Mount Cannon

Trail: Lonesome Lake Trail, Hi-Cannon Trail, Kinsman Ridge Trail, Rim Trail

Conditions: Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow - Spring Snow, Snow/Ice - Postholes

“The two of us set off wearing spikes as the Lonesome Lake Trail had a nicely laid firm track. As we looked up the turn to the Hi-Cannon Trail, the snowshoes went on and stayed on for the rest of the day. The trail was wrecked with many many postholes by prior hikers without the benefit of snowshoes. Some of the postholes were so deep we couldn't see the bottom. "Anyone down there?" We scrambled around a number of blowdowns. Once we got to the Kinsman Ridge Trail and the Rim Trail, for the rest of the hike the surface was like a hiker's dream highway with an occasional posthole. All day the traction was great, including the ladder on the Hi-Cannon Trail. Soft underfoot but not sloppy. This was particulary appreciated on the steep descent on the Kinsman Ridge Trail. While the snow is melting fast, there is still 6+ feet of snow on the mountain.”

Trail: Kinsman Ridge Trail

Conditions: Ice - Blue, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Snow - Wet/Sticky, Snow - Spring Snow, Snow/Ice - Postholes, Slush

“We timed this one pretty well. There is a solid base but you really need to watch your footing to be sure you are on it. There was evidence of postholes from the weekend and some of them are so deep that I yelled into them to make sure the person wasn't still down in there somewhere. There were 2 icy spots but with the warm temps, the ice was soft and we still had decent purchase. As the temps warmed the snow got stickier and siush began to form but nothing like what we had over the weekend. Start early, wear your snowshoes and watch your footing. That's the ticket. We saw 6 others today all in snowshoes so the trail should be nicely preserved for tomorrow. Snowshoes door to door. Leave the spikes in the car.”

Trail: Kinsman Ridge Trail

Conditions: Ice - Blue, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Snow - Wet/Sticky, Snow - Spring Snow, Snow/Ice - Postholes, Slush

“Two of us out and back to Cannon via the Tramway parking area & Kinsman Ridge Trail. Snow base is still very deep, 3' on average with plenty of area of drift base on the plateau as 6' in places. Bare rock at Old Man overlook. Temperature inversion today, with summit temps in the 40s, warm breeze, and a lot of melt-off going on. Mashed potato snow, very soft even along the packed base in places; snowshoes were the right tool for the hike. Step off the packed trail base just a little bit, even with snowshoes, and your leg takes a trip to the center of the earth. Couple minor icy spots. Should get even more interesting (and not in a good way) this week with rain and warm weather in the forecast. Saw about ~8 hikers and a couple hike-up skiers on the way.”