Mt Aix Trail

A large section of continuous snow stopped us roughly two miles shy of the Mt. Aix Trailhead at 3400 ft. Based on our visual observations of the snow line and for timing reasons, we decided to leave the skis behind and opt for lighter packs. The drainage held patchy snow coverage, but this wasn't the case as we ascended above the trailhead along the Mt. Aix trail. These low/mid-elevation west aspects were largely melted out, which made for more efficient travel on the dry summer trail. However, this once again changed above 5200 ft, where firm, patchy snow became more prevalent. Unfortunately, the recent light accumulations weren't really enough to improve travel over the crust. While we didn't make it above treeline, we had a few glimpses throughout the day that showed signs of recent wind loading and warming on steep sun-exposed slopes above 6000 ft. New snow accumulations appeared light at the upper elevations. 

Overall, the snowpack is very aspect-dependent and often inconsistent below 6000 ft, making travel quite challenging in this part of the East South. Looking across the road, snow lines are significantly lower on the N-E aspects of American & Miners Ridge as you'd expect. We ran into one skier who reported rugged travel and barely 2 inches over a widespread crust on the other side of the road on Miners Ridge.