Conditions on Shepherd pass (Williamson/Tyndall)?

[gauss]

Hi all,

Does anyone have any info on the current conditions for the Shepherd pass trail and/or ascents to Mounts Williamson and Tyndall? Is it possible to camp at 12+k feet not on snow? Are crampons/ice axe needed? Are there still snow bridges?

We went up to Anvil camp on June 4, and Symmes creek at the bottom was pretty difficult to cross. The creek before Mahogany Flats had a nice snow bridge, and snow seem to have 100% coverage starting at ~10,500'. However, a lot of time has passed, so we expect significantly less snow now (we plan to go next week). For instance, here they claimed that as of July ~2nd no crampons were needed.
http://www.whitneyzone.com/wz/ubbthread ... #Post50743
Moreover, we just did Langley on July 16 and there was barely any snow on NAP.

Any info would be appreciated, thank you.

[gauss]

I finally got to go and climb Tyndall on Aug 20, so I thought I’d share a few notes:
- The 4 crossings of Symmes creek at the beginning are much easier now thanks to makeshift bridges (one was started by us back in May!)
- Sources of water are at Symmes, the creek 300’ below Mahogany flat, Anvil, the Pothole, and the lakes at Shepherd pass
- The last 600’ of trail leading up to Shepherd pass are washed out and you pretty much have to go straight up on scree. A bit arduous, but not dangerous
- At the top of Shepherd pass there was a small snow patch that was a bit unnerving (if you slip, you’d fall pretty far), but can be crossed without crampons, ice axe, or poles by being a bit careful and using other people’s tracks
- Went up the North Rib and it was quite fun. Especially at the top (13,800’) when you’re supposed to cross over to the left. There was some ice and snow, so we continued a bit more on some fun class 3 scramble and crossed to the chute just before the ridge. If there’s still ice, I recommend this approach.
- The final boulder hopping on the ridge that leads to Tyndall’s summit is fantastically fun, and the views were great!

Well, I hope this is helpful.
Cheers