Hayley Sierra

Thanks for another great Sister's Trip Val! This was probably one of the most challenging routes I have done, but with you it was enjoyable the whole time (even that squeeze flare chimney). Glad we could keep this tradition alive for another year

Trip: A tour of WA climbing - Ruth, Dumbell, and Ingalls (south ridge) Date: 9/2/2011 Trip Report: A Tour of Washington Climbing 1) Snow/glacier climb : Ruth Mountain 2) Scramble : Dumbell Mountain 3) Alpine rock : Ingalls South Ridge With a 2 week vacation to my home state of Washington (and a beautiful weather forecast), I wanted to show my boyfriend (and new climbing protégé) what the cascades have to offer. Fresh off the plane from Baltimore (and with a set of 4 new tires acquired during an emergency stop that morning), we headed to the Hannegan Pass trailhead, where Martin would get his first taste of snow/glacier travel on Ruth Mountain. Ruth Mountain The springtime wildflowers were indeed in full bloom as we headed down the trail at noon. It was virtually snow free to just below Hannegan Pass, with lots of opportunities for photography. The traverse around the subsidiary peak (5963’) was snow covered, with a short run-out before rocky cliffs, so an ice axe came in handy. A little while longer, we were standing on the summit (7115’), enjoying the gorgeous views of Shuksan and Baker. With the late start time (noon), we had to get moving back to the pass, but got a nice shot of Ruth in the sunset. Fortunately, the mellow Hannegan Pass trail was easy to follow by headlamp. Dumbell Mountain In just a couple days we found ourselves back in the Cascades, this time with plans to climb Dumbell and Greenwood Mountains, located at the head of the Phelps Creek basin. With word of ferocious bugs in Spider Meadows, we opted to camp high in the upper heather meadows, just beneath Dumbell’s false summits. We chose to follow a waterfall/snow/rock filled gulley to the upper basin, alternating between snowfields and heather slopes. (Spider meadows) (taken on the descent) It made for a long journey with overnight packs, but the views were well worth it. We awoke early the next morning for our summit day, moving at 4:45 am toward the summit (we were hoping to get back early for a welcome BBQ in Seattle). We bypassed the false summits on the right, continuing toward the Dumbell-Greenwood saddle. Here the route came into view. We crossed steep snow to reach the first rocky ledges, then even steeper snow to gain the rocks that would take us to the summit ridge. I was starting to feel a little nervous here with a new climber, but Martin really impressed me with his slow, methodical movements and solid kick-steps. We chose an upper 4th class gully to gain the ridge, which also required careful hand/foot placements to avoid a fall. From the ridge, class 2-3 scrambling gets you to the summit, with rewarding 360 degree views of Washington’s peaks. Once we downclimbed back to the snow, I decided to traverse over to the Greenwood saddle and take a look at the infamous ledges, but with a tired partner and time running short, we decided to give that one a try on another day. Seeming to feel more confident with each step, we made quick time back to camp and continued the hike out. We were greeted in Seattle with friendly faces and plenty of BBQ pork (courtesy of Nathan and Val). Great way to reward ourselves after a weekend of climbing! Ingalls Peak With the goal of sampling all kinds of WA climbing, an alpine rock trip was definitely in order. With poor luck on the Encahntments permit lottery, Prusik peak was out. Therefore, we headed to the Teanaway area to climb the south ridge of Ingalls peak (which just happened to be my first alpine rock several years ago). We enjoyed the scenery and wildlife in the area as we hiked to Ingalls Lake and made camp. After a rest, we decided to go ahead and do the climb that afternoon, looking forward to an easy hike out the next day. We ascended snow and rocky slopes to the base of the route, and began climbing just after 5pm. I chose the right hand crack (5.6 variation) for the crux pitch, which Martin happily followed, enjoying some nice hand jams along the way. We arrived on the summit at 7pm, and were treated with an amazing sunset. A few quick rappels (happy to have my new 70m rope for that crux pitch), and we were back at the base of the route by dark. We were able to successfully link snowfields together for an easy descent (avoiding a possible twisted ankle on the rocks), and made it safely back to camp. A herd of goats woke us up the next morning for some more photography, and we had a pleasant hike back to the car. Thanks Martin for putting up with me these last couple weeks, and going along with all my climbing schemes so enthusiastically. You made the perfect climbing partner, and I hope there are many more trips to come! Gear Notes: Ice axe, crampons, rack of cams to 3 inches, 70m rope (Ingalls). Approach Notes: Trails are melting out fast!

We camped on a rock outcrop slightly above and left of the normal 6000' camp (maybe 6300'). It made the glacier crossing slightly shorter in the morning. We took a 40 degree snow slope directly up to gain the ridge. There was another snow slope to climber's right of the one we used, but it had a large crevasse blocking access to the bottom. Aside from potential rock fall danger, this route worked well for us.

Trip: Mt. Baker - North Ridge Date: 7/5/2010 Trip Report: NR Baker (a.k.a. Sisters Trip 2010!) We have kept the tradition of having an annual sisters trip for 6 years now. The goal of each of these trips has been to find a challenge for ourselves and, primarily, have fun doing it. With that, the NR of Baker was a fitting objective. Valerie has been dabbling with ice for a little while now, but had not yet attempted to lead an alpine route. Hayley has also practiced top-roping ice crags a couple of times and just last year became comfortable leading steep snow pitches with our ascent of the NF of Buckner (Sisters trip 2009). So, with a good forecast and great conditions reported on this route, we took off for a Monday-Tuesday climb. We took our time getting to the trailhead to avoid the tail-end of the last weather system. We hiked up in a misty drizzle passing several battered parties. All that we spoke with had made the summit, but it didn't sound like the most enjoyable conditions. Just as we arrived at camp, the clouds broke to blue skies and a clear view of our route. Our summit day was looking to be quite nice. A sun nap on our bivies and a spectacular sunset finished off our day. We started across the lower Coleman glacier at 3:45 the next morning. The crossing went far more smoothly than my last attempt at the route (late October 2008). Most of the crevasses were still covered and those that were opened had convenient snow bridges. Even though we hit the route early in the day, rockfall was an issue while gaining the north ridge. A baseball-sized rock wizzed by narrowly missing both of us. We sped up to reach the relative safety of the ridge. We continued up the ridge to 9600' and the start of the crux pitches. The crux was at the very start of the first pitch; about 15' of near vertical ice gained an arete that continued for 1.5 pitches. This section of the climb was ridiculously cool; the lower north ridge on one side, the massive Roosevelt glacier on the other- it doesn't get much better than this. The entire arete protected well with ice scews, which made for an enjoyable first alpine ice lead! A second ice/snow pitch finished the arete and gained more broad slopes. Three steep snow pitches with a little simul-climbing mixed in gained a ledge in front of an ice shelf. A left trending traverse around the ice shelf brought us to the summit at 1:30 pm. Colorado team member on the crux section: Hayley ascending the first pitch Top of the first pitch Looking up to Valerie at the bottom of the second pitch Nearing the top of the second pitch Hayley leads off above the second pitch Final walk to the summit Summit! On the hike down, Hayley commented that our sisters trip keeps getting more difficult each year. We now wonder what 2011 will have in store... Gear Notes: 60 M 9.4 mm rope Ice crampons, two tools 10 ice screws (~16 cm) 10 quickdraws or alpine draws 3 pickets (2') Approach Notes: Snowline is reached just below the hogsback ridge.

