A dreamy day of climbing in the PNW, only regret was wishing more people were there to eat Danyels amazing magical brownies.
7 of us hiked above the recent inversion to better air quality and fantastic views from Alaska Mountain's east ridge (17.5 miles 3900'), with good looks at 5 lakes, a pileated woodpecker and soaring bald eagle, and a foot-soak in Ridge Lake on the return. We also shaved a mile of switchbacks by exploring the "abandoned" trail down Commonwealth to a gorgeous waterfall.
Fantastic trip with a fantastic crew! We had perfect weather heading into this ~12 hour day. The parking lot had plenty of open spots on arrival around 6:30/7am and the trail leading to the start of the climb was generally empty. Caught sight of a few goats chillin and some green larch trees hiding in plain sight! We did cross paths with a few climbing groups on our ascent, most of which were coming down our intended path after ascending the other side of the mountain, but there was plenty of room to operate. Much of the ascent was scrambly between the actual climbing pitches. All in all - it was a very fun day. And an awesome way to wrap up my last required experience field trip for basic alpine climbing graduation :)
First time holding our flatwater course field trip 2 here. It worked well!
Early Fall day on Slippery Slab - Team of 5 with one leader... tips!
If you actually manage to stay on the trail, which is not easy, this is more of a hike than a scramble IMV, although one's less adventurous hiker friends will probably nope out of it. On the way down I did not do any face-in down climbing so in my book that means the difficulty is class 2 at most. On the other hand, due to loose rock you should bring a helmet. I've heard there is a more interesting class 2-3 route up the south ridge and I'll try that out next trip when I have more time.
Outstanding day in the mountains graduating some Basic students on a lesser-done alpine rock route with amazing views.
Amazing linkup of two excellent moderate alpine sport routes!
Amazing linkup of two excellent moderate alpine sport routes!
An enjoyable hike up to a less travelled trail to scenic alpine lakes and Brown Mountain for great views and of the surrounding Sunrise area of MRNP.
An enjoyable easy scramble to the Three Brothers, a ridge located in the far western area of the Teanaway. The ridge has three non-technical peaks of which the western one at 7,303 feet is considered the high point. This summit counts toward the Mountaineers Teanaway 20 peaks award.
Once you get past the ski runs and power lines, travel along the PCT to charming Josephine Lake. Find a comfortable spot at the lake to eat your lunch and enjoy the view.
Outstanding team of 6 strong hikers covered 18 miles and 5000' gain at a 2.4 mph average pace - with almost an hour at Granite Lakes. Pipits, a Great Blue Heron, and fantastic views despite some smoky haze early and high winds made for a wonderful day.
Followed the Section 4 loop alternate, starting & ending at the Lake Washington Playfields.
An amazing and challenging, largely off-trail, multi-day backpack/scramble/climb across the rough and rugged Bailey Range of the Olympic Mountains. It offers seclusion and beautiful panoramas of jagged peaks and glaciers deep in the Olympics, along with views of Mount Olympus at almost every turn. Once you leave the High Divide Trail, you may find a faint boot path, but it often fades to nothing and you will find glacier and snow travel, scrambling, and hiking on scree and talus slopes. The route offers options for peak bagging, scrambling, and climbing.
A great day underground scrambling through Lake and Ole's Caves in the Mount Saint Helens Basalt Flow!
Better than expected trip to Horseshoe Basin to climb Horseshoe. Oh yeah, its chossy but pretty fun nevertheless and in a stunning setting!