Hi smasherbot - nice trip report and welcome to the site. Looks like we're practically neighbors. I live Colton.
You said that you saw people in the chute with only hiking boots and trekking poles. Would you have felt comfortable with this? If not, how about microspikes and trekking poles?
I hiked Cirque Peak this past weekend. One thing to think about is that climbing and descending are very different. As we neared the summit, I hiked with just hiking poles. On the descent, I put on my micros and headed down the same route. I quickly realized it was a bad idea and found a different way down. The chute looks much steeper than what I was dealing with and your options are very limited.