Trip: Sherpa - West Ridge Date: 7/15/2009 Trip Report: Sherpa – West Ridge 7/14-7/15 With some unfinished business to attend to, Nick and I gave Sherpa Peak a third attempt. The first time out, we were rained off before we even got off the Ingalls Creek trail. The second time we made it up to camp at 6500 ft (sustaining a crampon point scrape on the forehead along the way) only to wake up to the sound of Nick vomiting, and more rain. This time, we had an excellent forecast, a clean bill of health, and we left the crampons at home! We approached via the Beverly Turnpike trail, which we greatly preferred over Longs Pass. The mileage is a little greater (about 6.5 to Ingalls creek rather than 5), but with far less elevation change, so its not so hard on the knees. Sherpa from the pass. We camped on a table rock at the base of the large snowfield beneath the col. In 7 hours we had made it to the large table rock in the 7400’ basin beneath the Stuart-Sherpa col . I would like to offer some advice as to the best way to cross the ridge to access this basin (from Ingalls Creek you ascend an open meadow approx. 500 ft and then traverse east over a ridge), but after thoroughly exploring various options, I cannot honestly say that there is any “good” way over this ridge. We traversed low—bushwacking through dense brush…we traversed high---sketchy scrambling over steep cliffs…we traversed in the middle—loose dirt and scree, and more cliffs. Good times. Once in the boulder field, ascend to the upper basin, staying just left of a waterfall and cliff band. At camp by 2:30 pm, we contemplated going for the summit that same afternoon, but decided that with the minimal daylight hours we had, we would have to wait until the next morning. It would make for a long day, but we would be sure to get off the route long before dark! We relaxed and took in the scenery. The next morning we set off at 6 am, and it was already comfortably warm. Excellent! No frozen fingers on the rocks. By 7 am we were ready to begin the first pitch. Nick led off up this class 4-5 pitch of about 40 m before rope drag caused him to stop at a rap station to bring me up. It followed blocky terrain directly up the broad ridge. P1 The next pitch was low 5th, involving a stemming chimney and more face climbing to reach a false summit. We took this pitch out an entire 60 m, combining P2 and P3 from the route description, which put us in an excellent location for the next step. We could see most of the traverse across sandy ledges to the base of the crux pitch. P2 Our third pitch brought us across this class 3 terrain (some class 4 moves to get around the corner) to reach a belay station at the base of the headwall. P3 (climber is now at the base of the crux pitch) Now for the crux pitch. Nick worked his way slightly to the right, then stayed left of a small roof to reach the cave (?) about half way up the pitch. Exiting this feature was awkward, and involved some tense friction moves, but soon the climbing eases up again. At a notch in the ridge at the top of the headwall, Nick brought me up. The crux pitch Finally, I led the last pitch up to the summit ridge with a final, airy step-across move to gain the summit block. It was 9:45 am, just under 4 hours from when we left camp. Making the step-across Initially hoping to at least begin our descent by noon, we decided we could afford to take some time and get a closer look at the infamous Sherpa balanced rock. To get to this feature, we had to rap off the north side of Sherpa (~40 ft) and traverse more sandy ledges (class 3-4) to the base of the balanced rock. From up close, this thing is huge! The first ledge is at least 10 ft off the deck, and the upper rock (5.7 friction moves) even looks overhung. A single bolt placed 50 years ago is the only piece of pro you have. Even with Nick standing on the small pile of rocks built up, and me standing on his shoulders, I could probably just barely reach the ledge. This was too much for us, but really fun to look at anyway! Rapping the north side of Sherpa Sherpa Balanced Rock How do I get up this thing? We reversed our route back up to the summit, then began to rap the west ridge route—2 rappels to the base of the crux pitch, then packing the rope across the ledges for several more rappels to the col. Most of the rap stations had new slings that were in good shape, but we backed each rappel up for the first climber for safety. The final rappel brought us a little shy of the col, but we were comfortable downclimbing this terrain to get to the base of the route. The descent took about 2 hours, and we were back to camp in a short while after that (8 hours roundtrip, including the balanced rock excursion). Rappelling the route. We then began the long hike out, up and over the ridge, up and over the pass, and out to the car (5 hours later). This is a very fun alpine rock climb. Although the approach is a bit tedious, it is well worth the effort, and you’ll probably have the place all to yourselves! There is good exposure on the summit ridge, some unique rock features, and great views of the Enchantments and Stuart. Enjoy! Gear Notes: 60 m x 9.4 mm rope, medium alpine rack (0.3-2 with doubles on 0.75 and 1), set of nuts, 6 alpine draws and 3 double slings. May want to bring some leave-it slings to back up rap stations, although they look pretty good for the most part (we didn't leave any gear). Approach Notes: The Beverly Turnpike trail is snowfree and mellow. Check it out before you head to Longs next time! Take the path of least resistance across the ridge to access the basin beneath Sherpa. Traversing perhaps 100 ft above the point that the trail brings you to the ridge seemed to work okay. No axe, crampons, or boots were needed (very little snow and can be avoided entirely)

Trip: Fortress Mountain - SW route Date: 7/11/2009 Trip Report: Fortress Mountain 7/10-7/12 After turning back near the summit of Fortress’ SE route (4th class) a few weeks ago due to weather, I decided to give this peak another try. This time, we approached via the Buck Creek trail to climb the SW route (a class 2-3 scramble). The approach is 9 miles of mellow trail, although due to our late start (we left the trailhead at 6 pm), we got in the first 6.5 miles and decided to stop at a large horse camp in the forest for the night. The next day we soon found ourselves in a gorgeous high alpine meadow at the base of Fortress’ SW side. We ascended steep heather slopes to an upper basin (snow and rock) which allowed us to access the SW route. Avalanche lilies in the meadow. The SW scramble route. We covered the last couple thousand feet easily, encountering mostly class 2 terrrain up to the ridge. We then traversed the ridgeline to the summit, where we enjoyed views of Glacier Peak, Chiwawa, and the Entiat range. Chiwawa and the Entiat Mountains. Glacier Peak. We leisurely made our way back to camp, where we opted to stay an additional night in this wonderful location. This made the hike out the next day much more relaxing, and we made it back to the car just as it started raining. Good timing on the weather! Descending the meadows. Gear Notes: Helmet and ice axe Approach Notes: There are 4-5 avi debris fields across the Buck Creek trail, with many downed trees. Wouldn't want to attempt in the dark or when wet!

