This is my attempt to summarize my trip from 6/29-7/1.
Group: 3 of us. All first timers and have been using mountains like Baldy as training preparation. We didn't have any snow experience.
Equipment: We brought trekking poles and the Hillsound Trail Crampons which are flexible spikes that are in between microspikes and Crampons.
Weather: Great weather as it was sunny, moderate temperatures, and very little wind.
Route: Main trail and we camped at Trail Camp for two nights. We went up and down the Chute and also came down the Old Trail on our descent, but the first river crossing up wasn't bad.
Description: We had read multiple reports from this forum of varying opinions on the snow impacts before our trip. Many were saying that Crampons and ice axes were musts and having the technical skills and know how to glissade was mandatory. However, after completing this, we were able to safely scale the Chute with our poles and semi-crampons and able to glissade as first timers with a little practice at the top of the chute.
The river crossings weren't terrible. The first one you cross is probably the largest one with a decent flow of water. At the time we crossed (6/29) it was probably about knee deep in the deepest areas but you could hit rocks that allowed you to step and not have any water bleed into your boots. The only other one I would mention would be the small stream right before you hit Outpost camp. We were forced to take off our shoes and just wade in the freezing waters barefoot. If you choose to use your shoes, just note that it'll seep in as the water gets about knee deep in the middle.
Our first true snow was after you summit the rocks leading out of Outpost Camp and hit the middle boulders heading to Trail Camp. Strap on as you'll likely need your spikes in this area.
Trail Camp was relatively snow free in the camping areas with snow only on the sides and middle. We summited the next day (6/30) up the Chute which took us 3-4 hours. Our group was slower than the average. I didn't find the difficulty to be terrible but you just want to take your time and really dig your poles or axe into the snow. I liked the technique of kicking into the snow with my toes first vs trying to land flat footed.
Once you get to the top of the Chute, the next 2 miles to the summit are snow free and offer gorgeous views of Sequoia. Keep note that when you're close to the Summit, you'll have a tough climb with switchbacks and mini bouldering. Keep an eye out for the Cairns as those will lead the way the last .2-.3 miles.
On our descent, we didn't want to walk down the chute and wanted to experience glissading. We had never done anything like it, however, were told to lean a little on your side and use the handle of our trekking poles to dig into the snow and brake. Putting your weight onto this allowed us to easily slow down. If we felt unsafe at any moment, self arresting by putting more weight onto the handle and using our feet spread out helped us stop. We were able to go down the Chute in a couple mins.
The next day leaving Trail Camp to Outpost can get a little tricky as the path we followed in the snow led us to the right of the boulders where there's a steady stream of water under thin snow pack. Not sure how to exactly pinpoint, but once you get closer to the boulders, but staying a little left center allows you to get onto the rocks easily. We did see some Cairns that indicated where we should go.
After Outpost, it's a pretty easy hike down and definitely recommend stopping at lone pine lake to visit.
Overall: We had a wonderful experience. It was definitely a struggle at times with our pack weight, our fatigue at high altitudes, and just the exhaustion from lack of sleep that naturally comes with a trip of this sorts. We didn't really understand the strong concerns for people who aren't familiar with Glissading or hiking in snow. Think you just can practice a bit at the lower levels and be okay after a few mins.
