off_the_hook Posted July 3, 2005 Posted July 3, 2005 (edited) Climb: Snowfield Peak-Neve Glacier Date of Climb: 7/1/2005 Trip Report: Short Story: Climbed Snowfield Peak Thursday and Friday. We encountered everything from white-out and rain to crystal clear skies. We did the approach Thursday and summited early Friday morning. The approach and glaciers were in good shape with only a few crevasses open on the Neve Glacier. The views were awesome and the experience memborable. Long Story: It has been nearly 5 years since I last climbed Snowfield Peak. Then, it was my first multi-day mountain climbing trip and travel on an active glacier. I have fond memories of this outing and I thought Snowfield Peak would be the perfect trip for my newbie friend visiting from Dallas, TX. After waffling on the ultimate decision of where to go, we took a weather gamble and set out for the North Cascades. Clear skies in the Seattle area transitioned to a marine layer and even some drizzle on the drive. We set out from the Pyramid Lake trailhead at 9:30 am and fortunately it was dry there and even a sunbreak making for pleasant hiking. The trail to Pyramid Lake and the climber’s path up to the ridge coming off Pyramid Peak were straightforward. Long, steep, and dry; just like I remembered it. As we entered the subalpine, a huge sunbreak opened up and I thought we were set for good weather or at least an improving trend. I thought maybe I could climb some other peaks in the area in addition to Snowfield – actually I intended to – not to be! We continued up the ridge to the foot of Pyramid Peak with some minor routefinding making great time. The traverse over to Colonial Glacier was straightforward as well and mainly snowfree. We roped up on the Colonial and ascended to the col between Colonial and Neve Glaciers. At this time, the clouds started streaming over Paul Bunyan’s Stump with a cold wind picking up. We hurried up to the col, arriving at 2:30 pm. Just after we finished setting up the tent, it started to drizzle. It soon turned into a downpour, and combined with the howling winds, we headed straight for the sleeping bags. The rain stopped in the evening so we cooked Lipton’s Teryaki Noodles to warm up. We were still socked in, depressed, etc., and I was starting to regret choosing the North Cascades. However, I had not lost hope. With no “organized” weather system in the vicinity, I knew there was a possibility the marine layer would descend overnight. We set the alarm for 4:30 am in hopes of this occurring. Soon afterwards it started to rain, sleet, and gust even harder than before. I thought it would be a miracle if it cleared. Well, about 2 am everything became calm and I finally got some real sleep. I woke up at about 4:28 am and instinctively unzipped the rain fly to check conditions. I stuck my head out and I didn’t see a cloud anywhere! I woke Brett up and told him its game time. By the time we got going it was 5:20 am. The tour across Neve Glacier was awesome and we stopped for photos many times. The snow was hard making for great cramponing. Crevasses are starting to open up in two sections, but they were small and easily negotiable. A quick ascent brought us to the scramble high on the flanks of Snowfield. We summited at 7:00 with grand views 360 degree views. My favorite view is to Austera Towers and the McAllister Glaicer. There was still a chilly wind, but it felt nice in the sun and we ate some granola bars and pita bread. A couple thousand feet below, clouds were streaming in from the west and I knew the marine layer would creep up the mountains in a few hours. We left the summit at 7:45 and descended the Neve Glacier. About three quarters of the way down the glacier we descended into a quickly rising marine layer. Blue skies and sun turned into a whiteout. Orientation through the whiteout took some time, but we made it back to camp just after 9 am. The clouds pulled back a little at the col allowing us to eat some oatmeal, pack up, rest a little, and get one last view of Snowfield. With the fog settling in, we cruised down the Colonial Glacier at 11 am where it was still sunny. The hike down the ridge below Pyramid Peak was nice with the sun shining through. We made it back to the car at 3 pm. Overall, this was one of my more memorable trips. The views were stellar, but it was the dramatic fashion in which they appeared that will stick with me. I didn’t get to climb any of the other peaks in the area as I had hoped, but I am very satisfied with how it turned out. My newbie partner got a little taste of everything North Cascades! Gear Notes: Crampons, Ice Axe, 30m rope, Glacier stuff We used everything. Approach Notes: Climbers route can be lost in a few places if you don't pay attention. I was here before so it wasn't bad, but if you find yourself off path, backtrack until you get back on! One real snowpatch on traverse from ridge to colonial glacier. Edited July 3, 2005 by off_the_hook Quote
MisterMo Posted July 3, 2005 Posted July 3, 2005 Great photos. Pretty cool area; you should get some kind of hardcore maniac star for doing that approach and only staying one day! Quote
goatboy Posted July 4, 2005 Posted July 4, 2005 Great TR, wonderful photos . . . but that THIRD photo (with the pink alpenglow) just makes me feel all woozy. Please excuse me, as I now have to go weep. Great job! Thanks for the TR. Quote
off_the_hook Posted July 5, 2005 Author Posted July 5, 2005 Since ya'll like alpenglow, here is another... Quote
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