Thanks for the TR. I'm thinking about heading up to Fortress soon, and was wondering what trail you used for the descent (with avi debris). I tried Fortress last month via Chiwawa Basin and was rained off before I could attempt the summit scramble!

Likewise, it was great having you and "The Oracle" around to give us some pointers and share steps! Valerie and I are already trying to talk ourselves into giving Formidable another try. Here's a photo of when we met up at the col (strange that we came back to that spot at the exact same time after 8 hours, huh?).

Trip: Little Tahoma - Fryingpan-Whitman glaciers Date: 7/1/2009 Trip Report: Deciding that I still had some energy left after my Buckner trip, Nick and I went for Little Tahoma last week (Tues-Wed). We approached via the Fryingpan Creek trail, arriving in Summerland in 1.5 hours to get our first views of Little Tahoma up close. We ascended easy snow slopes to Meany Crest, and continued another 100 ft up and right to the edge of the Fryingpan Glacier, where we made camp. A small bivy/tent site was found among the rocks, although it was the only one we could locate. There was running water nearby. The approach took 5 hours total. Meany Crest from Summerland--we ascended the snow slopes to the rocks on the upper right of this photo. A 3 am start got us to the edge of the Whtiman Glacier by 5 am and sunrise. The traverse across both the Fryingpan and Whitman involved just a few, very large crevasses, so we opted to rope up for the ascent. At the top of the Whitman, we exited onto rocks. The scrambling was only moderate, and we found the rock to be better than expected (although that really isn't saying much given what we were expecting). Let's just say I'm glad there weren't other climbers on the route above us that day. Scrambling the summit blocks. We reached the summit (11,138 ft) at 8:30 am in full sun and with the temp rising fast. We saw numerous climbers making their way up the DC and Emmons. During the descent back to camp we saw at least two large rocks come rolling down the snow alongside us, and made our way quickly out of danger. With the temps as warm as they were that day, I'm glad we didn't stay on the summit too long. Still, the snow remained firm on the glacier, making for a quick descent. We packed up camp and were back to the car by 3 pm. This was an excellent trip and I'm surprised it doesn't see more ascents (maybe 1 group/week according to the summit register). The approach and climb are very straightforward, and as long as you avoid the rocks on warm days I think you shouldn't have any problems. Gear Notes: 8 mm x 30 m glacier rope We brought slings for a possible rappel, although we just ended up easily downclimbing the scramble route. Crampons, ice axe, crevasse rescue gear. Approach Notes: The trail to Summerland is in excellent condition and snow free. There seemed to be many campsites on top of Meany Crest, so stay left at the top of the snowfields and find a spot up there.

Trip: Mt. Buckner - North Face Date: 6/28/2009 Trip Report: Mt Buckner – North Face My sister and I have kept up the tradition of setting aside one trip each year to climb something both remote and challenging, testing our skills and developing some new ones. The north face route of Mt. Buckner (9080 ft) was chosen for Sisters Trip 2009! The long route involved several obstacles: 1) Ascend Sahale arm and climb up and over Sahale Peak 2) Traverse around/over the false summit of Boston Peak 3) Descend the Boston Glacier to the base of the route 4) Climb the north face of Buckner! 5) Traverse the long Horseshoe Basin back to the Sahale ridge 6) Ascend to Sahale glacier camp 7) Hike out via Cascade Pass We chose the carry over option so that we could bivy essentially anywhere en route and make sure we were prepared for any emergencies. In true Sisters Trip style, we set out at 10:30 pm to complete the first leg of our long journey—the 5 mile hike to Cascade Pass. We woke the next morning to some wonderful views: We set off at 7 am and reached the base of Sahale Peak at 10:15 am. A single pitch of 4th-low 5th class climbing up the face (in plastic mountaineering boots and overnight packs—nice lead Val!) got us to the summit at 11 am. Sahale Peak from the arm: Summit rock pitch: We then rappelled off the summit and traversed the heavily corniced ridge down to the Boston-Sahale col. There we met up with another party of two destined for the north face. They approached via Boston Basin, the other commonly used route. Traversing the chossy Boston ledges: We then descended the Boston Glacier to a flat area near Ripsaw Ridge. Arriving at this location at 3 pm, we toyed with the idea of climbing the route that afternoon and bivying on the summit ridge, but decided to wait until the next morning, hoping for firm snow and equally good weather. Camp on the Boston Glacier: We awoke at 5:30 am in white-out conditions. Crap. We decided to give it a go and hope the weather would clear. We left for the summit at 6:15 am. As we approached the face, the clouds burned off, and we got a good look at the route up close. Valerie led the lower section of the route, negotiating an interesting snowbridge and debris chute to gain the upper slopes. I then followed: On the upper slope it was my turn to lead. We placed pickets every rope length with a running belay, and soon we were near the summit ridge. Val led one more short section past me, and then it was just an easy class 3 scramble to the top. The final pitch: Summit! It took us about 3 hours to climb from the base of the route, topping out at 10 am in full sun. We then began the grueling descent across Horseshoe Basin. We carefully downclimbed the steep slopes directly below the summit ridge, then traversed to the base of the ridge leading off of Sahale. It took nearly 3 hours to reach this point, with a couple rest breaks along the way. Looking back at Buckner: We checked out the snow filled gully leading on top of the ridge, but weren’t sure about the exit onto the rocks above. We therefore decided to descend further to the base of the ridge and then climb steep snow slopes approx 1000 ft to reach the Sahale Glacier camp. This was quite a tall order by that point in our trip, but we safely reached the camp in about 1 hour. Finally, the long descent back to the car. At least we didn’t have to hike the road this time!!! This was an excellent trip all around. Conditions on the route that morning were perfect, the weather cooperated, and it was very enjoyable, solid climbing on the face. Another great Sisters Trip! Gear Notes: 9.4 mm X 60 m rope 4 pickets two ice tools crampons small rock rack (0.3-1 BD cams, set of nuts) for Sahale face Approach Notes: Cascade river road is open! Trail is snow free for the first 6 miles (to Sahale arm). Running water is available on Sahale arm, then none until Horseshoe Basin, so bring fuel to melt snow.

waterboy: I love my Hilleburg. Four pounds for a 2 person, 4-season tent just can't be beat! Le Piston: The schrund on Klawatti was just opening up. I heard another party fell part way into the moat on the previous evening. Last August, it was at least 15 feet deep and completely impassible. Now is definitely the time to get that one in! franklinb: Thanks again for the steps! Hope to see you around soon.

