Checked the Portal on the 12 th warm in the Portal mid 50's not a good sign , these warm temps at the lower elevation can give a false sense of conditions above. About 20 cars in the lots , some parked in the lower lots and can get snowed in , road signs put up Portal road is now closed for the season , the mid gate could be locked soon so will be a wait and see.
The system moving in now will change all reports from the last few days , snow will cover the tracks and trail and wind will cause drifts , looks like unstable conditions for the next week at least.
Several rescues recently and one recovery , very sad that this pattern repeats each spring and fall. I was down at Baldy over the week end and we talked about the same cycle on Baldy . The range of experience levels and gear are factors but anyone can slip and fall , be caught off guard as conditions change during the day , just add to your bag of tricks the thought of not if -when , every step should be tested and every route choice should be questioned for conditions .We often are our worst enemy I know many times saying to myself That was a stupid choice or act.
Keep watching the webcam for snow coverage and do the replay to see how the system has moved in or out
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