Intermediate Alpine Climb - Little Tahoma/East Shoulder

Participant Expectations:

• Eligibility: Winter Mountaineering Course or Intermediate Glacier Travel graduate or equivalent.
• Capability to camp and move in low temps and winds up to 20 mph
• All to stick together as a group for our journey to the destination.
• Pacing will be adjusted to accommodate one having a bad day, but everyone is welcome to self-evaluate if they are fit to join. if you do not know, please reach out to me and we can discuss it further.
• All decisions shall be made and discussed with a full group.
• Speaking up in the outdoors is difficult and I understand that, but I hope to be a friend and that you feel open to chatting or speaking up more. I certainly encourage that.
• I also encourage all of my participants to have their thinking hats on and be equal participants. 
• Trips tend to get canceled if self-care is not possible. 
• Destination changes will be discussed in the email if the weather doesn't support this climb. All to participate in the decision-making of the same.
• Pacing on my trips is to be, near and if possible, in our aerobic zones. Good training and conditioning will allow such to live this expectation on the trip and still have time to attain the summit if weather permits.

Description from Volken

TOUR, From the north side of the parking lot, just east of the visitor center, you will generally be following the summer trail to Alta Vista, Panorama Point, and McClure Rock. Have compass bearings Or GPS waypoints for these locations; they are good points of reference or benchmarks for the approach and descent. A north-northeast bearing will get you to McClure Rock (2 hours to here).

At this location, adjust to a more northerly bearing and the western edge of the Paradise Glacier. From this point forward, you will be traveling on glaciated terrain-be mindful of crevasse hazards. Maintain this course to approximately 8600 feet, and then adjust to a more northeast bearing at that elevation. Below this elevation. the Cowlitz Glacier is quite steep and may be heavily crevassed; stay high. Continuing to contour at about 8600 feet places you at the toe of Cathedral Rocks and the south edge of the Ingraham Glacier (4 hours to here).

 To the northeast, locate a notch in the rock band that separates the Ingraham and Whitman Glaciers. This notch allows you to gain access to the Whitman and eventually to the southeast slopes of Little Tahoma. Continue to travel northeast, and contour across the Ingraham at roughly 8600 feet to reach this notch. Depending on the snowpack, this stretch may be a dirty scramble up onto the Whitman.

Using the base of the cliffs on the climber's left as a handrail, continue northeast to the more open terrain of the Whitman Glacier. Once you are around the cliff band, the summit of Little Tahoma is on your left (northwest) roughly 2500 feet above (5 hours to here). The last remaining bit is a very direct ascent to just shy of the summit and an elevation of about 1 1,000 feet (7 hours to here). The final rock scramble is easy when dry, but exposed in places; some climbers will want a rope to help secure the ascent.

DESCENT, The descent is straightforward; follow your up track. Be diligent and avoid the temptation of descending too quickly on the traverse back across the Ingraham and Cowlitz Glaciers. If you do not maintain your up-track elevation, you will quickly find yourself in steep and complicated terrain.