Trip: Dorado Needle and Klawatti Peak - NW ridge, W face Date: 5/24/2009 Trip Report: Dorado Needle and Klawatti Peak Nick and I returned to the Eldorado Icecap over Memorial Day weekend to tackle some unfinished business from last year. On a four day outing with Valerie in August, we were unable to access Klawatti Peak and Dorado Needle due to late season moat issues. This weekend, we had great snow all the way up! We donned our heavy packs and set out on the Eldorado Creek trail on Saturday morning. The trail was melted out, but we hit snow near the top of the second boulder field which took us up to the lower camps (~6000 ft). Several skiers passing us on their way down warned us of soft snow slides higher up, and when we reached the camps we saw just what they were talking about. The entire ridgeline that we needed to climb to get to Eldorado glacier was in various stages of avalanching (from shallow debris to hanging cornices!). With the heat of the day baring down on us, we decided to wait until morning to give it a go. Avalanche debris on the ridge With a 5 am start the next day, we found the snow nicely consolidated, and we safely gained the ridge (whew!). We made great time up the glacier, traversed the Inspiration glacier, and made it to the McCallister col by 8 am. A team of four had already set out about an hour ahead of us, so we had great steps leading to the base of the route up Dorado Needle. Dorado Needle from McCallister col (the team of four is visible midway up the glacier) To access the route, which is described as 2-3 pitches of 5.4 climbing, we first climbed a short section of steep snow (Nick belayed me up). We then caught up with the party ahead and took our turn on the 2 pitches of mixed steep snow and rock. The highlight of the climb is a ~10 ft section of au cheval near the summit! Pitch 2, with a climber making a tricky move at the top of the snow slope. The top was sunny and calm, so we were in no hurry to leave while we waited for the other group to take turns downclimbing/rappelling the route. Snowshoes were great for the trip back to the col, and we were back in camp by 3 pm. We had a leisurely afternoon in camp with lots of photography and snow melting. We decided to climb Klawatti on Monday morning, hoping for more consolidation overnight. At 6:30 am we roped out and set out to Klawatti col, which took around 30 minutes to reach. The sun was already heating up the snow on the glacier, but we found the snow slopes leading up Klawatti to be in excellent condition. The route follows the west-facing slope directly up (40-50 degrees) for ~1000 feet, then we traversed left to gain the NW face, which was slightly less steep. We both agreed that a second tool would have been nice, although not necessary. We were at the summit in one hour from the col. Looking up the west face Downclimbing the route took almost as long as going up because we had to back down most of the way, but we experienced no problems during the descent. We then began the long trip back to the trailhead, arriving at the car with tired legs at 4 pm. Gear Notes: Set of cams (0.3-1), slings, 3 pickets for Dorado Needle Snowshoes for afternoon glacier travel Second tool for Klawatti?

Trip: McClellen Peak - Date: 4/19/2009 Trip Report: 4/18/09-4/19/09 Nick and I decided to take advantage of the nice weather and get some climbing in! Our plan was to do a loop trip in the enchantments via Aasgard pass, combining McClellen Peak and Cannon Mountain in a two day outing. We arrived at Icicle Creek on Friday night, and found to our dismay that Mountaineer Creek road was still gated at Bridge Creek campground. We spent the night at a bivy site and got started up the road at 8 am Saturday morning. We first found snow about 2 miles up (about 1 ft deep initially to several feet by the time we got to the parking lot), which persisted for the rest of the trip. We made fresh tracks across Colchuck Lake, which is still frozen and stable, and began the arduous process of kicking steps in soft snow all the way up Aasgard, which took 3.5 hours. Lastly, we descended the Enchantments valley to Perfection Lake, where we set up camp. During the night the wind picked up considerably, and we spent many sleepless hours in the tent before getting up at 6:30 am. We packed up camp and stashed our overnight gear, then made our way to the base of McClellen. We found a moderate snow ramp that led us to the main snowfield, with just one short step that we had to negotiate. We headed up the snowfield to a notch just above The Prong, where we had to ascend a steep snow/rock finger to gain the ridge. From that point, we ran the ridge to the right and had to loop around the summit slabs to find a decent route up. The scrambling was class 3-4 in most places, which was made more difficult by the presence of soft snow. We ended up ascending a somewhat sketchy chimney that was covered in snow to reach the summit block. The ascent took 3.5 hours from camp. An enjoyable glissade took us to the base of the mountain, and we were soon back to camp. We packed up and were ready to head out by 2 pm. At this point, we decided to change plans and just head back down Aasgard pass to the trailhead. It was getting too late in the day to go for Cannon, especially knowing that there may by some routefinding issues on the back side of the mountain which we were not willing to negotiate in the dark. Oh well, it gave us the opportunity to enjoy more glissading down Aasgard, and we were back to the lake by 4 pm. The hike out seemed painfully long, and our progress slowed considerably as we post-holed to our knees with nearly every step (as much as the weather reminded me of spring, snowshoes were definitely essential). We reached the car (the CAR!) at 10:30 pm and began the long drive back to Bellingham. This summit puts me at #32 for completed climbs of the Bulger Top 100 list. I hope to finish a few more this spring/summer before leaving Washington (temporarily) for grad school! Approach Notes: Mountaineer Creek road still closed (snow for the last 1.5 miles to trailhead) Snowshoes (or some other flotation device) are advised.

Trip: Colchuck Peak - North Buttress Couloir Date: 2/7/2009 Trip Report: You can’t say no to a weather window like the one we had last Saturday, right? Nick, Valerie, Aaron and myself opted for a “day trip” on Saturday to climb Colchuck Peak via the North Buttress Couloir. We estimated that it would take us approximately 16-20 hours car-to-car, hoping to get out before the weather came in on Sunday. We departed from Bridge Creek campground at 3 am Sat and got to the base of the route by around 10:30 am. After gearing up and planning our route, we set off. We found the climbing on snow very enjoyable although it was not as consolidated as we would have liked (more of a sugary powder), and aside from a couple rock steps that had to be negotiated early on, we made good time up the couloir. I was glad for the opportunity to use my Quarks! The only other obstacle was an 8 ft bergschrund near the top of the couloir which Nick thankfully agreed to lead. Another party on the route opted to traverse to the left below this feature, which put them on a different path to the top. I’m not sure which would be best in the conditions we found it. Approaching the North Buttress Couloir Geared up and ready to go! Midway up the couloir Nick negotiates the schrund Valerie follows We were surprised by the lack of snow coverage on the route, but it wasn’t really an issue until we reached the saddle at the top of the couloir and had a look at the NW face, which was intended to be our route to the summit. Instead of straightforward snow slopes, we were faced with an expanse of mixed snow and loose rock. We traversed right, hoping to find easier terrain, and instead ended up climbing 10-12 pitches of 4th to mid-5th class rock. Needless to say, this took quite a bit longer. We kept moving as darkness fell, at this point just taking our time to avoid any mistakes that would lead to injury, which would leave us stuck out there overnight with no bivy gear. We reached the summit at 3 am, happy that everyone was okay and that we were on our way down. We headed to Colchuck col and then down the glacier, and were greeted by a foggy sunrise at the lake. The hike back to the car was more of a continuous stumble, with several short naps along the way, and we finally made it back at noon (33 hours later…does this still count as a day trip?). Regardless of the epicness of our journey, we were pleased that we were able to keep control of the situation and make good decisions. We got some amazing views of the Enchantments bathed in moonlight, and I personally am glad to know that I can survive an unplanned winter night at above 8000 feet. That being said, we were lucky that we were able to find our way up this unknown route, and that the weather cooperated—clear skies and virtually no wind for most of the climb. “Team Scarpa” group photo Gear Notes: 60m rope (2), 4 pickets per team, 3 cams(0.5, 0.75, 1), set of nuts, ice tools (in one case an alpine ax and second tool also seemed appropriate), crampons, warm clothes, and a headlamp! Approach Notes: Snow covered all but a couple hundred feet of 8 mile road, although snowshoes were not needed.

