I got out this past weekend and hiked the Collegiate East from Clear Creek north to Twin Lakes dam, and thought I'd share my impressions of the early conditions as well as a video from the hike.
No surprise about the snow, it's low. Going to be a dry year if things don't change. Creeks are going to be dry much earlier than normal; and ones that don't normally go dry, will this year. I had to get to nearly 10,000 feet before I hit an significant snow, but never needed snow shoes. The San Juans and Breckenridge area did better in snow this year though so I probably hiked in one of the driest parts of the trail.
Winter blowdown isn't bad. The mild winter included mild winds. We didn't have major winds so early hikers on the trail won't have as many trees blocking their path. Wish I would have remembered my saw on this hike, I could have cleared several of the trees.
https://youtu.be/y7BJX2ExIUw