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geosean

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Posts posted by geosean

  1. Trip: Mount Rainier - Ingraham Direct

    Trip Date: 03/17/2024

    Trip Report:

     

    Mount Rainier in calendar winter... 

     

    👻👻👻 Whooooo oooo ohhhhh 👻👻👻

    Scarry

    Well, this wasn't like that. With the big first warm-up of spring predicted, NWAC was saying considerable at all elevation bands everywhere due to wet slides. This actually made a calendar winter climb of Rainier seem spot on for the weekend of St Patrick's Day. Me and @Albuquerque Fred headed out hoping for an easy nab.

    So that I could get some extra sleep and to let the gate opening crowds thin out we left Seattle at 9:00, getting to Paradise close to noon. The ranger at Paradise (where we self-registered) literally said "you should have no problems"! This was extremely surprising after getting used to rangers telling you how scary and dangerous everything is, assuming that you are getting in way over your head. I think this may have had the opposite effect and made me nervous.

    It was 68° in the parking lot at 12:30 p.m. We slogged uphill passed about 400 people, mostly snowshoeing in jeans, good for them getting outdoors though. I think it was due to the heat but we felt like we made awful time getting to camp Muir but upon further reflection it took 4.5 hours which seems respectable with overnight packs.

    There was one other party of four staying at the shelter that night, they were going to bed extremely early for an Alpine start, so we hung out outside in the warm weather making water and cooking and eating and watching the sunset. We turned in at a halfway reasonable hour for a 4:00 a.m. wake up.

    At 4:00 it was indeed quite cold, especially after my pad went flat and I had to blow it up like five times. The prediction was for low 20s° weather, that seemed about right. We started hiking at 5:15 with our skis on our backs in the pitch black. It was cold, but calm. Booting up Cathedral Gap got me mostly warmed up, and it started to get a little light by the time we crested the ridge.

    I was taking diamox for the second time on Rainier (the second with diamox that is), and I didn't realize it but tingling in your fingers is a side effect, I thought they were very cold all morning but I think there was just extra blood flow. It felt a lot like light duty screaming barfies though.

    The sun rose right when we hit Ingraham Flats right around 11k, it was stunning.

    The going was hard, punching through breakable crust while booting, but it seemed like skinning would just be icy and scary, and the crust was intermittently supportable. The perfect conditions for disheartening travel, right when you think you are making headway on top of the crust you start breaking through, then you have to put extra effort into stomping the crust down so you don't pitch forward. There were two crevasses, one we stepped over, and the other had a nice stable bridge/plug. We went straight up the gut although I think climber's right is actually more filled in. We made slow progress up to 12,200' where we briefly tried to skin, but it immediately was supportable and icy and steep and scary, once I got to a place I could get out of my skis I did so with gratitude. 

    Due to the hard going we decided to hang a left off the Ingraham Glacier to gain the upper part of the Gibraltar Ledges route and follow the other party's boot pack. There was some minor crevasse dodging here at the ridge crest but nothing challenging, then we followed the boot pack to the summit passing the other party on their way down. The head wall above 12800' above Gibraltar Rock was easy cramponing.

    As soon as the sun came up it had started to get extremely warm, the bowl of the Ingraham Glacier was absolutely roasting, I was wearing long underwear and couldn't really take it off so I was down to just a sunshirt on top with no gloves and no hat all the way from about 12K to the summit. I summitted in a sweat soaked sunshirt, there was basically no wind the whole way.

    The crux of the entire climb was definitely the heat, it sapped us pretty hard and made for slow going. This was also very unexpected so it was hard to convince yourself you needed to shed a layer.

    We were very far behind schedule after almost 7 hours camp to summit, so we didn't linger, we stripped skins, put our skis on for the first time in hours and headed down. I found the skiing to be very challenging for the top 1000 ft on hard packed sastrugui, with the occasional hard-packed smooth pocket that made for easy turns. At about 13,000' there was a long smooth steep head wall that made for great linking turns, though very fast and icy. From here down I found all of the skiing to be quite excellent all the way back to camp Muir and below. With the heat the snow from about 12,800' and below was creamy on top, but still supportable. I made it to Muir with my skis on. Fred is less into sketchy, bumpy, icy, exposed turns, so he found the whole thing much less enjoyable. I guess it's just a matter of taste. 