A couple more pics of the climb:

As much as I would like to say so, unfortunately that wasn't me. Good to hear you're getting more young people outside though!

Trip: Mexico--Pico de Orizaba and La Malinche - Jamapa Glacier Date: 1/5/2009 Trip Report: Inspired by stories we read on summit post and a strong desire for international climbing, Nick and I decided to take a shot at high altitude climbing by heading to Mexico to climb Pico de Orizaba, North America’s third highest mountain, which stands at 18,500 feet. We had two weeks during winter break in which to climb Orizaba and the neighboring La Malinche (14,600 ft), with time leftover for visiting some other towns and important historical sites in Mexico. While we pretty much planned the first half of the trip, the remaining week we were free to explore the country. Here’s what we ended up doing: TRIP SCHEDULE Day One: arrived in Mexico City and traveled to Puebla Day Two: traveled to Apizaco, and then took a cab to the La Malinche resort Day Three: climbed La Malinche (14,600 ft), traveled to Tlachichuca and stayed with Maribel Canchola Day Four: jeep ride to the Piedra Grande hut, short acclimatization hike (to ~14,700 ft) Day Five: hiked to 16,000 ft (base of Jamapa glacier) Day Six: climbed Pico de Orizaba (18,500 ft, left at 1 am, summited at 8:30 am, back to hut at noon), traveled back to Tlachichuca Day Seven: traveled to Cholula and visited pyramid Day Eight: traveled to Oaxaca Day Nine and Ten: visited Oaxaca and ruins at Monte Alban Day Eleven: traveled to Mexico City Day Twelve through Fourteen: visited Mexico City and Teotihaucan pyramids Day Fifteen (Christmas day): flew home! Purifying our hotel tap water (it was a pain, but we never got sick!) The first few days of the trip seemed to fly by, and in no time we were standing on a mountain that was just slightly taller than Rainier! La Malinche was an excellent acclimatization step which I feel was essential for our success on Orizaba, and I recommend it to anyone planning to climb Mexico’s volcanoes. It was amazing to feel my body adjust to the altitude in such a short amount of time, to where staying in the hut at 14,000 feet felt fairly comfortable. We took a cab from the town of Apizaco to the camp at the base of the mountain, and the summit can be attained in a 4-5 hour hike up a pleasant trail. Our cabin at the base of La Malinche View of the summit Summit of La Malinche Another piece of advice would be to stay with the family of Maribel Canchola in Tlachichuca, our starting point for Orizaba. They were an extremely generous and welcoming family, and we really felt at home with them. I contacted Maribel (who speaks good english) by email about 2 months before our climb to make a reservation, and she had dinner and a room waiting for us as soon as we arrived. We bought 20 L of purified water from them for $3, and they let us use their 2 burner stove while on the mountain. Pico de Orizaba Hut transportation provided by Joaquim Canchola For the climb of Orizaba, Nick and I still felt it necessary to take a day to acclimate while hiking up to the base of the glacier at 16,000 feet. Not only were we able to cache 4 L of water for our summit attempt that night, but we also got a chance to check out the route through the labyrinth, a section of steep ice and boulders that has to be navigated in the dark. I don’t think we ever took the same path up or down this section, but any route is about as interesting as the next. Crampons were needed from 15,500 ft on, although steel crampons are advised as you will frequently travel between ice and rock. We left for the summit just before 1 am with a fellow Seattle climber, giving us time to get up and down before the afternoon weather settled in, as it tended to get windy later in the day. I would also advise doing the climb midweek when the hut is less crowded, although it was fun to meet all the people coming down on Sunday when we arrived. The altitude really hit me at about 17,000 feet, but by moving slowly and steadily we were still able to make good time to the summit. Drinking large quantities of water also really helped with the altitude, although it was easy to forget to drink up there. Alpine start on Orizaba (1 am) Sunrise with our Seattle friend (17,000 feet) Mountain shadow Summit! Descending the glacier Interesting ice formations in the labyrinth Participating in an AMS study with Utah grad students All in all, we really enjoyed the feeling of high altitude climbing, and after some rest we were already talking about where we wanted to go next time (Kilimanjaro, Cotopaxi,…?). With some much needed rest at Maribel’s house that night, we were ready for the next phase of our trip! The Cancholas We spent a pleasant day in Cholula, Puebla, where we visited the largest pyramid in the world, followed by three days in Oaxaca. Church on top of the pyramid Oaxaca was perhaps our favorite town to visit—very artsy and full of activity. We spent some time in the zocalo (historical center) people watching and sampling tasty local foods. We also visited the ancient Zapotec/Mixtec ruins at Monte Alban on a guided tour, which was well worth the $20 we paid. Oaxaca Finally, we stayed at a hostel in Mexico City for three days prior to our departure. We were given free guided walking tours of some historical sites in the city through our hostel, as well as breakfasts, dinners and drinks. Mexico City is huge and full of people and cars, so the air is very polluted and gave Nick a pretty bad cough. I wouldn’t suggest hanging out there too long before climbing the mountain. That being said, it was a fun place to spend some time and meet a lot of interesting people from all over the world. We had a great time on this trip and can’t wait for our next adventure! Gear Notes: Crampons, ice ax, helmet, (didn't rope up on the glacier, but brought the gear just in case), GPS (for labyrinth). Approach Notes: Bumpy ride to Piedra Grande! A little Spanish goes a long way when it comes to buses and taxis.

Yeah, I'm up to 28 on the top 100 list.

