akselk

Trip: Monte Cristo Peak - N col Date: 8/6/2012 Trip Report: Road to town is in good shape for biking except for near the river crossing where it is on trail and needs to be walked for a few minutes. Trail from Monte Cristo to Glacier Basin is very easy to find (there are signs) but rather overgrown and steep. From Glacier Basin to the N col, there is plenty of snow with some patches of scree. The last 500' or so is about 40-45 degrees of snow some of it a bit icy. There is a significant moat before the chimney climb on the backside of the col. We had to turn around here as we were out of time, but getting from the moat to the rock seems feasible. The summit pyramid is totally dry. There is a notice in the town saying that the water contains heavy metals and should not be drunk even if filtered or boiled. We assumed that wouldn't apply higher up, above the mines, but who knows. We used ice axe, helmet and crampons. Rope/picket is handy to belay/rappel depending on comfort level on the steep snow.

There is plenty of snow in Ingalls. I'm headed there this Sunday actually. The lake was totally frozen and plenty of snow around it. Here's a recent report: http://www.wta.org/go-hiking/trip-reports/trip_report.2012-07-22.4904403841

Trip: Mount Stuart - Cascadian Couloir Date: 7/15/2012 Trip Report: We climbed the Cascadian Couloir in a long day (first time for both of us). There's not much snow anymore on the route. The only snow patches of any significance are on the north side of Longs Pass and right before the false summit. Ice axe and helmet are necessary, maybe crampons depending on how cold the snow is. The bulk of the couloir is sandy and full of loose rocks, so not really very pleasant. I'd still do it in a single day instead of carrying a heavy pack around especially because the pack is light without any climbing gear. But going when there is snow (and skiing down?) would probably be a lot more pleasant. Coming down from Longs Pass, after the snow, the trail is mostly a creek at the moment but turns to dry trail soon after and is easy to follow all the way to Ingalls Creek. We found a log crossing over Ingalls Creek that was a little slippery. The turnoff to the Cascadian Couloir from the trail is quite obvious - the trail is right there once you reach the green meadow on the slope past the trees. In the very sandy gully, we tended to stay on climber's left going up where the ground was a bit firmer. There are very few cairns once the meadow ends until you reach the ridgeline where you must go climber's left onto the snowfield to the false summit. Traversing left around the false summit definitely looks easier now than climbing up and over it. On the way down, we stayed climber's right where it was a bit more pleasant to plunge step in the sand. Beware of kicking rocks down though. We filtered water at Ingalls Creek on the way out. There was no water in the couloir itself. Gear Notes: Ice axe, helmet. Crampons may be necessary.