Source Lake / Big Trees

I went for a tour in the Alpental Valley to look at all the recent avalanche debris and to see if there was any refreeze last night. The avalanche debris was easy to find, covering most of the open slopes, under cliffs, and along rock bands. Most slides appeared at least a day or two old. A few small releases appeared to have occurred in the last 24 hours. A light overnight inversion in the valley firmed up the surfaces at the valley bottom, but that's as far as it reached! Once moving off the lowest elevations, surfaces softened quickly. At middle elevations, the snow was very soft and mushy by 10 am.

Travel is getting a little tricky with the mushy snow and lesser coverage. Creeks have certainly widened, and the bridges spanning them are a bit more treacherous.

Snow coverage is still fairly good on north and east-facing terrain. Sun-exposed aspects aren't looking as enticing. Around the Alpental Valley, many south and west-facing slopes are patchy with coverage at best. Two separate pits were dug on N/NE aspects near 4,000 feet. The 3/25 crust was easy to identify, around 12 inches beneath the surface. I was surprised to find the 3/25 crust breaking down as water penetrated it. The 3/25 crust presented as 1-finger hard melt form in the top foot. Below that, the crust firms back up. Above the 3/25 crust, all the snow has taken on water, but the top 5 inches has the most. Water has collected along two crusts, 5 inches down, and 10 inches down from the surface.