Leaderboard

Trip: Observation Rock easy ice + Flett Glacier skiing - North Face Trip Date: 10/06/2019 Trip Report: This past weekend, Aaron and I had a great trip with amazing weather, excellent conditions, and spectacular views! Spray Park trail On Saturday we set off into Spray Park and then in alternating snow/low clouds and hot sunbreaks we bumbled around looking for a supposed three-sided shelter that the ranger had told me about (not the one near Cat Eye lake and not the one just east of there...) but ended up finding a pretty great spot anyway. Things cleared up by the evening, beautiful sunset! Woke up Sunday morning to two-inch needle ice in the pebbles around our tent, and set off to the base of the north face of Observation Rock. We roped up, Aaron took us up the first third or so of the face (moderately steep snow), leaving two pitches of moderate alpine ice that we pitched out (alongside three pairs of Mountaineers...). Fun stuff! Fun! Photo: Aaron We slogged up to the summit of Observation Rock with Tahoma wearing a lenticular, got our views of the glacier down below we'd be skiing, Baker, Glacier, Stuart, MSH, and the littler ones... Walking up to the summit of Observation Rock Then descended around and east, finally put the skis on our feet, and had lots of glorious wind-packed pow turns! Aaron: "I've seen you excited, but I don't think I've ever seen you *this* excited..." Yahoooooooo! Photo: Aaron Photo: Aaron A spectacular way for Aaron to climb his first ice in Washington and break in his first pair of AT skis and for me to get my 24th month of TAY and lead some ice! Gear Notes: Tools, pons, skis Twin/half ropes, screws Approach Notes: Spray Park trail and onward/upward

DOE takes no prisoners!!! Glad to see folks getting after it, not an easy route...! On the 2nd ascent of the route Jens and I broke the headwall into 3 pitches and he onsighted from a semi hanging belay near the wide section thru the roof to the belay your using on the upper headwall. No way in hell we could have freed that upper bit without the scrubbing we did on our next mission.