Marion Mountain Trail Conditions?

[Stockwell]

Hey all,

On the 18th and 19th I will be taking two buddies for our first trip up San J. via the Marion Mountain Trail. As of all the recent snowfall, I am assuming snow will begin right at the trail head, I have no idea how fast snow melts or what elevation it will start at if not at the trail head. We will be car camping on Friday night, climbing throughout Saturday.

I'm also hoping a packed in trail will be developed by next Saturday. Any comments on what you kind folks think I should expect, ie: trail conditions, weather (supposed to be very nice) etc.

Also a slight worry on my feet right now. I finally get to do this climb a little bit later in the season then I was hoping and was not expecting Snow for my first time on the mountain. Anyways, as of right now I have a $30-- pair of Hi-Tec Waterproof boots. I'm hoping some smart sock layering and a pair of gaiters or snowpants to keep snow out of the ankles will get us through the day fine. Any tips or tricks in the, "how do I keep my feet from freezing" regards would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers to all
Stockwell

[Pitownpi]

..well, I wish I had brought snowshoes today on Marion.
late start too..Mom&Dad dropped me off at Marion after leaving truck at Tram Parking.


microspikes were just perfect for the icy little 1-4"
yes there was snow at trailhead, had no idea there was that much snow over there, or that the trail was that uncrowded & raw!

Here's the easy going...

then it just got brutal........hours and hours of fresh tracks postholing 4", 8", then to the knees on every step...I had that sinking feeling in more than one way!

lot's of fields of untracked freshies...

Me and Delorme...actually had to pull it out and see where I was.

little round valley (hardest to get through there w/all the drifts) at 3pm wondering if I should turn around... figured I could blunder down to Tram by headlight IF I COULD just get to the saddle, so went for it........ the postholes to summit spur didn't look all that fun, and I was toast, so stuck to objective of Tram/truck/home. did see 3 guys on a C2C, still pushing towards the major postholes above 10k.

actually the posthole/trail condition above 10kft pretty horrific even on the Tram side! but still a great day out there...blue skies, un-tracked snow, a lot of work to be done out there peeps!
maybe then it'll be packed down...


yes, gaiters! and poles WITH SNOWBAILS!!!

[Stockwell]

Oh boy, I sure do hope it get's packed down. I don't even think I have gaiters available, not to mention my left pole broke :/

What time is the sun setting and how much later are headlamps crucial? I'd rather not have to pull out but if we run out of time I don't want to keep us up there for too long. I don't know how fast we'll be going, first time.

[Andy]

Great pics Pi,

aside from the tough going it looked like you had a great day to yourself on the ol west side of the mt.

[Ellen]

Howdy Pi

Thanks SO MUCH for posting the trip report and pictures -- you are a mountain stud I don't even want to think about the snow on the Snow Creek PCT and Fuller Ridge trail

When I've had to break trail on the San Bernardion peak trail, it has taken up to five hours to reach Limber Pine Bench -- twice as long as in dirt

I think we're in that inbetween stage where we don't have enough snow for good cross country snowshoeing but have too much for regular hiking

Miles of smiles and admiration,
Ellen

[Pitownpi]

What time is the sun setting and how much later are headlamps crucial?

sunset before 5pm! 10:19 hours sunlight...days are just too darn short heading into Winter Solstice..although, only had headlamp on for 20 minutes dropping along the well-stomped S.D. drainage towards Tram.. Get an Alpine or early start, (9:30 for me way to late).....and take turns leading, moonlight on snow helps.... Although, it appears another storm is due for the days you plan. but I'd have serious headlamp power for any fall/winter hikes in snow! emergency blankets et. al., change of socks! NO COTTON

I'd like to go back WITH SNOWSHOES....!!!
hate wet and cold, don't mind wet feet in summer but winter....not good.

aside from the tough going it looked like you had a great day to yourself on the ol west side of the mt.

yes...BLISS! Not windy or cold till about 10,000 feet!
my first time on that trail, the snow added a difficulty factor, and mystery of where is the trail=great solo adventure!

2 Ellen: thanx...I actually started to wish I was on C2C at one point...you know it was tough when the sidewalk to Tram feels EASY AND FUN!
AND I'm bringing snowshoes from now on!!!

[Stockwell]

Well I sure do wish I had the extra cash for snowshoe rentals. I guess our plan for now will be to line our boots with snowseal, and I am going to fashion up some inexpensive gaiters to keep our ankles dry. I am still hoping a trail is packed in by saturday. and wow, sunset before 5:00pm. We will get a very early start in that case.

BTW where do you get your weather info? I have been checking this site for the past week: http://www.mountain-forecast.com/peaks/ ... casts/3293, it says another system will creep in sunday and sunday night, but it says saturday is clear. Friday we will be car camping. I know weather is subject to change so if you have any more reputable sources that would be great!

[Andy]

Stockwell,

Try this link for weather forecasts. By zooming in and re-centering the red rectangle on the map you can pinpoint a specific area and altitude....pretty helpful for back country planning.

http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=33.80739384305862&lon=-116.67969703674316&site=sgx&unit=0&lg=en&FcstType=text

Keep in mind as accurate as this seems, you'll still want to plan on a worst case scenario.

[Stockwell]

Well, thanks for the link. I'll keep an eye on webcams and that site. My first large peak and I am already running into weather window problems.

We'll just have to wait until saturday to see I guess.

[Lermo]

Hi Pi,

Marion Mountain trail is steep without snow so you cranked out some major trail effort on that one! Beautiful pictures from a beautiful day. Bet you slept good last night.