Arrowsmith recce

We brought skis on our trip to Arrowsmith today but hiking boots were the footwear of choice for the conditions we encountered. We found mostly bare rock and forest floor, but 10-20 cm of crunchy old snow in open areas. Where snow exists it was topped by fuzzy, rimed up hoar frost/surface hoar. We were turned around by sketchy verglas (thin ice layer) on rocks in a few sections of the saddle trail that was a bit much for our four-legged companion. Hiking is still possible in the area, but it is not free of hazard. Looking up at the shaded alpine slopes holding snow, we again took note that most avalanche-prone features are at threshold, with smooth surfaces ready to produce avalanches once new snow arrives. Cokely looked to have enough snow to support a high key billygoat descent on skis, but we opted to save our skis and bodies for another day.