scot'teryx Posted January 31, 2001 Share Posted January 31, 2001 Hey there folks, - first post here on the site, and just wanted to say, "hey". I did Granite Mountain this last Saturday (1/27/01) with a friend and had a blast! Due to the lack of snow, it was quite icy at the bottom going up and on the way down. My first trip that needed an ice axe so I was stoaked to get there. We willingly passed up the gully trails up and started to traverse across the south side of the mountain heading East untill we got to a dead end and started heading nw towards the top breaking trail. At one point we measured a 43 degree angle as I got to use my axe for the first time, and had to rely on that puppy with my 50lb pack. What a blast it was to dig in, but not fun when it only went in 2 inches and hit ice or rocks. It was totally clear the whole day and the sites were beyond belief. Everyone was out that day: Rainier, Adams, Baker, Olympus, and Glacier Peak. How awesome it was! Coming down the gulley was kind of hairy as I had never glissaded before and the snow was as soft as spring snow. With little experience in self arresting, I got first hand experience in how to really dig that puppy in! My other friend is quite the expert so he was ahead of me the whole time. We had hot Top Ramen at the top with tea and just enjoyed the views! Plenty of pics were taken and I hope to post them on the current site i am developing, but it takes spare time that is so short these days, and I'd rather be on the slopes! When it is done I will make sure to let ya all know! ------------------ Scott Harder scott@nwog.org www.nwog.org Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rayborbon Posted January 31, 2001 Share Posted January 31, 2001 Right on Scott, I like Granite Mtn too. Mike S. and I finally hiked up it about 2 weeks ago. I did not get quite the best views but the conditions were great and it was a good excuse to go to work late I'll be heading back on a sunny day. -Ray Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scot'teryx Posted January 31, 2001 Author Share Posted January 31, 2001 YES! I plan on taking a few other friends up there as I thought it was a great hike and good experience on some steeper slopes with such an awesome reward at the top. send me an email to scott@nwog.org and I'll replt with a summit pic if you wanna see. See you out there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philfort Posted January 31, 2001 Share Posted January 31, 2001 Your exuberance is refreshing. If you want another nice climb in the area, with steeps snow slopes similar to Granite, but much less crowded, I would suggest the ridge west of Mt Defiance (some call it Banana Ridge I think). It has a summit at around 5300ft I think. The summit ridge has some nice exposure, with a north-facing cliff. You can reach it from the Mason Lake trailhead by following the unmarked path that continues straight after the hairpin, a few hundred yds from the trailhead. The path traverses, then eventually zigzags up a ridge, soon emerging from the trees. You can continue up the steep ridge (good in summer), or traverse right into the next basin to some steep (40 degree) open snow slopes. In a good winter, these slopes avalanche enough that the debris comes all the way down to the trail, offering a straight 3000ft shot up to the ridgetop, no bushwhacking. Right now though, this avalanche path isn't even close to being snow-filled, and the slopes above are still quite bare too - maybe by spring there will be enough snow. Here are some pictures from a somewhat misguided attempt to ski the face in dicey (icy) conditions: http://praxis.etla.net/~philfort/scary/scary.html Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scot'teryx Posted January 31, 2001 Author Share Posted January 31, 2001 Thank for the info Phil, sounds like a good idea! From the looks of those images on your page, that was damn icy and looks like crampons required huh? Those first few turns must have been freaky when dropping in. I know that feeling! Thanks again for all the input! ------------------ Scott Harder scott@nwog.org www.nwog.org Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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