I just went back and checked, those photos were taken in March of ’05. So I imagine there will be snow, but not as much as in the pictures. Either way, I think gear rental is going to have to be one of the first things we do that Friday.
I rode bikes with a guy yesterday that has summited a few times and says Casaval is great. Like Max, he said it was like climbing in a different part of the world. He also said that Helen Lake, a very popular stop on the Avalanche Gulch route, can be littered with trash and human waste. What a shame.
here’s a photograph I found that was shot in June of ’04. Avalanche Gulch is front and center. Casaval is just to the left of that.