zoroastr

silence... Oops..you're right. Sorry about that. Incidentally, my legs are 50 years old. :0)

Trip: Glacier Peak - Car-to-Car Date: 7/18/2010 Trip Report: Inspired by recent CC trip reports promising easy access and good conditions, Erick Johnson, Tommy Unger and I climbed Glacier Peak on Sunday in a fun single push via White Pass and the Disappointment Peak route. Essentially a long hike, the non-technical route is currently in perfect shape for a light-n-fast single-day trek. The beautiful approach trail is mainly snow-free, and once you're on the glacier, a well-established boot path wanders over some nicely varied terrain, including extensive pumice slopes, glacial plains and high ridges. The photographic opportunies are limitless in this stunningly gorgeous region. There were no real surprises on the trip, which felt pretty much like you'd expect: a long day at altitude ending with a bit of night hiking (actually, we managed to get to within a half hour of the parking lot before it became necessary to flick on the lamps). One thing we didn't expect to encounter was the high level of alpine smugness on the part of the heavily-equipped weekend parties heading down after their multi-day summit adventures. On the approach trail, several people asked us about our plans and when we informed them that we were heading for the top of Glacier, our replies were met with rolled eyes, incredulous gapes, and one "good luck" that was dripping with sarcasm. Had our party violated some sacred precept of mountaineering dogma by daring to enter this place clad only in light boots, running shoes, and day-hiker garb? We just smiled politely and kept moving. Some stats: We started hiking at 7:48 am, and were on top at 3:30 pm (Erick was apparently feeling his gel packs, because he topped out a few minutes ahead of Tommy and I). We were back down at White Pass at around 6:30 pm, and, after a liesurly evening meal and photo-snapping session, we left for the parking lot a little after 7:00 pm, arriving at the car at 10:20 pm. We weren't trying to speed climb, but were mainly interested in evaluating the C2C feasibility of the route. Some snaps.... White Pass, and our first glimpse of the target. If you squint, you can just make out Tommy and Erick in center frame, moving up along the left-slanting boot path. Disappointment Peak Moving up toward the rightward traverse below the false summit... Erick on the Pumice Highway just below the final summit slog... Summit shot. Choosing to climb on a Sunday, we had the peak to ourselves. Rime-encrusted sub-summit... Booting back down below the cloud layer... EJ and Tommy on a glacial plain below the summit of Dissapointment Peak... A hikeout snap... And another... Glacial meltwater pond... Back at White Pass, preparing for the final leg. Erick turned around and snapped me and Tommy as we started down from White Pass. ...A very nice day in the hills!

Great t.r. and VERY nice photo work! You snapped some real keepers there. Thanx for sharing.

hey Leor... I just checked out your blog and the LaSportiva Mountain Running blog...pretty cool stuff. A friend and I are thinking about giving the Glacier Pk. C2C a try, so I checked out your past t.r. for hints. Lots of good beta there. Thanx. btw: your adventure running site is a the best trove of mountain pr0n I've seen in a long time! --good luck with your running and climbing!

My camera is a little Cannon 3.5 MP Powershot. I also do some enhancing under Linux using a tiny, open-source application called MtPaint. I have avoided springing for a "real" camera because I don't want to lug a full-sized DSLR into the hills. I know this is limiting, but I already have too many hobbies. :0)

robertjoy... you should have no problem finding dry camp spots and plenty of water. the upper lakes are melting out, and conditions should be even better in the lowers. It's probably a great time to camp, before the larger crowds descend on the place. Enjoy!

AWESOME t.r. and pix! ..and I don't mean that in the trivial, colloquial sense; your photos actually inspire awe! You two must have made some incredible memories on Baker. Can't wait for your 2011 report!

staggeringly kewl t.r.! ...reads like a novel, looks like a coffee table book. thx!

Ah...great! I'm sure Erick got much better shots than I, since he has a very high-res camera that takes unbelievable zooms, and mine's just a crummy lil' point-n-click. When he sends them to me, I'll throw a couple on this page, and PM you. Congrats on your climb!

Nice mountain pr0n! ...'specially the night shot and the waterfall. they look really pro! thx.

Amazing C2C effort...humbling. Thanx for sharing!

Great story and tremendous pix! thx!

