Hey Bob, looks like I followed in your footsteps! I went up Thor Yesterday with a coworker. Tom Sakai caught up with us while we were on the slope above LBSL.
I probably managed to get those shots from the summit you were hoping for.
For those interested in conditions, looks like there's still quite a bit of snow on the switchbacks. The highest switchback looks mostly clear however. I couldn't see the lower portion of the switchbacks. Numerous glissade paths were visible on the slope next to the switchbacks.
Mirror Lake is mostly melted out. Consultation Lake is still completely frozen. The main trail looks like it's probably clear to Outpost Camp. Looks like there is still a lot of snow beyond that point. A number of trails through the snow were visible.
On the North Fork side, there's no snow till LBSL. Beyond that is mixed snow with clear spots, though perhaps more snow than clear spots. UBSL still has a lot of ice but is beginning to break up. For those thinking about Russell, there's a very enticing looking strip of snow that goes all the way up to the Russell/Carillon saddle on the sandy slope above UBSL.
The Mountaineers Route from Iceberg Lake to the Notch still appears to have good snow coverage.
The quality of the snow (at least on Thor) was nice. It remained fairly firm into the afternoon and then softened up a bit. We hit some soft spots but overall I was happy with the quality.
Back at The Portal the store is churning out burgers! They're still as good as ever. We talked to Doug at the store. No problems finding a parking space. I was able to park almost right across from the trailhead.
My photos are here:
<a href="http://www.rickkent.net/ViewerPlus/viewer.asp?FolderID=399">Thor Peak - 06/12/05</a>
-Rick
