Steve - not to nitpick, but it appeaars people were using snowshoes within about 2 miles of the Portal, not several. The sign for the North Fork is about a mile, and the bog bridges where Walter turned right and headed up the Bighorn Meadow drainage bushwhack are just before Lone Pine Lake, which is around 3 miles. The photo where the 4 fellows are putting on snowshoes is about 1/2 way in between the North Fork turnoff and Lone Pine lake.
FWIW - Doug once told me that once the snow starts to melt, the snowline moves uphill about 500' a week. That factoid has stuck with me.
