I just looked at the snow report for the USDA monitoring station near where we were planning to camp and there is still 5 feet of snow. In 2006 which had the most snow in the last 5 years it was 4 feet at this time and we had to hike thru snow in the beginning of July.

The lodge will loan us snowshoes if we need them or we may have to find a new campsite for our first overnight.

In any case hiking in snow is more strenuous, so you should get serious about your conditioning.

I put a link to the CSS lab snow report page at the bottom of our trip page. https://donsnotes.com/ctl/introtobackpacking/index.html


REI is having a sale on a lot of hiking and camping equipment from 5/21-31. See http://www.rei.com

We are trying to get a representative from REI in Reno to come to Clair Tappaan Lodge and give us a talk. If there is any piece of equipment you would like to get more information on let me know and I can ask them to make some recommendations.

See their Expert Advice Section  for lots of good information.
Backpacking for Beginners: - www.rei.com/expertadvice/articles/backpacking+beginners.html
Camping and Hiking: www.rei.com/expertadvice/camping
last updated 14 May 2010