San Jacinto (3-8-03)

Snow was still sticking at 4,800 feet. Humber Park was completely cleared for parking, everywhere else was covered with a few nice inches of snow. Devil's Slide Trail was a mix of crusty snow and slush. No crampons needed before Saddle Junction, although many people were opting to use snowshoes. From the junction on it was tough. Without snowshoes we only made it an additional mile or so, up to 8,800 feet. There was much more snow than anticipated, causing us to post-hole knee-deep most of the way up. Very frustrating. Other than that, an absolutely perfect day. Temps in the 50's, not a cloud in the sky, and just a small breeze present. We saw a lot of melt off by the time we came back down the trail. I would suspect the trail will be passabe to the summit by next weekend. Cramponsmay be useful.