Townsend and Welch Peaks

There’s very little snow on Townsend. I estimate there being around 50cm at most. Some rime ice & patches of rock and alpine brush to negotiate though, along w/ completely supportive crust. Welch Peaks was a bit more interesting: the conditions were like Townsend, but a bit more extreme in terms of the supportive crust; was a mild annoyance to kick steps into w/out crampons / w/ mountaineering boots — bootpen was minimal, including when heel plunging. Some small pockets of wind transport here & there, mixed in with the stout crusts; hard to predict where and how stable the snow would be without testing on the spot / using careful visual obs of the snow’s surface texture (melt forms were easier to make out on the crustier areas). Not enough snow to have a ton of avalanche concern the way I went, but it looked like there’s more fresh pow in the bowl NE of Welch Peaks. Didn’t go for Welch summit due to lack of daylight & tech tools (crampons, ice tools). Obscured all day with some S-2 in late afternoon.

Quick report