Firm Rain Crusts on Mt. Judah

We toured in the Mt. Judah area today.  Cold morning conditions with partly cloudy skies slightly warmed up into the late morning with increasing cloud cover and SW winds.  Firm icy rain crusts exist throughout this area due to a freezing rain event on Monday night Feb 15.  Clear water ice can be seen on trees, rocks, and on the snow surface.  About 1-2'' of graupel snow fell after this rain event and still exists on top of this rain crust in wind protected below treeline areas.  All open and exposed terrain has been scoured down to the firm rain crusts by the recent W, NW, and NE wind events.  Travel conditions are tricky in many locations as this rain crust is variable and sometimes breakable.  Long sliding falls are also a very real concern as there are a lot of firm smooth surfaces.