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Trip: Graywolf Ridge to Walkinshaw - Standard Trip Date: 07/16/2023 Trip Report: When it looks like a hot and hazy weekend, I often catch myself looking west to the Olympics. If the Cascades are baking and smokey, the Olympics can often be a good deal cooler and clearer. Such was the case a couple weekends ago when I was casting about for solo trip options for a couple days. After reviewing a too warm (for me) forecast for the North Cascades, I settled on a traverse of Graywolf ridge to Walkinshaw. My brother, @ZakG , signed on last minute, gear considerations and meeting time discussed, and we met early on a Saturday to catch the Edmonds ferry to Kingston. The hike up to Baldy was uneventful, if steep, warm and muggy. We lunched on the lower false summit and headed up to the true summit for mug shots and a gander at the route ahead We had only seen a couple people so far on the trip and we headed off into solitude to the top of Graywolf For whatever reason, the USGS marker on Graywolf looked immaculate and solid gold, despite being placed in 1930??! And then it was off to South Graywolf, and our bivy for the night. Strangely, we couldn't find any flowing water below the large snowfields on the peak, and had to scrounge slushy water from a depression near the base of one. Water is an issue on this ridge! We arrived on the summit of South Graywolf in the late afternoon and settled in for a beautiful evening. Great flat summit for a bivy, but no shelter and no water nearby. The night was clear and relatively calm, with no snaffles. We awoke to another beautiful day, though it promised to be warm. Off we headed to Walkinshaw. We stopped at the col south of South Graywolf to drop our overnight gear. Lo and behold we ran into a soloist, Derek, from Longview, WA. I'm not sure who was more surprised. And so, being neighborly, Derek offered to join forces with us to keep rockfall under control. We had a great time getting to know each other, while conferring over the best way upwards. It was a bit steeper than any of us were expecting but never really severe. There was maybe one small section of 4th class low down on the face, but mostly it was reasonable, if exposed, Cl. 3 ground. The rock was solid, for the Olympics, but a helmet was definitely warranted. Within an hour or so, we found ourselves on top. Anybody know who these "Truckers" are who placed this register Cool peak history in there... And great views into the Needles After almost an hour on top we carefully retraced our steps down the peak and back to our gear. We bid Derek adieu as he headed up South Graywolf, and we hammered the knees down to the Royal Basin trail. No brush on the descent from the South Graywolf-Walkinshaw col (if you are on the right path), but plenty of hard dirt and cemented scree- we were glad to be down that slope and onto the unexpectedly pleasant trail. I had forgotten how nice it is! And then, the usual- chips, beer, change of clothes at the car, followed by battling the masses back to the busy Puget lowlands. 2 hour ferry wait! But a pleasant weekend all around.... Gear Notes: Boots, poles, helmet, maybe ice axe and crampons early season Approach Notes: Baldy trail up and Royal Basin trail out

Trip: Matterhorn - Hornli Ridge Trip Date: 07/27/2023 Trip Report: When I was a kid my parents received a large Toblerone chocolate bar from friends returning from Switzerland. In rural Maine, this was special; a foreign, fancy treat from a far off exotic place. My sisters and I were NOT allowed to touch it. I forget when or if it was ever opened and consumed, but I never forgot the fascination with the wrapping and the wicked looking mountain adorning it. Fast forward to 2018 and I got to see the actual mountain with my own eyes. I had taken a week long trip to the Alps with grand plans to climb the Matterhorn. But it was intimidating. Tall, steep, piercing the sky with no apparent easy was up. Fresh snow on the mountain gave me a convenient excuse to chicken out and set my sights on easier peaks. I never even made it up to the Hornli Hut at the base of the route. Back in Seattle, I kept thinking about it. I knew I chickened out, and eventually made plans to head back. Last week I got my shot. I acclimatized for a couple days over the weekend in Italy on Gran Paradiso, a beautiful and relaxed mountain that is a worthy destination all its own. Then I drove over to Tasch, Switzerland, just outside Zermatt and crashed in a hostel as thunderstorms crashed outside dumping snow on the Matterhorn. Tuesday 7/25 I took an early cable car up to Schwarzsee and made the two hour hike up to the Hornli hut where I would spend the next three nights. The storm had chased off most climbers at the hut, and there were only a dozen or so folks planning to climb. The anxiety amongst then was palpable. I was glad to have a couple days to time the weather and conditions better. The view from Schwarzsee: View from the near the hut: The hut. Helicopters make a regular appearance dropping off supplies (1L of water for 10CHF!) and picking up waste: Luxurious accommodations at 10,000': Wednesday I had a leisurely morning and around noontime took several hours and scouted the lower portion of the route which I’d be climbing in the dark the following day. The weather was good and it gave a chance for some of the snow up high to melt and settle. Low on the route: Thursday began at 4:00am with breakfast in the hut. At 4:20 they open the doors and let the Swiss guided parties out first, followed by foreign guided parties, then the independents and soloists like me. With the subpar route conditions, it was relatively uncrowded and more relaxed than I anticipated. 4:19: I was glad to have scouted the route the day before, but in the end it was easy to follow headlamps of the guided parties ahead of me. The first half was mostly easy 4th class terrain and snow free. A few hundred feet before the emergency Solvay hut the snow started and I donned crampons that would stay on for the rest of the day. I made it to the Solvay hut in 2.5 hours and took a short rest waiting for a few climbers to pass the technical crux of the Upper Moseley Slab immediately outside the door to the hut: Above this point I slowed down dramatically. Gone was the carefree snow-free scrambling. Now it was relentless exposed 4th class with crampons and big consequences. Thankfully the more difficult sections had big fixed ropes that I could tether to and batman my way up: 3 hours of focused scrambling later I was on top! The way down was significantly slower. I was tired and the exposure was never ending. Thankfully I had another night booked at the Hornli hut so I could take my time and not worry about cable car schedules. I eventually made it down late afternoon (~13 hours round trip) and after 40 years got to enjoy that Toblerone bar. Overall the Matterhorn was much more challenging than I expected. Although the movements are never hard, the shear length of the climb and relentless exposure is way more taxing than I could have imagined. Glad to say I've done it. The Alps are beautiful, I'd go back in a heartbeat. Gear Notes: 40m rope worked well for rappels. I used a PA with large locking biner to clip off to some of the fixed sailing ropes (at least I'd end up in a hospital instead of a morgue if I biffed some of the harder moves where the fixed ropes are). Approach Notes: Cable Car to Schwarzsee, then 2 hour hike to the hut. Climbing in the Alps is so civilized!

Yes it was! It definitely got my attention. And yes, let's test that shoulder out in September!