Trip: Summit Fever in the Cascades - Big/West Craggy, Courtney, Star, Oval and Cashmere Date: 9/6/2008 Trip Report: Summit Fever! Big Craggy and West Craggy, Courtney, Star, Oval, and Cashmere Peaks After finishing/quitting our summer jobs, Nick and I took off in the mountains for a week of peak-bagging fun. My goal was to hit as many of the Bulger Top 100 as possible in that time. I think we did pretty well! Day 1: Big and West Craggy Peaks – 11 miles, 5400 feet Day 2 and 3: Courtney, Star and Oval Peaks – 24 miles, 9200 feet Day 4: Cragging at Pearly Gates, Leavenworth (our rest day, involving up to 5.10 crack climbing!) Day 5 and 6: Cashmere Mountain – 17 miles, 5500 feet Total = 6 peaks, 52 miles, 20100 feet, and two tired but happy climbers! Day 1 We started off on Big and West Craggy Peaks, which we decided to do in one day with a car camp at the trailhead. The approach is short, but the climb has some routefinding challenges, as most of it is cross country. We headed off northwesterly up a meadow after 2 miles on trail (be sure to check out the mine shaft at 1.5 miles!) and hit a ridge on the east side of Big Craggy. After running the broad ridge, we ascended boulder and scree to the summit. The traverse to West Craggy was a long scree slide down to a saddle between the two peaks (~1/2 mile). I highly recommend climbing Big Craggy first so that the traverse on the loose rock is descending. West Craggy from the saddle Big Craggy from saddle From the saddle, traverse on or to the left of the ridge toward West Craggy. We climbed a short gully to get onto the south side of the mountain, and then ran the ridge to the summit. Summit of West Craggy The descent off West Craggy was easy at first, plunge-stepping in loose dirt/gravel down a large gully into a basin. However, it became a little challenging to find our way back to the trail. We headed east from the basin for ~1 mile until we were sure we had passed above Copper Glance Lake (and thus the trail) before descending the brushy slopes to rejoin the trail and hike out. We were back at the car by 6 pm and ready for our next adventure! Day 2 Our next trip itinerary called for approaching to Star Lake on day 1, climbing nearby Courtney and Star Peaks on day 2, and climbing Oval Peak and hiking out on day 3. After driving to the West Fork Buttermilk Creek trailhead and camping, we thought we would try to extend our energy by taking it easy on this day. We slept in and got a 10 am start on the 9 mile approach to Star Lake. The scenery along this trail was very enjoyable, moving between forest and meadows pretty much the entire time. Star peak from trail We arrived at camp at 2 pm alongside a beautiful little alpine lake beneath the towering Star Peak, and tried to relax with some cards. However, after a couple hours we decided we might want to climb Courtney Peak that day anyways, so we packed up a light summit pack and headed out. The guidebook suggested 2 hours for the ascent, but we figured we could cut it down to 1 ½ hours. We ascended to Fish Creek Pass, and up the trail along Courtney’s southeast ridge. This mountain turned out to be deceptively close by, and by moving quickly we found ourselves on the summit in only 40 minutes! Star Peak/Lake from Courtney summit Descending Courtney Camp at sunset Day 3 Since we had climbed Courtney Peak on the previous day, we thought some adjustments could be made to our itinerary. We decided to get an early start and climb Star and Oval Peaks that day, and move camp closer to the trailhead at the base of Oval. The ascent of Star Peak was very enjoyable. We traversed around the lake and climbed a steep dirt/scree trail up to the ridge quite a distance to the east of the summit. Approaching Star Peak Star Peak saddle Fortunately, there was an easy trail along the backside of the ridge through the scree, with the only class 2 scrambling occurring on the last couple hundred vertical feet before the summit. We took just over 1 hour to get to the top, and enjoyed great views of the neighboring peaks. After descending to the lake, we packed up camp and headed towards Oval Peak. To get there, we retraced our steps over Fish Creek Pass and continued ~1 mile on trail to reach a junction with the Buttermilk Ridge trail (very faint, marked by 2 small cairns). A couple miles of ups and downs, pausing to relocate the faint path, and we made it to a small pond at the base of Oval Peak. Oval requires a bit more cross country travel, and we ascended through trees and meadows to gain the south (left side) ridge of Oval. This long ridge was strewn with large boulders, and the going was slow. Still, we made it to the summit in 1 ½ hours from the pond. Nick on Oval summit From there, we chose to forego the boulder hopping on the south ridge and descend the east ridge instead. The upper ridge was more of the same, but once we got lower there were fewer large rocks, and it made the descent much easier. We located a dirt/scree gully heading back in the direction of the pond after a few hundred feet, and we took this back down to the trees. The loop trip ended up working well because we found it easier to ascend the boulders and descend on scree. In fact, we got back to our gear soon enough that we decided to just do the hike out that afternoon. Descending Oval’s East ridge Again we opted for cross country travel on the descent, and rather than hiking back up the Buttermilk Ridge trail to rejoin the Buttermilk Creek trail, we headed on a southeast bearing downhill through the trees. There was moderate brush and windfall in places, but it was not too difficult to pick our way through the forest. We rejoined the trail in about 45 minutes, cutting off several miles from our descent, and we were back at the car in a couple hours. That night we drove to Leavenworth and camped. Day 4 After re-supplying in town, we hiked up to the Pearly Gates crags in the Icicle Creek canyon for some rock climbing. To get there, you hike up the Snow Lakes trail across the irrigation canal, and then take a right fork at the end of a switchback, following a steep climber’s path up to the rocks. It takes around 30 minutes. At Pearly Gates there are several excellent crack climbs, ranging in difficulty from 5.7 to 5.11 or higher. There are also some resident mountain goats that will harass you and you gear if you are not careful! Pearly Gates, 5.10c Day 5 We toyed with the idea of doing an Enchantments trip for our last couple of days, but with the permit situation at this time of year we knew we didn’t stand much chance of getting up there. Therefore, we chose to climb nearby Cashmere Mountain, an 8500 foot peak in the Eightmile/Lake Caroline zone. Luckily, we were one of only 2 groups hoping to get permits for this area (whereas there must have been at least 10 groups battling for the Enchantments permits!), so we had no trouble at all. The approach to Cashmere follows the Eightmile Creek trail for 3 miles to Little Eightmile Lake before heading steeply uphill through an old burn to Lake Caroline (5 ½ miles total). We continued another ½ mile to Little Caroline Lake, which offered excellent campsites nearby. Day 6 For Cashmere, we continued on the trail as it ascended toward Windy Pass. However, keeping in the spirit of cross country travel, we left the trail in ½ mile after traversing a large meadow, and headed across the top of the meadow to a ridge. The ridge took us up to a point on Cashmere’s west ridge, and we followed a trail (which often gets lost in boulder fields) to a saddle at the base of Cashmere’s peak. From the saddle, there is a trail heading up the west ridge, but we were advised to traverse along the north side of the peak after a couple hundred feet, and ascend a gully near the north ridge instead. This worked quite well, and we reached the summit with only class 2-3 scrambling. North side of Cashmere The views of the Enchantments were amazing, and the calm weather kept us happy up there for quite a while. Looking back at the lakes from the summit, with Mt. Stuart in the background. The enormity of our week long undertaking finally hit us on the descent from Cashmere, and we were good and tired by the time we got back to the car. We really enjoyed this trip. It is something I have wanted to do for a while, but have never had the time or energy. I was impressed with the scenery on the east side of the mountains, with some of the best meadows and forests around. It was great to see so many different landscapes all in one trip, too! I’m ready for more!

