Very nice, Harvey! And great trip report.
Your day of epic hailstorms was no doubt August 11, the day I encountered epic hailstorms going over Mather Pass. A few photos below.
Fun catching up with you at the Hostel before you left.
Some pictures from the same time frame, a bit North.
Mather Pass Approach, Evening of April 10
I could have made it up and over. But I decided to camp at Upper Palisades Lake that night. The clouds cleared, but then started to build again overnight. At 2 a.m., when I saw the amount of clouds building I got up and packed all my bear but my tent, thinking I'd get over by the full moon. Then lightning hit, followed by an epic 3 a.m. hailstorm. Back into the tent. Finally, at 7 a.m., I packed up the tent and went for it. Up and over went fine despite variable conditions. But another 5-6 thunderstorms hit over the next few hours, including 2-3 additional hailstorms.
Views from Mather Pass.
