It seems like only yesterday Trauma and I were putting last minute touches to our preparations  before heading out on our Great Himalaya Traverse. Nearly two years and two weeks to the day I look outside these same front windows to Trauma’s tiny cabin and see quite a different scene. Particularly when it comes to how much white stuff is still on the ground.

    By contrast, when we left for Nepal, Tahoe was in the midst of an epic 10ft March storm on top of the record breaking 800” we’d already seen that season. The snow line was nearly up to the power lines, roads were closed and only accessible by snowmobile, and the yurt I was living in was, quite literally, about to collapse. The picture I see outside right now is about as far along the spectrum of ideal as you can get. It’s 60 degrees, birds are chirping and I see a lot of brown. All shades of ski-inhibiting brown.

    All winter Trauma and I have had one plan for the spring. A plan that has been on our ‘must list’ for the last 3 years. Four hundred miles out our front door down to Whitney by ski, plain and simple. The logistics would be easy. Seeing familiar terrain in a new light would be the goal as well as trying out a different mode of long distance travel.

    December started off great with a quick series of storms that already had us over 200% of normal snowpack for the month. Things were looking good, but then came January...and February......and then March. All three months with nary a single storm that could muster up more than 15” of fresh beautiful powder. Locals were getting excited about 3” storms. That defined our powder days this winter! But here we are halfway through April and the show must go on, albeit with a few amendments. We will now be starting at Sonora Pass, effectively trimming about 150mi of distance in order to maximize our time in the high country. All ski resorts in the area will be closed by next weekend, but we at least will still be out moving with skis in tow. We both hope they spend more time on our feet than on our packs. Thus defining the art of Hike Touring.

By the number:

Dates: April 15-30th

Distance: 250mi from Sonora Pass to Mt Whitney

Elevation: 8000-13,000ft’

Route: Mostly following the JMT corridor with a few High Route variants

Temps: Daytime highs in the 40/50s, overnight lows in the teens

Current snow pack: 53% of average, 47” base reported at Sonora Pass

Resupplies: (1) Mammoth Lakes

Total Base Weight: 15lbs