    We packed up camp and headed down. The snow below Muir was excellent until 6700' were a bad case of mashed potatoes set in. It didn't really matter anyway as this was boot packed out 50 ft wide, so we just survival skied the boot pack back to the sign-in hut, and eventually the car. From summit to car with 30 minutes of packing was 3 hours.

    It all goes to show you that "calendar winter" is total BS and everything should be based on conditions rather than man-made dates. I found this trip to be a more challenging ascent than the Emmons Glacier was in the spring last year, due to the hot conditions and punchy crusty snow.

    Gear Notes:
    Avalanche gear, crevasse rescue gear, 2 30m ropes, sleeping gear (no tent, but a pad with a hole in it), way way way too many clothes, not enough water.

    Approach Notes:
    Show up late and skip the gate line, it only takes a third of a day to get to Muir, and what are you going to do before it's reasonable to go to bed anyway?

     

    It was a bust day on Saturday:

    20240316_134250.jpg.f51c485a68bd8e07631b9c682d264bec.jpg

     

    Nice sunset though, views all the way to Jefferson:

    20240316_191347.jpg.b3a1b050fc4aa80ac7c15ee7a05d8800.jpg

     

    Fred slogging on the Ingraham:

    20240317_070840.jpg.ef2cf761eb4401fc78adb1e01e7d1376.jpg

     

    Sunrise:

    20240317_070831.jpg.0d077206fac6f0153988558f32c407c1.jpg

     

    Fred finishing it off:

    20240317_120018.jpg.075e146c8f6461835d78924dd7c68024.jpg

     

    Warm summit break:

    IMG_7303.jpg.0146c47ccb4f933bea3aeb8a514105cc.jpg

     

     

     

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  2. Hey, I need a little help, I'm planning a trip to Waddington this summer and would LOVE to get my hands on Don Serl's The Waddington Guide. Does anyone know where I could buy or borrow one? If I could borrow yours for a few days or hours to snap some pictures and take a few notes that would be great also! Thanks all!!

    Here's a pic of me looking super stoked on a recent "skiing" trip to BC. We hiked down a mountain carrying our skis because conditions were so bad.

    IMG_7127.jpg.bb3f1f923b77e3f08f5a25ef200b216c.jpg

     

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  3. 37 minutes ago, olyclimber said:

    Do they just lock the gate during the winter?  From what I've read elsewhere the gate has been up, you just need a vehicle with clearance for the road.

    I'm not sure what the story is with the gate, looking through the internet it seems somewhat random. You could do 90% of the road with a Subaru or anything similar, the last switchback is the worst but it's only .25 mile.

    I would have been really torn if we'd showed up and the gate was open, it would be almost too easy to drive to 2800'.

  4. On 11/4/2023 at 1:21 PM, Kameron said:

    I did Hadley trail-running style late summer last year, and it was a blast that way too.

    Yeah Jason, get with the running game. I've done Hadley a few times over the last couple of years, it's a spectacular run from Skyline Divide. We pushed on to Bastille one time, also excellent.

    I think I've seen goats every time I've been up there. Once I gave up on summiting Bastille because I didn't want to keep driving the goats onto the Mazama Glacier. They always seems to take the same route a climber would.

    You can just make out the line of goats on the left ridgeline, and their trail across the snow.

    20200913_113616.jpg.38f9515b212ef3013b02c8f91165803b.jpg

  5. Trip: Mount Persis - Trail

    Trip Date: 11/29/2023

    Trip Report:

     

    After such a beautiful Sunday on Gunn me and @Albuquerque Fred decided we had better play hooky and go catch the last of the high pressure system on Wednesday 11-29, but the best we could motivate ourselves for was Mount Persis.

