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I'm planning on hiking and snowshoeing from Babe Haught to Knoll Lake on Sunday.

This kind of thing is not for everybody, but if you have the gear and don't mind stormy, cold weather and hiking in terrain that will run the range from rocky, desert mud to 1 foot of fluffy snow on top of 2+ feet of crusty snow, let me know.

This plan is subject to change due to the forecast, but for now I'll be leaving the valley Sunday morning for a 9am start at Babe Haught.

There may or may not be snow at the trailhead to begin with (snow level for this storm is questionable), and the hike up to the rim will go through an unpleasant transition zone where microspikes may be the preferred traction choice. Once on the rim, snowshoes will be the best method of transport.

The forecast calls for 80% chance of snow showers on Sunday with an additional snowfall of 2-4", temperatures in the low to mid 30s, and winds of 15mph.

Have you scouted up there lately? Our snow is nearly gone in Flagstaff. Anything with a south-facing exposure is likely to be snow-free below 8000'. North-facing aspects and ravines will have some more, but it's probably going to be more mushy than crusty.

If you go, I would just be prepared to carry the snowshoes for a lot of the hike.

UPDATE: looking at the forecast, that area may get a bunch of snow on Saturday night, so that would change the conditions, obviously.

Karl and I need to try out our new gear! Only issue is mine has arrived, and his hasn't...we are in, if the mailman makes the delivery!

@slowandsteady
Cool! I hope that works out.

I'm pretty sure Joe, Tibber, Richard, and JJ will end up coming along too!

and wouldn't you be shocked if we signed up... then what, ha!

@tibber
I'd pack ear plugs to drown out the whining!

chumley wrote:I'd pack ear plugs to drown out the whining!

Do you want to know the best brand to buy?

It would be more fun on XC skis, but it's already a busy weekend.

@the_eagle
@big_load conditions should indeed be good for skiing. But it's easier to carry snowshoes up the 1000 feet to the rim.

I'm the gear rental manager over at the Hiking Shack. REI no longer rents snowshoes and Sports Chalet is out of business. So I've had a waiting list on my snowshoes for the past month. However, when I left work last night I think I still had 2, maybe 3 pairs left along with a couple of pairs of tails.