Above the 12,800 ft TH at about 12,900 ft, there are some snowfields, but you only have to cross about 20-40 ft before you're on dry rock again. There's also a dry rock patch crossing the snow, if you decide to lose some elevation to take that instead. The snow was firm in the morning, and only a little slippery at midday. No other snow issues.
Descending via saddle vs back over Castle: After Conundrum, myself and two hikers who joined me tried to decide whether to go back over Castle, or to go down the saddle route. We decided to go down the saddle. It is fairly steep, but doable. The way I went, stepping on/holding onto solid rocks buried in the hillside, I faced inward a few times. It's more dirt near the top, and more small loose rock near the bottom. If I had to do it again, I'd still probably go down that way, as it saved a lot of time and elevation gain vs going back over Castle Peak, even waiting 10-15 minutes as courtesy for the two climbers below me to clear the bottom. If you're comfortable "climbing mountains," the saddle is fine. But as a fellow hiker said, I wouldn't want to take my mom down that route. It was dry.. no snow or water issues.
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