     

    We knew the gate would be long so we took bikes and resigned ourselves to pushing uphill, a lot.

    This proved to be even more lousy than expected, but totally worth it for the downhill!

    In a previous trip report I claimed that the trail to Gunn Peak wasn't that bad, this one was THAT bad. I think purses might be the worst trail that people have ever called a trail. I've done a lot worse climber's paths, animal trails, routes, ETC, but everybody calls us a trail, it was tough. The 2,500 vertical feet of biking and pushing probably didn't help.

    The snow held off until the terrain eased up at about 4500 ft, then we boot packed with minimal penetration, through the forest until popping out into the open. Where the sun had been doing its work over the past week we walked on a nice firm crust seldom sinking in, all the way to the summit.

    It was cold, so we didn't stay long. The sun didn't materialize today, but it was worth it, plus I was getting paid for being sick.

    The view of the Indexes is amazing!

    20231129_125209.jpg.c7b3e372d065052996913ac758d9307c.jpg

     

    The view of Fred is always amazing:

    20231129_125151.jpg.71b7944f3fc0451fb87e9371358c6318.jpg

     

    My butt bones hurts after this:

    20231129_082657.jpg.fc5c38b388a342645704aa3155610f3d.jpg

    Worth it for the downhill!

    Gear Notes:
    Bikes.

    Approach Notes:
    Bike the road, as God intended. Then trail, maybe take some pruners.

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  6. Trip: Gunn Peak - Uh, south. Standard.

    Trip Date: 11/26/2023

    Trip Report:

    On 11-26-23 me and @Albuquerque Fred climbed Gunn and Tailgunner peaks. It was grand fun made much easier than is typical for this season due to the long high pressure system that melted and crusted the snow. Not knowing what to expect from the conditions we brought all kinds of gear: rope, pro, axes, crampons, helmets, snowshoes. We didn't use any of the technical stuff, just axes and crampons, and helmets.

    The trail wasn't as bad as we expected from the reputation, but it was pretty bad. The heavy frost down low made sure the brush was dry at least. We had to use crampons to manage the log crossing at Barclay Creek. Snow began at 4300', then we broke out into the open and thanked the crust for making the walking easier. Another party in days past broke some trail that helped a bit. 

    Yada yada yada, we donned crampons at the base of the "hidden ledge", not so hidden and definitely more of a gully than a ledge. There was some ice and since 2 climbing for a short distance. The upper snowfield was easy. The ridge crossover at 6100' was the make or break when we got our first look at the traverse ledge on the north side. I was pleased to see that the previous part left us some steps and a bit of a trough. It was a piece of cake actually, though heady. This was what we brought the pro for. You descend, then a really thin snow ledge with exposure, then ascend again. It would protect very well as the belayer is at a notch and there are several great cracks at the low point, then trees at the top on the far side. 

    Then an easy walk to the summit. It had been very warm in the sun all day and it was positively balmy on the summit, T-shirts and lady bugs (not a euphemism).

    The descent was about the same, crust plodding, then up Tailgunner. Then down, down, down. Headlamps for 15 minutes.

    Given a high snow level to make the trail tolerable, I think this would make a fine all year summit if you bring pro for the north side (or are bold on a steep slope with exposure going both up and down and across). 

    The route:

    20231126_141233.jpg.0e7462bc602c7244c99b15de6c6465ac.jpg

     

    First crux:

    20231126_114424.jpg.8801c4c5169641e3fa31ac72a4534046.jpg

     

    Second crux:

    20231126_125943.jpg.bde4e4b68585fa802a7e3fca9f3fc51d.jpg

     

    Summit:

    20231126_121554.jpg.f736916e4229608d83dfa0cebdab2960.jpg

     

    Frost line stayed in the valley all day:

    20231126_153946.jpg.f69eb51d94162e0be91a609b574963d2.jpg

    Gear Notes:
    Carried a lot. Used axe, crampons, helmet.

    Approach Notes:
    Trail is ok, not as bad as advertised.
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  7. On 8/26/2023 at 10:32 PM, kurthicks said:

    I didn't realize it would happen in my lifetime!

