[TR] Mount Baring - Standard 12/05/2020

[JasonG]

Trip: Mount Baring - Standard

Trip Date: 12/05/2020

Trip Report:

 

With ski conditions a bit less than ideal this weekend, @cfire and @Kit decided to go Smooting, naturally.  I had climbed Baring a couple times before, but none more recently than about 18 years ago so it was time to head back!  In the intervening years the climber's path has become a highway, making for easy (albeit steep) travel below the snowline.  Once we got to the snow we traded trailbreaking duties within our party and a couple other guys on the mountain that day.  The shared effort made for a quick ascent, only about 3.5 hours from the cars.  Perfect for the short days of late fall! 

 

It was a bit breezy up around the summit but we found a sheltered nook to take our well earned lunch.  Kit shared some home baked cookies, I shared a bit of chocolate, and @cfire helped us wash it all down with some Maker's.  Quite Civilized!  The descent down the steep forest, however, felt somewhat barbaric on our middle aged knees (Team combined age of nearly 150 ).  No matter, we had smoked salmon and beer at the car to gentrify our exit from the wilderness. 

Good people watching at the Barclay lake Trailhead, after our ~7 hour romp in the alpine!

You know how much fun this is!

Index and Persis

Steep snow out of the notch

Topping out

The south Peak of Baring

Index and the Olympics

The horn of Kaleetan marks the Snoqualmie pass peaks

Heading back to the notch

Gunn

More fun!  Kit's boots were making his knees feel good in comparison.

Late afternoon light on Baring

Gear Notes:
Sigh....snowshoes. Ski poles were handy as was an ice axe for the final bit out of notch (though you could get by probably without it)

Approach Notes:
Lots of gpx tracks on the interweb. Go a bit behind the outhouse at the Barclay lake TH and look for start of climber's path in a small stream gully.

[Trent]

Cool! Snowshoes....?  @ Cfire: Finally a climb that meets your aesthetic demands!

Edited December 7, 2020 by Trent

[JasonG]

3 minutes ago, Trent said:

Snowshoes....?

Blue Collar Alpinism!

[Carbonj]

Above picture, light and fast alpine style. Yea buddy!

[cfire]

19 hours ago, Trent said:

Cool! Snowshoes....?  @ Cfire: Finally a climb that meets your aesthetic demands!

I kicked and screamed like a 2 year old strapping those infernal adjuncts to my feet. Pure hatred. The snow had better improve for skiing!

Great scenery on a bluebird day. 

[Kameron]

Sounds like you are maybe wishing you'd gone on a ski-carrying schwack instead ;-)

Looks lovely

[ScaredSilly]

23 hours ago, JasonG said:

The descent down the steep forest, however, felt somewhat barbaric on our middle aged knees (Team combined age of nearly 150 ). 

Quit yer bitching youth. My last trip in the Casades the average age was over 60 with one damn near 70.

[JasonG]

6 minutes ago, ScaredSilly said:

Quit yer bitching youth

I'll drink to that compliment!

[bigeo]

On 12/7/2020 at 4:47 PM, ScaredSilly said:

Quit yer bitching youth. 

Is that out of the Whillans' phrasebook?

Edited December 9, 2020 by bigeo

[JonParker]

Love the shadows heading back to the notch

[kukuzka1]

The second photo is a great photo of the Index peaks, don't get that view photographed much.

[Bronco]

On 12/6/2020 at 5:46 PM, JasonG said:

Blue Collar Alpinism!

This trip report makes my knees hurt.  I agree with Kit's sentiment.