Trip: Raven Ridge and Hoodoo Peak 8.29.08-8.30.08 - Date: 8/30/2008 Trip Report: Last Friday, I took my friend Melanie on her first scramble outing—an ascent of Hoodoo Peak and Raven Ridge, located outside of Twisp, WA. Me and Melanie at the trailhead. We did the 5 mile approach on Friday night, reaching an old cabin in a forest clearing at about 9 pm (7200 feet). We were happy to find the cabin so that it could give us shelter from the forecasted rain. However, with perfectly clear weather, we opted to sleep under the stars that night. Cabin site. The next morning, we got up early and headed for Raven Ridge, which is reached by continuing up the trail to Libby Lake for ½ mile, and then scrambling up a rocky gully at the southeast end of the lake to gain the ridge near its center. You can also ascend the gully further to the west, and then scramble the entire ½ mile of ridge to get to the east summit. Our gully may have therefore cut off some time on the ascent. We reached the top of the east peak, Corax Peak, 8572 feet, at 9 am. Scrambling up the gully on Raven Ridge. Scrambling on Raven Ridge. Summit of Raven Ridge east peak, Corax, looking to Hoodoo Peak and Libby Lake. On the way back down the ridge, we decided to check out the western peak of Raven Ridge, known as Libby Peak. It is only 80 feet or so lower than the east peak, and gave us more opportunities for some enjoyable boulder hopping. We also got a good look at Hoodoo peak from this summit. Summit of Raven Ridge west, Libby Peak. We then traversed back to our gully in the center of the ridge and hopped/slid down scree back to the lake. We backtracked down to the cabin, and from there we followed a trail left/west towards Hoodoo Peak. The trail soon fades out, but the peak quickly becomes visible through the trees, so we picked our way through meadows to get to the base of the scramble. Hoodoo Peak requires more boulder hopping and class 2 scrambling to get to the saddle on the Hoodoo Peak ridge, and continuing right up the boulder field to the summit. Scrambling Hoodoo Peak. Raven Ridge from summit of Hoodoo Peak. Melanie. The ascent of Hoodoo took about 1 ½ hours from the cabin, putting us in good shape to get out early, as we had a long drive back to Bellingham that night. We were back to the cabin by 4 pm, and to the car by 6. Grouse on trail. We both really enjoyed this trip, with its pleasant eastern WA scenery and fun scrambling on the peaks. We also got a nice wilderness experience out of it because we didn’t see a single other person on the whole trip! Gear Notes: Backpacking boots for ankle support on loose rocks, brought tent but didn't use it, didn't bring helmets but they would have been nice!

Yeah, not much on the north face of Maude at the moment, unfortunately. I'm hoping to head back up there myself when the route comes in again!

Trip: Forbidden Peak - East Ridge Direct Date: 8/23/2008 Trip Report: Nick and I headed to Boston Basin last weekend to climb Forbidden’s East Ridge Direct route. We camped at the trailhead on Friday night to get an early start the next morning. Turns out, we needed it! We left the car at 5 am, and hiked the trail by headlamp for a while until we reached the beginning of the meadows, and views of our mountain. Forbidden Johannesburg at sunrise We arrived in Boston Basin at 6:45 am. As we peered across the meadows full of marmots and flowers, I saw movement of a different sort on a nearby slope. About ½ mile away, a huge bear was lumbering down the hill. It was a lighter brown than bears I have seen in the past, and a large hump over its shoulders indicated to me that this was no black bear! What a sight to see! The grizzly bear soon dropped behind a hill to where we could no longer see him, which made me somewhat nervous, but we continued on. As it turns out, we were able to watch the bear for most of the day once we were higher on the mountain. It seemed pretty content hanging out near the same stream all day. Boston Basin We continued past high camp and with some snow travel and moderate rock scrambling we were soon at the base of the climb, very excited about what was to come! Scrambling towards Forbidden We met another party at the solitary gendarme marking the start of the climb, and soon learned that conditions were not ideal. The ridge looked great, but our descent route, the Northeast Ledges, was covered in a dusting of powdery snow! Not to be deterred, we decided that we would just have to downclimb the route. The other party however, worried about the extra time they would need (they were a group of three), decided to turn back. I started off the climbing with a low fifth pitch around the first tower, staying slightly left of the crest. Nick took the next lead, topping out on the next tower along the ridge. Pitch 3 was a knife edge traverse across the ridge crest. This was an exciting pitch with a lot of exposure! Nick took P4 and got us to the base of the next tower. Pitch 5 was mine, and rather than climbing up and over the next tower, I went around to the right (5.6). This turned out to be an interesting traverse with some fun undercling/layback moves. However, this side had more loose rock, and some snow lingered on the route here. From the notch between the two gendarmes, Nick began the 5.8 crux pitch. We both really enjoyed this pitch, and thought the climbing was challenging and fun. The climbing is slightly overhung, but the handholds are decently large, and it makes for some interesting moves. Me topping out on the crux pitch Finally, I led the way to the summit. Pitch 7 was just about a whole 60 meters, starting just beyond the top of the crux. It goes up one more tower, and then traverses right on the ridge crest to the summit. I radioed down to Nick, “Guess where I’m standing!!!” Topping out on Forbidden! The panorama from the summit was amazing. Boston and Sahale Eldorado Boston Glacier and Mount Buckner The ledges certainly didn’t look like much fun—we’ve heard they’re tough even in dry conditions. So with that, we turned around at 3:30 pm (after an hour or so at the summit). The downclimbing proved to be more difficult than I had anticipated. We were able to rap off the crux pitch, but the snow on the 5.6 traverse pitch just after that had melted out, making the rock wet and slippery. After some scary climbing, we reached the relative safety of the lower pitches, and continued by simul-climbing. The descent took just as long as the climb, but was much less pleasant, and we arrived back at the base at 7:30 pm. Rapidly losing daylight, we made our way down the rocks/snow to high camp. We picked up the trail in the dark at 9:15, and felt good enough about our situation to take a dinner break (cheese, sausage, and breadsticks!). However, finding the stream crossing at the bottom of the basin was extremely difficult in the dark, and we took an extra hour finding the right place to cross. We moved slowly down the trail, tired after the long day, and we got back to the car at 12:30. Fortunately, we didn’t have any bear sightings that night! This was an excellent route to climb, and in a beautiful area! Having done most of the West Ridge earlier this year, I would have to say that this side of the peak should not be overlooked. Both are extremely enjoyable climbs on good rock, and the exposure of ridge climbing makes them very memorable. Gear Notes: One 60 m 9.4 mm rope, BD camalots up to 2 inch, doubles on .75, 1, and 2, 6 double slings, 7 alpine draws... we always had extra gear at the top of each pitch, but it was nice to have the options. Approach Notes: We didn't carry ice axes, but you may want one on the upper snowfields. However, you can avoid most of the snow and scramble on rock if you prefer.

