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[TR] Mt. Shuksan - Circumnavigation 5/26/2012


JasonG

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Trip: Mt. Shuksan - Circumnavigation

 

Date: 5/26/2012

 

Trip Report:

I am continually amazed at what a great part of the world we live in. There aren't many places where you can ski/climb/boat/hike to amazingly scenic locales and sleep in your bed at night. Well, there aren't that many places where you can do that, AND have a range of careers to choose from. The PNW is great, and I have a hard time faulting those that move here and never look back. This is something I was reminded of a couple weeks ago as a group of 9 (!) tackled a one day ski around Mt. Shuksan. We left the White Salmon gate around 0630 and skinned to the edge of the ski area before dropping down along the clear cut to the valley bottom. Some brush made things interesting, but it was in relatively good shape.

 

Once on the valley bottom, easy skinning brought us to steepening slopes below the White Salmon Gl where we skittered around on avi debris looking for easier skinning. It was a little early and a firm crust made things tricky as the angle steepened. We ended up just strapping the boards on the packs and following Scott and he made a direct line for Winnie's Slide. We paused at the top of the slide to re-group and east some lunch, and a portion of the group opted to hang back a bit and ski up along the Hanging Gl. rather than go all the way around. I was feeling tired enough that this was an attractive option, but I dragged myself up behind the other five that were making their way to the summit pyramid.

 

When we arrived around 11 (?), the pyramid had been in the full sun for some time and was beginning to fall apart. There was still more rime than rock showing and, given that there was a large supply of ammunition for the mountain to throw down on us still, we laid to rest our summit ambitions and kept ambling around the mountain. The traverse around is incredibly scenic, and pretty mellow, so we were caught a bit off guard when Kit set off a slab that propagated surprisingly far and ran down and across a crevasse. We were thinking wet, loose snow slides were likely, so this was something we weren't really paying close attention to. A good lesson, as nobody was caught.

 

We topped out at the pass between the Crystal and the Hanging and transitioned for the long ride down. And, what a ride! Cruising across the Hanging, with Mt. Baker straight ahead, Shuksan to our left, and the precipitous drop to the White Salmon on our right, was a fantastic way to enjoy the fruits of our labor on a sunny spring day. The snow was quite good until we got midway down the White Salmon where it turned to deep mush with the attendant wet slides. A quick ski down the valley and we were faced with the slog to get back up to the ski area. I have to admit that this seemed to go on much longer than I remembered- I must be getting old. We ran into some brush here as well, but what Cascades ski would be complete without a little mud and devil's club? I think we arrived back at the cars about 11 hours after we started (don't laugh Dan!), and enjoyed a round of beers and various salty snacks in the sun. Good times!

 

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Gear Notes:

Crampons (ski and boot), axe, and whippet useful.

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Thanks! By Cascades standards, it is very minor bushwhacking, BW1-2 max. If you want nightmares, look down into the Goodell, Luna, or McMillan Creek valleys from the summit of Fury. With skis, you may never come out, unless you ditch your pack.

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Nothing special on my end, my camera gear isn't very spiffy (though I would love to have a 5d Mk II and some L lenses). Canon T1i with the kit 18-55 and 55-250 lenses. Apertures vary on the shots, but nothing I have is faster than f3.5.

 

Someday I'll convince my finance minister that I "need" an upgrade.

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