Jason4 Posted March 2, 2015 Share Posted March 2, 2015 (edited) Trip: Eldorado - East Ridge Date: 2/28/2015 Trip Report: Krissy and I got out on Saturday for a day trip up and down on Eldorado. I was up there in June, 2014 and wanted to get up to the top with her since she hadn't been up yet. I had a meeting that I thought we might be able to get back to in Bellingham but that was wishful thinking. Our day out wasn't as exciting as some of the other recent FAs and hard repeats but I thought it would be worth putting up the conditions that we found. We left the TH at 5am, following the climbers trail was easy. We got onto the talus just in time to see Johanessburg lit up in the morning alpenglow. The wet step mid way up the talus had sheets of ice on it and was a bit trickier than normal. We ran into snow just above the step, it's almost the same snow line as last June but with much less snow now. There is open running water at the top of the talus so it's not worth carrying too much with you from the TH. The snow in the bowl below the Eldorado glacier was close to knee deep but there should be a well traveled boot pack in there now. The wind was howling across all of the high ridges but the bowl was much better sheltered. The snow from high camp to the summit was very boot and crampon friendly. it was easy to cross over the knife edge near the summit. On the way down we ran into some friends settling in for the night at the high camp so we lingered for a bit. Wandering down was easier than the walk in and we got back to the car at 9pm. The Forbidden Glacier looked like it would ski ok to the skiers right of the ice fall. Moraine Lake was frozen but I have no idea how thick, there wasn't much snow that far down. The south end of the Inspiration Glacier looked pretty broken up near the top where I've seen people climb out of the lake before. That's only what I could see from the high camp though. Gear Notes: We roped up but it's really optional if you're comfortable on that kind of terrain. Happy to have had snowshoes. Approach Notes: Watch for frost on the logs and ice in the talus. Edited March 2, 2015 by Jason4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan Hoover Posted March 2, 2015 Share Posted March 2, 2015 Road open to the trail head?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason4 Posted March 2, 2015 Author Share Posted March 2, 2015 The road is in good condition all the way to the TH and is gated on the far side of the lot. My little Golf would have made the drive slowly but anything higher could cruise the road at speed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonG Posted March 2, 2015 Share Posted March 2, 2015 Good to see you guys up there! I will hopefully get up a TR this week....We had a good and challenging time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason4 Posted March 2, 2015 Author Share Posted March 2, 2015 It was good to see you guys too. We ran into your friend in the parking lot on the way out too. Can't wait to see your pictures and hear how it went for you. Good and challenging sounds like a good story. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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