Trip: Seven Fingered Jack 8.17.08-8.18.08 - Date: 8/17/2008 Trip Report: Nick and I headed to the Entiat Mountain range on Sunday to ascend Seven Fingered Jack, and possibly hit Mt. Fernow as well. With uncooperative weather on Monday, we only got the one peak in, but we had a great trip nevertheless! Beautiful waterfall on the way to Leroy Basin. Our campsite at Leroy Basin, with Seven Fingers Jack (7FJ) in the background. Looking up at the peak that evening. The true summit is on the far left of the ridge. We departed for the summit of 7FJ at 6:30 am, took a break at the large bench at 7800’, and were standing on the summit by 8:30 am. The scrambling was very enjoyable high on the mountain, and we may even have made a few detours to go up and over some of the other fingers as well! Departing for the summit Scrambling toward the summit (class 2) Summit of Seven Fingers, with Maude in the background With a whole day ahead of us, and the weather still looking good, we decided to make a trip towards Mt. Fernow, another couple miles away. We descended to a small lake via rock scrambling/scree sliding, and then had to descend to the bottom of the glacier before heading back up to Fernow. From the lake, we made a move towards the mountain, seen in the distance. Unfortunately, before long the weather moved in, and rather than facing the thought of climbing on 4th class rock in the rain, we decided to turn back. Our decision was soon justified when not long after turning around the weather hit. Keep in mind, this “sunset” photo was taken at 12 noon! We got back to camp, packed up in the rain, and headed down the trail. All in all, another fun trip in the mountains!

Trip: Eldorado Icecap - Eldorado, Austera, and Primus Peak Date: 8/6/2008 Trip Report: Last week Nick, Valerie and I decided to take a few days off work to spend some time in the mountains. Our plan was to traverse the Eldorado Icecap, hitting five peaks along the way—Eldorado, Klawatti, Austera, Primus, and Dorado Needle. We headed to the Cascade Pass area on Wednesday afternoon and made our way up the Eldorado creek trail at 3 pm. We found the stream crossing and trail to be in excellent condition, and made good time to camp at the meadows, where we were treated to magnificent views of Johannesburg and other surrounding peaks. That night, with Valerie testing out her new emergency bivy (which I affectionately called the “foil sack”), and Nick and I in our rain fly shelter, we experienced our first of what was to become several nights of unsettling weather in the mountains. Fortunately, only light showers reached our campsite that evening, and we were treated with gorgeous weather by the next morning. We resumed our ascent of Eldorado at 8 am, heading over the ridge and into the Roush Basin. The Eldorado glacier was mostly clear of crevasses, and we decided to climb unroped until we reached the large, flat area at 7500 feet. Then, with Valerie leading the way, we moved across the glacier to a notch near the base of the East Ridge, where we were able to briefly drop our heavy packs as we climbed to the summit. This was my first personal encounter with the infamous “knife edge,” a feature which, when I first saw it in a picture seven years ago, caused me to exclaim that I would never climb this peak. Now, somewhat sadly, the knife edge wasn’t much more than a narrow ridge of snow, and we were able to easily move along it to reach the summit. With the hope of more climbing ahead of us for the day, we dropped back down to our packs and soon made our way across the Inspiration glacier to the col between Klawatti Peak and Tepah Towers. We found a small rock outcropping to set up camp, and were pleased to find running water nearby! With our overnight gear situated, we decided to check out the route on Klawatti Peak, the next mountain on that day’s itinerary, which was to be a simple class 2-3 scramble. We tried to reach the base of the climb by ascending a snowfield very near our camp, but our progress was soon halted by a large moat (~35 feet deep, 10 feet across) which had formed as the snow melted out over the summer. Nick and I approaching the moat. Not wanting to try anything too risky (although we toyed with many ideas about how to get across), we decided it would be better to head further along the base of the mountain and see if we could access the rock elsewhere. This inevitably led to a complete circumnavigation of the peak, as the moats persisted along almost the entire perimeter of the mountain. We finally found a potential scramble route up the southeast ridge, but with the day coming to a close, we would have to leave it for Saturday if we had time after climbing Dorado Needle. Sunset at the col. That night on the col was another exciting experience, because soon after we retired to our respective shelters, a massive thunder and lightening storm hit, with bolts striking all too close to our camp! Rain and wind pelted the tent, and I wondered when Valerie was going to crawl in with me and Nick, but she stuck it out in her bivy, and even claimed that she remained quite comfortable throughout the night as she watched lightening illuminate Forbidden Peak and the rest of the Boston Basin area. What a show! The next morning the weather had cleared (much to my surprise), and we packed up and headed for Austera Peak. We scrambled over a notch along the Klawatti ridge at around 7900 feet, and approached the summit of Austera via a snowfield. After some easy scrambling over the rocky false summit, we got our first view of the summit block (a mere 15 feet higher, but definitely worth the effort), which would be climbed via a 50 foot chimney. We opted to rope up for the ascent of the chimney, and were happy to have the rope for a rappel on the descent as well. A bit more enjoyable scrambling and we were on top! The next item on the list was Primus Peak, which required a descent of about 1200 feet from the base of Austera, followed by a long traverse of the North Klawatti Glacier. The scrambling was mostly class 2 boulder hopping, and we were soon atop our third peak of the trip! Back at camp, we watched as the weather moved in once again, although we were left dry for the time being. Still, sleep was not to be ours that night either. A particularly daring mountain rat, which had raided our camp the night before, awoke Valerie as it chewed on her bivy bag, and even entered our tent shelter to munch on our gear! However, some sacrificial trail mix on a rock kept him busy for the rest of the night. Again, Saturday was to be the day of our Dorado Needle climb, but this time we weren’t so lucky with the weather. We awoke to a white-out sky and a heavy downpour of rain, and decided that the climb would be a little too intense in those conditions. With that, we packed up and made the trek back across the glaciers. The route finding was somewhat challenging, but we were able to find our way back to the East Ridge and ended up only a few yards from the notch. The weather eased up on us a bit down at the meadows, treating us to one more view of the gorgeous valley as we hiked down the trail. This trip was a wonderful way to explore this scenic area, and literally living on the glaciers for nearly three days as we ascended these peaks made for a real adventure for us. We definitely anticipate returning early next summer for some more fun (and hopefully fewer moats)!