This was a fun trip for all, the student paddlers did very well. We enjoyed th eflood flow up to Olympia Shoals, then crossed back to follw the shore to Gull Harbor and then back to Boston Harbor.
Day hiked until snow was post-holing, on snow up to 8ft deep. Skiers still returning from glacier.
Great weekend of mock multi pitch and getting additional trad leads in.
11 climbers (3 rope leads and 8 basic students) departed Heliotrope Ridge trailhead at 8:20am on 5/28. Continuous snow covered the trail after about a mile, but well-established boot-pack made way-finding easy. A partially melted snow bridge across Kulshan Creek made the crossing somewhat challenging. The party made camp near the saddle ESE of point 7242 of Heliotrope Ridge in the early afternoon. We spent the afternoon building a kitchen with a view, acquiring water, lounging and practicing avy companion rescue. During dinner we reviewed our plans for the climb. Rope teams were ready to move at 3:15am on 5/29. Conditions were perfect: clear skies, not too cool (and not too hot, until the sun was well up), snow hard enough for crampons but not too hard or icy. We had to step across one small exposed crevasse on the Coleman Glacier. Reached the Colfax/Baker saddle at 5:20am. Roman Wall had plenty of snow, so it wasn't too steep. We placed one picket on the way up, mostly to practice clipping. Reached the summit plateau at 7:30am. Clear blue skies gave excellent views in all directions. After 20 minutes at the top, and with a special appearance by SpongeBob SquarePants, we headed back down, reaching camp without incident at 11:00am. We took a break, broke camp, and headed out. The party opted to glissade where possible. While glissading down a slope from 6600 feet to 6200 feet, the first climber down glissaded over a narrow crevasse opening. He signaled the other climbers to stop their glissades immediately. All had agreed the slope looked safe from above, and none remembered the crevasse being evident on the ascent the day before. It had been a warm few days. Snow must have been melting very quickly. The rest of the descent was uneventful. The party reached the trailhead in the early afternoon.
A counter clockwise loop around Orcas island from Washington Park, Anacortes
Baker/Easton Climb on Memorial Day 2017
A bit too early season after a substantial snow year.
5/28/17 successful climb of The Castle(Tatoosh), under blue skies and balmy weather. No snowshoes or traction devices needed, cornices mostly gone.
Beautiful beach for relaxation and day hiking. Know the tide schedules for hiking!
Found tons of beautiful bits of beach glass. Well worth it!
Fantastic trip! Dick was an amazing guide from start to finish: his knowledge of the area was clearly encyclopedic, and it made sure that all of the logistics on this trip went like clockwork (e.g., picking a good beach for camping, factoring in the tide schedule when hiking, etc.). The natural setting was beautiful as well, and the weather couldn't have been better this time of year.
Great weather, excellent conditions, but needed an early start to "Catch it while it's cold" and avoid more dangerous conditions.
Great trip to a seldom visited peak off the I-90 corridor! Excellent rock and snow for skills practice.
Successful 3-day climb of the Emmons route.
Successful summit. This was the second year in a row I have done this one, and there have been a couple changes along the route worth noting. 1. There is a sign at the start of the climbers trail to aid in locating the trail. 2. The tri-cam pocket for the final move seems to have gotten larger and needs a brown, or possibly a blue tri-cam to protect that last airy move!
The leader was very considerate and pleasant always with a big smile letting us enjoy and relax and he was very familiar with the very confusing trails leading us safely the entire time.
Original plan was WA Pass. Local contact advised against it saying it was a skied out zoo. Went to Camp Muir instead which was, strangely..., not a zoo. On the way down we saw no one between camp and the parking lot. Sticky snow, but lots of it.
Steep but pleasant and relatively uncrowded hike near the northwest end of Lake Cushman.