Trying to avoid the 'crowds' headed up Connaught and feeling like going exploring to check out conditions, we headed up the Illecillewaet Valley today. We were headed for the Vaux Moraines (ideally) and hoping to get lucky. We didn't. There is about 60-65cm on the ground in the open in this drainage, which is just enough to make travel possible, but very tedious. Early season hazards (open creeks, just-buried logs and rocks and nasty alder) presented constant challenges to efficient travel. We got up to around 1650m (where you would choose to go to Lookout, Perly or Vaux) and decided to turn around, since it didn't look any better immediately above us. Then, on the way out the early season hazards presented a clear and present danger to my No Injury November. This valley needs around 40cm more settled snow to have fair travel. Of note, the valley bottom was coated in surface hoar to size 20mm, didn't get any sun, and stayed pretty consistent at -6c, despite the sun getting on most of the upper slopes.