[TR] Mt. Baker - South Side - Summit Pics- Easton Glacier 8/25/2005

[Paul_Reststep]

Climb: Mt. Baker - South Side - Summit Pics-Easton Glacier

 

Date of Climb: 8/25/2005

 

Trip Report:

Spent 5 sunshine filled days on Mt baker learning various fundamental mountaineering principles from two wizened American Alpine Institute guides/instructors (Mark Johnson/ Jeremy Allyn). We summited Mount Baker on day-4 which was 25 August. With no one else around on Thursday at 10am, we lavished in the sunshine on the summit for an hour.

 

Hiking up the Railroad Grade, we established basecamp (at Railroad Camp) at about 6000 feet. There were still a few snow patches remaining nearby (~6400 feet) for practicing snow skills. The very dry Easton Glacier was heavily crevassed but navigable and in excellent shape.

 

Scenic views from the summit and Base Camp were pretty spectacular with Mount Rainier, Baker Lake, and Sisters Peaks to the south; Mount Shuksan and much of the interior North Cascades to the East; the Puget Sound and Olympic Mountains to the West; and the Strait of Juan de Fuca to the North. Every day at base camp we woke to the topography of Mount Baker, which included clear views of the summit, the adjacent Easton Glacier to the East, and just above us, the Black Buttes and Colfax Peak.

 

We tested snow anchor placements, using six climbers to haul against deadmanned pickets. At one point, we tested a 1 foot long, deadmanned picket (2 foot picket cut in half). Pulling rope for 5 minutes, we couldn't pull the short picket to failure - it stayed anchored despite all our efforts. This was our instructor's unofficial experiment, but a real eye-opener for me.

 

Mount Baker - View From Basecamp

 

Paul On Summit - Mt Shuksan in Background

 

Sherman Crater Fumeroles (View From Summit)

 

Sherman Peak (View From Baker Summit)

 

Group Practices Prussiking Out Of Easton Glacier Crevasse

 

Part of CZ Haul System Designed For Two Man Team With min Gear

 

Gear Notes:

Standard Glacier Travel Gear

 

Approach Notes:

Railroad Grade

Edited September 6, 2005 by Paul_Reststep

[layton]

who were your guides!

[Paul_Reststep]

Our guides were Mark Johnson and Jeremy Allyn - shown below discussing glacier travel agenda on Easton Glacier (and eating lunch).

 

Edited September 6, 2005 by Paul_Reststep

[layton]

tell mark i said hi if you write to him. he's one of the best guides working today and a GREAT guy.

[Paul_Reststep]

tell mark i said hi if you write to him. he's one of the best guides working today and a GREAT guy.

 

I'll pass along your message to Mark when I next see or write him. I agree 100% that he is a fine person. I was very fortunate to have an opportunity to learn from him.