and, almost invariably, this is because hikers became disoriented when they wandered off trails that were obscured under - sometimes - several feet of snow.

Just last week, the Forest Service reported, "High-elevation summer trail access is limited due to the above-average snowfall....expect to find many trails difficult to impossible to get thru due to blowdown and/or snow."

Even serious hikers are experiencing difficulties in the deep late-season snow. Two weeks ago, Forest Service officials reported that they found an "exhausted and distraught" hiker who had been struggling in the snow on the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) south of McKenzie Pass for two days. According to a Forest Service trail bulletin, the hiker "reported hiking nearly solid snow and postholing for two days south of McKenzie Pass before turning around, returning to Hwy. 242 exhausted and with leg injuries."

"Postholing" occurs when the surface of deep snow fails to support the weight of a hiker, and each step results in the hiker's leg plunging deeply into the snow.

Forest Service trails specialist Chris Sabo said, "Remaining snows are melting rapidly but snow continues to block many favorite higher elevations into wilderness areas and PCT sections. Approximately 35-40% of the PCT from Mt. Jefferson to Mt. Thielsen remains under snow, with four to six feet of snow in some areas possible. Losing the trail in snow covered sections is likely."

He also advised that hikers should "keep in mind that many north-facing and heavily shaded slopes at lower elevations have residual snow drifts in patchy form that may block roads and trails for hundreds of feet. Even with the increase in snow melt, expect higher elevations on either side of the Cascade Crest to remain gripped in snow for some time yet, likely into late August for several high-elevation locations."

Because of the snow conditions, the Forest Service has been recommending trails in the Sisters area such as Black Butte, Metolius River, Lake Creek, Peterson Ridge, portions of the Metolius/Windigo, and Head of Jack Creek.

Significant portions of the PCT remain buried in snow, and one PCT through-hiker from Sisters reported to The Nugget that she was experiencing "TONS of snow" all along the route. She was scheduled to continue on through the McKenzie and Santiam pass regions this past weekend.

Last week Sisters hikers encountered heavy snow at around 5,200 feet just northwest of Santiam Pass. Three weeks ago, the route from Duffy lake to Santiam Lake was virtually impassable, although it was reported open last week. South of Santiam Lake, however, snow still covered major sections of trail between Santiam Pass and Santiam Lake.

Starting about a half-mile south of Santiam Lake, deep snow still covered most of the trail to a point about a mile south of the lake. Although the trail was completely covered in some areas, hikers were able to very slowly travel the area with caution.

If entering such areas, hikers should possess advanced orienteering skills and/or a GPS and the ability to use it properly. Trail-marking supplies should also be carried. Hikers should be equipped to spend the night in the woods with adequate emergency supplies and provisions, and they should never travel alone.

An additional complication of the late snow melt this year has been that clearing of downed trees and other trail maintenance by Forest Service personnel and volunteers has been delayed several weeks. This is likely to affect conditions all season long and probably into next season.

With each warm day, the snow is continuing to retreat, but hikers should be aware of, and prepared for, the current conditions and possess the knowledge of how to cope with the unexpected. In the weeks ahead, conditions will improve, but hikers can still expect to encounter isolated problem areas. Since we sometimes see fall snow beginning even before Labor Day, maybe this will be a year when the glaciers will not be shrinking.