Trip: Enchantments Tour - Various Walk-Ups, C2C Date: 7/5/2010 Trip Report: Last week, EJohnson and I had planned to repeat our C2C climb of Sherpa Peak's N.E. Couloir. During the drive to Leavenworth last Monday, however, I managed to talk Erick out of the Sherpa route which in my view offers a less than favorable suffering-to-payoff ratio. For various reasons, I just didn't feel up to lugging rope n' rack over that hideous approach again...maybe later in the season. Instead, we decided on a relaxed tour of the Upper Enchantments, including visits to the summits of Witches Tower, Dragontail, and the connecting ridge to Colchuck Pk. On the way, we had the chance to observe more committed climbers as they tackled one of D-Tail's technical routes. A few snaps... One of the area's notorious "urinophiles..." The Upper 'Chants are still buried, but the snowpack makes for a lightning-fast ascent to Aasgard Pass and quick access to the goodies beyond, including a number of still-frosty lakelets. On this occasion, meltwater ponds were quite handy since, in my zeal to shed unnecessary packables, I forgot to bring a bottle for water. No prob...take a big gulp of meltwater, go tag a peak, come back down, repeat... Johnson strolling up the "crux" of wheelchair-accessible Witches Tower; once you turn this corner, there ain't a move beyond class 3. Prusik from the summit of Witches Tower, including what appears to be an interesting effect of the reflected sunlight above the peak. ...and a close-up: Climbers on one of Dragontail's face routes. These two were being brought up by their belayer, already on the ridge crest. As promised earlier in the week, here's a tiny chunk out of one of EJohnson's amazing zoom shots. He's got a camera with ridiculous resolution specs... Same party, not so close. Back down, drinking up, just prior to departing for Dragontail (out of sequence, sorry)... Witches Tower from near the summit of Dragontail. The connecting ridge between D-Tail and Colchuck is studded with interesting features, including this tower, which Johnson scrambled while waiting for me to catch up after donning crampons, something Ejay almost never feels the need to do (weirdo!). It took exactly 16 minutes to reach the lake from Colchuck Col., the boot-ski runs were that good! ...A fine day in the hills. Approach Notes: boots 'pons (maybe) slope-poker

Jeezuz, what a route! Amazing job of photo documentation, too. Thanx for one helluva t.r.!

o...m...f...g :rocken::rocken:

Gr8 t.r. and incredible shots! Can you comment on the extent of the work that's been done on the approach trail? On a day trip to W. Mac a few years ago, we lost the trail a couple of times--it was quite rough. Congrats on the climb, and THANX!

o..m..f..g! (they really need to come up with a special smiley just for t.r.'s like this, but for now: )

heh...my mom cleaned my room once...the experience put her in therapy for the next six months.

Nice shots of the slab pitch. That route's a fave; the variety of moves near the top runs the gamut. Thanks for a gr8 t.r.!

As a vet, let me say that I appreciate the well-intentioned expressions of gratitude made here. But if anyone is naive enough to think that what's happening in Iraq and Afghanistan is in any way connected with promoting "freedom," he should immediately switch off the Fox channel and do a little honest investigation... The U.S. hasn't been involved in a morally-defensible conflict since WWII.

ooh...thx for the tip. I'm looking to grab some laid-back aerobic miles this sunday, and ruth might make an interesting alternative to my annual slog up whitehorse...cheers. btw: don't worry about the upload issue...the pix on your blog look gr8!

...I wish I could ski...*sniff* :0(

S.C. Glad to hear your trip came off alright, and that everyone's ears stayed more or less firmly anchored to their skulls; nothing ruins a trip quicker than losing an ear to a seated glissade... :0) Thanks for the great t.r. and congrats!

R.P. My partner on this trip, Erick Johnson, soloed the Ice Cliff Gl. route in winter a few seasons back, and I think he remarked that it looked in shape this year. I'll ping him with your info request and ask him to post here.

Trip: Mt. Stuart - Sherpa Glacier Date: 5/30/2010 Trip Report: Ok, we didn't actually top out, but we managed to climb enough of the route to give what is hopefully a somewhat useful report on current conditions for the Sherpa Glacier on Stuart. Yesterday, Erick Johnson and I headed over to Leavenworth for another of our single-day C2C adventures. This time, the objective was the relaxed and scenic Sherpa Glacier route on Mt. Stuart. We started from Colchuck Lk trailhead at 9:30 am and, after enduring the almost comically torturous approach, we arrived at the base of the peak in time to bid farewell to a couple of parties retreating due to concerns about avalanche danger and deep, fresh powder...yay. As we started up the route, the snowpack seemed stable enough, allthough it was a bit of a slog. Before long, we were at the base of the couloir proper and were pleased to discover firmer snow conditions. Crampons, it turned out, were optional in the nicely consolidated but still soft powder. I'd never done this route, but found it to be a very enjoyable and laid-back gully romp. After exiting the couloir and starting the climb to the false summit, we were eventually blocked by deteriorating weather conditions and deep, slide-prone powder. The pic below shows the route up, and our eventual stopping point. While probing the snowpack at the turn-around spot, Erick easily set off a non-trivial foot-thick slide that gave us pause. After a snack and chat, consensus was quickly reached, and we reluctantly bailed. Booting back down the Sherpa was bliss, and we were back at the car at around 6:00 pm. I don't think I've ever enjoyed a failed climb as much as this one; the area feels slightly remote, affords some truly awesome views, and is well-positioned for short, single-day sprints with light packs. Once in the couloir, we booted quickly up the middle after noticing the heaviliy-loaded cornices on both sides... Cain moving quickly up the moderately steep gully which, despite the recent dump of fresh, somehow managed to get a tad icy for the last couple of hundred feet. Sherpa peak and its Balanced Rock, as seen from the top of the gully. With the weather closing in, E. Johnson probes a slope before commiting to a short descent to a notch on the upper ridge. After opting to bail, Johnson waits at the col before starting back down. The weather never did clear, although we did get a quick glimpse of Sherpa Pk. from the upper ridge...purdy! We'll give this route a week or two to firm up and then finish it off.