[TR] Mount Baker- Easton Glacier 7/27/2004

[off_the_hook]

Climb: Mount Baker-Easton Glacier

 

Date of Climb: 7/27/2004

 

Trip Report:

Jessie and I climbed Mount Baker via the Easton Glacier route in under a half day. The appraoch was straightforward. The glacier was quite crevassed and required endrunning at multiple points. The summit view was filtered heavily by the smoke plume drifting in from the fire near Bella Coola, BC. Some of the older tracks that trend to climbers right are now impassable with open or very weak snowbridges. The best route now stays over more left until just before the crater.

 

We did the climb in 9 hours 15 min car to car; 7,500 feet of elevation gain and loss. We started just after 4:45 am and finished up just after 2pm. We spent over a half hour at the summit and a half hour breaking/roping up and we also stopped to look at the crater. We came down the mountain leisurely taking photos of the seracs and giant crevasses so a speed attempt of under 8 hours is very feasible. There was one large party of seven on the Easton other than us, but plenty of climbers on the CD route.

 

I imagine that if the hot weather of recent continues, the route up the Easton will become much more circuitious and involve interesting crevasse crossings. Overall, the Easton is a nice, straightforward route that in late season (mid-season this year) provides the climber with a nice look into a very active glacier.

 

Gear Notes:

standard glacier gear

 

Approach Notes:

Bridge out from floods forcing crossing of river draining the easton glacier.

[DPS]

How did the Boulder Glacier, Boulder/Park Cleaver, and Park Glacier Headwall routes look? (These are the routes counter clockwise from the Easton).

[savaiusini]

here is a 3 week old TR from the Boulder Park route: TR

I'm sure it's a bit more melted out now and the headwall is probably a bit icer, but it should all still be good