OK, weekend warriors. I spent Wednesday night at Outpost Camp, hiked up to Trail Camp on Thursday, then came back down, broke camp as it was getting dark and hiked out to the Portal in the full moon light. Here's what I found going up and down, which should be what you'll encounter in the next couple of days -- plus or minus a lot of melting if DMatt's forecast bears out:
There's some snow with freeze/thaw crusting in the shaded areas even before you get to Lone Pine Lake. There's no serious snow until the switchbacks above Mirror Lake, and it's pretty packed down despite light use in the middle of the week. Easy to follow in the dark. At the end of Trailside Meadow, where the trail does some switchbacks starting at the 5-mile marker, the use trail goes straight ahead (and seemingly straight up) through a snow field. I managed it fine in just plain boots, no gaiters, even, as did the couple of other people I ran into (including Mark E. who was wearing shorts). The use trail reconnects with the Main Trail at the top of the snow field and more or less follows it the rest of the way to Trail Camp. You do top out a little south of where the trail puts you -- you're overlooking Consultation Lake and are separated from the rock-walled tent sites at TC by a little ridge. That's as far as I got.
I did not have, and did not wish for, crampons at any point up to there. That being said, I was wearing Yaktrax part of the way up and the whole way down, and they were really good for confidence as well as footing on the many crusted over stretches. There was one point coming back down to Mirrow Lake where there was a real glare-ice skating rink for about 20 feet, but it could be avoided around the edges.
In short, getting to and from Trail Camp: No crampons, no problem.
Happy Trails.
Phil
