Hi Everyone....
My job is nice enough to send me to the bay area a few times a year. Last year I day hiked half dome and also did Lassen Peak. I'm heading back out in a few weeks and was thinking of trying Mt. Lyell. I was planning on doing an overnight to enjoy some time in the Sierra.
I'm a little concerned with regard to the glacier however. I won't have mountaineering equipment (i.e axe, crampons). From what I've read you don't have to actually climb the glacier but can skirt around it at the base and scramble to the summit.
Most trail reports I've read always talk of crampons, axe etc. These people are almost always climbing up the glacier however. I'm having trouble finding confirmation that a bareboot traverse of it is doable, or that I can skirt it altogether.
Just as an FYI because I know I would ask if I read this post....I'm not a novice hiker or backpacker. I live in NH and do a ton of hiking here in the Whites. The terrain and elevation gain here is more much like western mountains compared to the rest of the Appalachians and I've done my fair share of death marches. When I did Half Dome I didn't notice any altitude effects either so I should be okay with regard to that.
I'm not worried about the physical demands, just the ice/snow.
Can someone please tell me what to expect in terms of traversing it or getting around it? I don't want to get myself into trouble and I want to have an idea of what to expect. I'm perfectly happy doing a different hike...I've never seen a glacier first hand however so this hike intrigued me. Thanks.