The East Ridge gate reopened to foot traffic at first bell, but the road marshal has kept loaded freight below the shaded switchback while the late-season ice is assessed.
Route Marshal Hessa Tor said the road crew cleared the upper marker and checked the wall from the gate. Carriers waiting at the mule rest described a slick surface on the final turn, where the sun reaches the road last.
The two accounts describe different parts of the route. The watch can see the upper pass; the carriers are reporting from the switchback below it. The marshal has asked the crew to separate foot clearance from freight clearance on the next notice.
No cart injury has been reported during the closure, and the gate office has not estimated when the loaded test can take place. Trade loads remain staged at the lower rest with their manifests intact.
The next update is due after the road crew tests a loaded cart and records the condition of the west-facing turn.