    I know right! That's why I'm becoming a mountain runner, I'll run up to the north side of Rainier then scramble Liberty Ridge in dry conditions in August of 2040.

  8. On 8/24/2023 at 11:40 AM, bedellympian said:

    I think the season will just change.

    I agree about getting better at ice climbing for late season, but on a snow or ice route you can't just go earlier for more snow because the consolidation effect greatly changes the route. For instance sure you could do the Price Glacier in April but you would be wallowing in deep snow for much of it, then by the time the snow consolidates the cracks are open. But yeah, I could do something like the Price in august if I was a better ice climber.

  9. Hey, I've been thinking a bit about routes that a person should plan to do sooner rather than later in the big scheme of things due to climate change. Basically routes that will get much harder as snow conditions go out.

    I'm thinking Nooksack Tower, Liberty Ridge, Price Glacier (almost too late already). They don't have to be snow routes but just routes with snow access that is getting difficult.

    Anybody have any thoughts?

    For instance, the Price Glacier Right used to be a viable route:

    20230722_150603.jpg.c333f32cf5ea84cac680b58a2f230512.jpg

    Photo from July 22nd this year.

  10. Trip: Bearpaw Mountain and Church Mountain - Uh, whatever

    Trip Date: 08/19/2023

    Trip Report:

    Looking for an easier day after some hard trips and also breaking in a new partner I settled on the very much discussed but seldom climbed Bearpaw Mountain, with a side of Church on the way out.

    We quickly hiked up the Church Mountain trail then at the meadow turned up slope and went cross-country crossing over several ridges towards Bearpaw Mountain. The final scramble of Bearpaw is a couple moves of easy class 3 along the ridge, there is a trail from the saddle above Church Lake.

    The entire area was devoid of humans, very pretty, and lots of fun cross-country rambling, generally very easy. We discovered a surprising and very distinct outcrop of limestone that is very interesting and just rock is not common in the North Cascades. 

    After Bearpaw we decided to take the easiest line and dropped to Whistler Lake, passing several lakes and wandering around the meadows at around 5600 ft. From kidney lakes we ascended to the notch on East Ridge of church mountain and joined the standard scramble route. I haven't done this in many years and summer conditions and it was a bit more complicated than I remembered but still not more than class 3. 

    After the summit we headed down the standard route, over the church lookout, and down the trail to the car. The whole trip took 9 hours over about 13 mi and 6, 000'. 

    It was a great day out in our mountainous backyard (for Bellinghamsters) in an area that I've talked about going to for years but never gotten around to doing. More of a cross-country high route days and actual peaks but very enjoyable!

    I did this TR on my phone and can't figure out how to put spaces between the photos, it's not actually one vertical panorama. Note: this whole report took me about 10 minutes, so let's see your reports!

    20230819_073030.jpg.0c01cccd76b35081ff3d176dd949a812.jpg20230819_073017.jpg.e019de392f2844d9b4ece208fef2341f.jpg20230819_082459.jpg.cae7eefe1205ff38e3f25d09bd330e9c.jpg20230819_093830.jpg.6b55b6c901aa54cf581c7aa44b661715.jpg20230819_091331.jpg.e79ef2716f5d1b1e1e7e0b90601681c1.jpg20230819_101624.jpg.9c7a195168c14cf9fd86bd1b3d607c67.jpg

    Gear Notes:
    Trail shoes. Poles.

    Approach Notes:
    Church Mountain trail. Made it to the trailhead in a Pontiac Sunfire, the creek crossing required some driving skill.
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  11. 1 hour ago, Bronco said:

    Things like this make me never want to climb Nooksack.  It seems like everyone who climbs it has one of these close calls.

    In this case it didn't have anything to do with the specific climb but glacier travel in general, we could have easily swung farther around the crevasses and avoided the bridge entirely but we didn't want to do as much traversing. But it was still a bit unnerving. By then on the descent we were pretty over it and just dealt with it, but still good food for thought.

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