Herman Creek to Benson Plateau snowshoe

19 miles of hiking • 5500' elevation gain •

Started 6am at Herman Creek and took the PCT up to the Benson Plateau. The snow line is around 2000' and we probably put snowshoes on around 2500' or even higher - it's pretty well consolidated for a good while. We traipsed along the eastern edge of the Platter and dropped down to Camp Smokey, then continued on for a little bit looking for a good lunch/turnaround spot, and ended up going up this prominent bump, including some steep snow faces and a little climbing, to pop out into a beautiful view and a sunny day. Then the long slog back down, including total snowshoe failure when the frame broke - temporarily fixed with duct tape for about 20 seconds until the duct tape fell off, at which point I stowed them and did some combination of running, sliding, and sinking to get down below the snow line. Back to the car around 4:45 - well before dark!