Indian Peaks at 10k-11k ft or so THIS weekend (yesterday!..may 23rd) near the Continental Divide.

http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs027.snc1/4283_1152447855129_1345632202_386735_1426772_n.jpg

This is why many of us who know Colorado say wait a few weeks. :)

Nice spring snow shot, Mags. My ski partner Tom said he skied from the summit of James Peak (13,200') all the way to the parking lot (10,000') on continuous snow last week, pretty rare this time of year.

I'd like to credit for it..but it is not my shot. :) A friend went climbing this weekend up in the Indian Peaks. I stuck to my local haunts in the foothills due to social obligations/not wanting to go above treeline to be in the fog! :D

The San Juans got a lot of snow late this year. Its probably snowing up there right now.:) Unless we get some continuous heat and lots of it there will be snow -and lots of it- 'till July.

The San Juans got a lot of snow late this year. Its probably snowing up there right now.:) Unless we get some continuous heat and lots of it there will be snow -and lots of it- 'till July.

I posted this photo in response the glut of postings on here, CDT-L and Trailforums about hiking the CDT/CT (or nearby) in early June or even MAY (!?!?!).

Nice to see a locals (or recent locals in the case of my two friends above!) back me up.:) (For those not familiar with the area, the San Juans typically get the most snow in Colorado..and typical do not really open up until early July for most people.)

As I like to say, not that you can't do it..it just may not be fun.

I'm a wus myself and will let Ma Nature do the work for me first before I backpack. ;-)

I don't know it looks like a walk in the park provided you can make your own snowshoes from scratch in a pinch... Where is Jeramiah Johnson?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeremiah_Johnson


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liver-Eating_Johnson (where the story is based) ???

While I'm one of the ones that's going to be heading out in early June, I'm agreeing with the snow birds. I hiked up near Kennebec Pass from La Plata Canyon a week or two ago in the San Juans. This is one of the more tame areas in this range, and it was still a chore moving once we got above 10,000'. Some spots were next to bare, but there were other spots where it went beyond post-holing. My friend went in to shoulder height (hidden tree just under the surface) at one point, and it was pretty lucky she wasn't alone. Like everyone's been saying....hiking early isn't impossible, and it can still be very enjoyable, but BE CAREFUL.

that's one wicked picture