[TR] Heliotrope Ridge - Standard 11/4/2011

[Jason4]

Trip: Heliotrope Ridge - Standard

 

Date: 11/4/2011

 

Trip Report:

I took my first trip to Heliotrope Ridge on Friday with a group who knew the area well.

 

We left Bellingham before 7am and made it to the trail head about 830. The last couple of mile of Glacier Creek road were snow covered but I was able to make it all the way to the trail head in my Audi wagon with Blizzak snow tires. When we arrived there were only a few other cars there.

 

Somebody had started skinning from the parking lot but we chose to hike instead. The Grouse Creek crossing was a little bit exciting, mostly climbing up the other side (and back down on the return). It looks like there is an easier crossing 50 meters down stream from where the bridge is washed out.

 

We started skinning when we hit the moraine and made pretty good time getting up to the snow field but rocks were common on the way up. It was sunny with a stiff breeze at the bottom of the field and still air at the top of the ridge line. Surprisingly it was more comfortable at the top than at the bottom!

 

We got two laps on the snowfield before we turned to descend to the car. We rode down almost to the top of the moraine until we started hitting too many rocks. We all decided to boot it out from there. I found some thick water ice under the snow on one of the traverses to the top of the approach trail. We started to descend on the top of the ridge in a half walk/half boot ski technique until I ventured off the ridge to the left and found easier going in the deeper snow, I could control my rate of descent much better that way.

 

We made the long slog out to the cars and left at about 330, in time to get back to town by 530.

 

All in all it was a great day but I'll wait for more snow before making that walk again.

 

I'll post some pictures if I have time after work.

 

Gear Notes:

Splitboard and snowboard boots, happy to have a puffy sweater when we stopped to eat.

 

Approach Notes:

Next time I'd make the approach in my mountaineering boots instead of my snowboard boots and stash them in the trees at the bottom of the moraine.

[Jason4]

Here's a link to a bunch of pictures from Friday:

Flickr