'hey-la-day-la, the bush is back!'

Took *one last tour up Snowshed under sunny skies with the sounds of swollen creeks below. 

• Unless you have good aspect game, snow is virtually nonexistent/patchy below 4500', still "skinnable" from the village of Essex, however.
• On shaded aspects (getting hard to find this time of year), snow is generally 2' deep around 5000'; after a 'solid' refreeze, was supportable, and capped by a layer of hail stones from Monday nights thunderstorm
• Above 6000', a trace amount of recent snow (graupel), capped a strong, isothermic pack.
• Chalky, wind affected powder (3-6") existed on Northerlies above 7000' and along ridgeline, this snow was well bonded and skied well
• Essex Creek is holding a surprising amount of low elevation snow
• Little in the way of new avalanche sign, however the "wilderness boundary" icefalls calved (N facing), causing a D3 wet slab to release and send huge ice chunks the size of Volkswagon beetles towards Essex Creek
• The alder bush are waking their sleepy heads from their winter slumber and creeks are on the rise!

  Thanks for a great season