saw this video linked from one of the pulk sites:
http://www.grandshelters.com/video/MVI_2580.movshows a pretty heavily loaded sled being snow-shoe'd down a powder hill side. Not as steep as some of the slopes on the JMT, but from what I see here, it's probably easier to go down loose powder than to keep this stuff straight behind you when the snow is solidly packed
I figure that I can bypass some nasty hillsides by changing my route, such as Bear Ridge, but ultimately, I gotta be able to get my gear across steep terrain. Maybe I should just plan on a big pack and get used to that idea.
Water in April - unlikely to be the time that brings the highest water. I recently looked at the monthly fill data for the reservoirs and they really don't start start filling up at all before May. I think if I am on the trail around April 1, I should be able to dodge the beginning of spring in the high country. All the wet crossings on the JMT are at higher elevation, which buys me a few more days - down low we usually get to use bridges for the bigger streams (Woods Creek, Piute Creek, Fish Creek, Mono Creek). If anyone knows from experience that April is getting too late for lower water levels, I guess I gotta go earlier and bring more batteries for the headlight.
