Hi folks,
I'm very interested in climbing Yosemite's Mt. Dana. At about 13000 ft it's not as tall as Whitney, but I understand the steepness of the trail makes it quite challenging.
Given the extremely dry conditions in the Sierra this year, might it be possible to climb Dana in February? If you've done the route before, is there a lot of snow? Ordinarily I wouldn't even think about attempting it in February, but I was in Yosemite last month and there was virtually no snow anywhere, with temps in the 60s and 70s, and it hasn't snowed since. And I see that Whitney is almost completely clear of snow at the moment too. So it seems like it might be a good opportunity for some winter climbs.
I'm mostly a summer hiker with only a few experiences climbing in snow with crampons. If Dana in February had a few icy patches to navigate I think I'd be fine, but if it were mostly snow and ice climbing, I'd probably choose to wait until later in the season.
