Perfect day to ascent Fletcher Peak in early snow.

The trail was completely covered in snow except for maybe 300’ the entire route. It was generally packed and firm starting at TH but was softer near the first junction to the Raintree Bristlecone. We can see many people use this route to the junction and the much of the trail was already somewhat packed. Microspikes were sufficient although we saw a few people with no traction between TH and this junction.

Only 2 sets of tracks were between the junction and the “popular” summit: the one with the register box, awesome views, and where AllTrails’ route stops. The tracks appear to be at least several days old if not longer and we saw no one else. I think snow fell about 2 weeks ago. Some areas were firm but others soft and to knee depth. Snowshoes would have helped but generally this did not slow us down and may have taken longer to put them on and off.

We found a tactical First Aid kit about 1/4 mile from the popular summit slightly off trail on a dry spot. It had equipment and an IV rig for dehydration. The track to this area (but not actually to it) was likely several days old and we saw no else here, so we carried it down and my partner will post on local groups.

The “popular” summit views were gorgeous at the register box. Sunny, no clouds, no wind. The real summit is 400’ to 500’ southeast and it didn’t appear anyone went there after snowfall, probably not due to difficulty but because the summit is thick with trees and has no views. I went there anyway. The first 50’ is a steep sliding descent on powder but the rest east with a mix of firm and soft snow. I went around the right (north) side to return those 50’ where rocks, logs, and buried plants provide footholds.

We stopped by the 3,000 year old Raintree Bristlecone on the descent. That was cool with Mummy’s huge feet as the backdrop.