[TR] Snowfield - Standard 7/22/2013

[jordansahls]

Trip: Snowfield - Standard

 

Date: 7/22/2013

 

Trip Report:

Optimist or fool? It's debatable. Ski season is mostly at an end (unless you count the sun cupped volcanoes), The alpine rock is beautiful (where did i put my rock gear?), but for some reason I still get the voice in my head convincing me that trying to ski is a great end-of-July activity (What are the symptoms of schizophrenia?). So I decided to haul my skis up through the brush in the hopes of getting in a few turns to officially close out my ski season. I spent a good amount of time looking through past TR's and perusing Google maps before I more or less played "climbing roulette" and randomly decided to try for Snowfield. In case anyone is wondering, no I do not have a system.

 

I took a leisurely day on Monday getting to camp on the shoulder below pyramid peak. The views were amazing and I would have spent more time marveling over their beauty if not for the blood thirsty hoards of bugs. So, yeah...The bugs are out. Instead I crawled into the tent and promptly passed out, courtesy of the previous weekend's frivolities (anyone ever been to Kla Ha Ya days in Snohomish?).

 

I left camp the next morning around 7am and made my way over towards the Colonial glacier. Travel was easy up and over the pass at 6800 feet and continued to be simple up the Neve with the exception of the crevasse divide around 7k. I had to end-run a few cracks and remove my skis to jump a couple of narrow crevasses. I reached the summit around 9:30am and lounged, taking in the views.

 

The ski down was about what I expected, not great but not horrible. I actually got some good turns in coming down from the neve-colonial col (or whatever you call that pass) and was able to ski patches of snow from the colonial glacier across the traverse to below my camp site on the knoll.

 

The way out was uneventful. I was actually quite amazed that I didn't see another living soul the whole trip. I did feel a little bit special getting that area all to myself for two days. Thankfully, the voice in my head seems to be satisfied since it hasn't been back to coax me into another implausible or ill-advised ski attempt (well, not yet). Now it's time to bust out the rock gear and get on some granite! Which means I really do need to find my rack.

 

Photos:

 

Looking back at Pyramid, Pinnacle and Paul Bunyan's Stump

 

The Neve glacier and Snowfield in the distance

 

Views towards Eldorado

 

I have to go all the way back there?

 

Gear Notes:

Bug spray would be a good idea.

 

Approach Notes:

Follow trail to Pyramid lake and continue up on the climbers trail.

Edited July 25, 2013 by jordansahls