Not much to see here

We traveled to the Middle Fork to look for recent avalanches associated with Thursday's warm temperatures and intense solar input, strong winds from early in the week, and the development of a surface slab above a weak faceted layer. The drainage I chose almost always produces, but we came away disappointed today.

• On southerlies, we noted several D1.5 wet loose slides along with a half dozen slopes that had rollerball activity.
• Approximately ten northerly slopes had rollerballs from dry snow becoming wet for the first time.
• We did not observe any slab avalanches.
• There is widespread evidence of wind-affected snow at all elevations in this open basin.
• A supportable 1-2 inch thick surface crust capped the surface at low and mid-elevations. Sun, warm temperatures, or wind formed this crust. Or a combination of all three.
• Cool temperatures kept the integrity of the crust intact throughout the day.