Alex Posted October 29, 2007 Share Posted October 29, 2007 Trip: Eldorado - E Ridge Date: 10/28/2007 Trip Report: Headed up to Eldorado for another crack at NW Couloir with Rob and Justin. We met Sat am and headed North at a decent yet humane hour. Discussed whether we should head up Sibley or Eldo Creek, until we got down the Cascade River road and Sibley road was closed. So Eldo it was. I've done this approach a fair number of times, but neither Rob nor Justin had so they were in for a treat! Got asked for a permit at the trailhead by Joe Ranger, but we actually had one so The Man had to move on. Busted hump up the approach; it was a nice day! Got to the Roush Creek divide in decent time, where the snow accumulation really started. We had passed by Mike and Jason an hour earlier, as they were on their way down. Rob and Justin working through the boulders towards Eldo glacier. GrOuNd It OuT to the Eldo plateu, where we found stiff 20mph winds, a foot of fresh powder, and the remains of Mike and Jason's camp. Decided that there was some possible shelter from the wind at the base of the E ridge, while here there was none so did the extra 20 min over and found totally snowed in bivi sits. Oh well! Rob set up the beta-lite and Justin dug out one of the bivy shelters, but otherwise we just hung out for the hour before dark. Rob and Alex checking out the wintery scene. Forbidden getting ready for her Winter hibernation. We had decided to probably take a walk in the morning and check out the NW Couloir, but likely climb the E Ridge. The wind strafed us all night. In the morning, we woke up to a lowering cloud deck, and Eldo's summit in and out of the clouds. The winds didn't let up. Forbidden in the morning, around 7am. Suddenly taking a stroll across the glacier seemed a bit secondary to getting up and down anything, so we ate cold breakfast and busted a trail up the soft snow of the East Ridge, to minimalist views. Rob and Justin were fully engulfed in clouds on the summit, but soon we were all heading down. The clouds lowered still more, and now we packed up and tried to get off the plateau and out of the wind. We dropped down the glacier and lost elevation quickly. Soon, it was time to peel layers, then more, then by the time we were in the first boulderfield we were sweating and welcoming the breezes. Made it down the car and back to Sedro for beer and burgers! Nice late season trip to the Queen of the Skagit! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob Posted October 29, 2007 Share Posted October 29, 2007 thx for the pics, Alex. I had a fun trip. We'll get the NW Couloir next time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weekend_Climberz Posted November 2, 2007 Share Posted November 2, 2007 Nice pics! Shoulda brought the sticks, eh! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mkporwit Posted November 7, 2007 Share Posted November 7, 2007 Looks like a nice trip. Sounds like great conditions up there right now... hmmm, my weekend is free... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.