Quick report
I went into the day with minimal expectations for the snow quality. Suffice to say, that was the appropriate mindset/perspective to have. "Dust on crust" conditions existed in most of the terrain I traveled in (below Cathedral and in Hillman's Highway), with small pockets of soft wind slabs in specific terrain features. As today's avalanche forecast stated, it's possible to "trigger an avalanche in isolated areas of wind drifted snow." This proved to be quite accurate given the reactive hand shears (x3, all very soft slabs), and evidence of recent natural sluffs, that were observed in the steepest and most sheltered sections of Boott Spur Ridge. Again, as noted in the forecast, boot penetration was an early and obvious warning sign of a changing snowpack (especially below Cathedral & Stovepipe). Earlier in the morning I ran into a trusted professional who, when asked about the conditions simply replied, "I'll wait." With those wise words still ringing in my head, I bailed on my primary objectives and went with "plan B."