Hi All - quick update on trail conditions as of Saturday 10/17. My hiking partner and I got to the top at about 11:20 after starting at 2:35 from the portal. No meaningful snow on the trail until Trail Camp (about 3-6" left there in spots) but the switchbacks were snow covered. Fortunately the path was well packed down and I was able to avoid putting on crampons and did not need an axe, either. Important to have good treads and a hiking pole, though, for stability in some of the more exposed spots. The snow was powdery up high on the switchbacks, and we didn't post-hole AT ALL even on the way down. The sun stayed behind the clouds for most of the day, so the snow didn't soften up. Got back to the portal at about 6:15 just as it was starting to get dark. Temperatures were probably in the mid to high 20s on the summit - no issues with freezing camelbak tubes.
All of this being said, there was new snow all over the Sierra and the White Mountains today (10/18). Snow level seemed to be between 9500 and 10000 feet judging from what we saw during our drive north along 395. Looking at White Mountain peak from Bishop, I would estimate up to a foot of new snow up at the highest elevations.
