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We’re planning to go over Shepherd Pass to climb Kern Point and Picket Guard July 24-28. We’re also planning to go over Bishop Pass to climb Observation and Scylla August 4-8. Do you have recent information on how much snow is left? More importantly, do you know how hard it will be to cross the Kern River to get to Kern Point and Picket Guard? Thanks a bunch!

Hi Bob,

I don’t know about Picket Guard, etc, but when it comes to the Black Divide and the Ionian Basin the following very recent (yesterday) photos may be helpful:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/53gdaYrnwBt1mVAQ9

Hope it helps...

By the way as of two weeks ago Taboose Pass had only a few short snowdrifts all the way to the pass. Shepherd is higher so may be different. And the mosquitos are out in full force now.

Switchbacks to Bishop Pass are finally nearly 100% melted out. The bugs were horrendous this past weekend.

96avs01 wrote:Switchbacks to Bishop Pass are finally nearly 100% melted out. The bugs were horrendous this past weekend.

Someone just asked me about this. I passed your info on!

We went over Shepherd pass as planned without incident. Snow was never a problem, but Tyndall Creek was a roaring river. We decided that there was no way to do the river crossings to get to Kern Point and Picket Guard, so we bailed.

Bob,
I presume you have returned from your trip by now. How were the conditions crossing the Kern? I'm asking because I similarly crossed the Kern to climb Picket Guard some years ago and it was possibly the most hazardous undertaking of my life. About 10 years later I was coming down from Colby Pass with a buddy and warning him about the hazards of the crossing. When we got to Junction Meadow the river could be hopped in 3 bounds. Amazing how conditions can change from year to year.

Sierraman:

When we got to Tyndall Creek, it was raging whitewater. We figured the Kern would be even worse, so we bailed. We tagged Peak 13,040+ near Shepherd Pass on the way out. According to http://www.mountwhitneyforum.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=103474#Post103474, things are better now. I’m trying to justify going back August 26-30.

Sorry to keep posting, but I’m still not sure whether I’ll be able to get across the Kern River to the Colby Pass Trail next week. The SEKI Trail Conditions page says that on 7-31 “Kern River crossing on the Colby Pass trail is easily fordable.” However, two days later the same page says “Tyndall Creek crossing in the Kern Canyon is 3 feet deep, swift, and unsafe…” Has anybody been in that area more recently? I really appreciate any information you have. Thanks!