Beautiful and cooler visit to Mount Stone via Lake of the Angels on 8/21/16 of ~10 miles and ~5300' gain.
Three day climb of Mount Cruiser, Private Trip 4 Mounties/1 Non, August 20 Summit
Six climbers summited. Hot day.
8 climbers departed parking lot at 0600. Summited without incident. Back to cars about 2000. There is no water in the upper basin we recommend carrying water to upper basin and cashing. We cashed 2 gallons for the eight of us and needed every drop. There iis a new stuck X4 on the direct route last pitch.
Great location, both campground and the climb. Getting to the base of climb is more than half the battle for this approach.
On a very warm 8/20/16, 6 of us did the tremendously scenic scramble of Mt. Ann.
9 hours car to car. Watch out for the bees around 5500 feet.
Led this hike August 20, 2016. Hiked in from Barlow Pass, first to Monte Cristo, old ghost town; then on to Glacier Basin. First part easy, second part strenuous.
Well organized trip. The route and logistics was well prepared. The organizer show care and professionalism to all participants. Her enthusiastic was awesome! Her skills and knowledge was super!
Very hot and dry approach. Water available in a few spots up to Cutthroat pass. Dry all the way to Upper Snowy Lake where we camped. 4 hrs to lake. Golden Horn has a very simple approach. From Lake, aim for the low notch in the ridge and find a climbers path that follows the ridge line more or less all the way to the notch to the left of the summit tower. Traverse north on the west side to a gully. There are two, take the left one 200ft to the summit block. Mostly class 3 kitty litter. From the base of the summit block, travers up and right 20ft to a wide ledge. Lead up aiming for a fixed sling, and gain the big ledge below the summit mantle move. Final move takes a few thoughts to figure out. There is a rap anchor behind the summit boulder. a 1.0 and .5 C4 is all that is needed. 30m is sufficient.
Amazing scenery, but you will share it with many others. Day hike options from either lake abound.
Due to the currents, which are mild but significant, this trip requires staying on a schedule, which can be physically demanding when the wind opposes progress. The camp sites are very nice.
We climbed the Kautz Aug. 15-17. Route was in good condition, but will require increasingly complex crevasse navigation as the upper Kautz breaks up. Used Comet Falls approach, bivied at 10,500'. Running water below the Turtle around 7,400'. Found two pitches of ~AI2 separated by low angle ice steps, which we simulclimbed. Used at most six screws, including belay anchors. Once past the Kautz, the crossover to upper Nisqually was impassable. We headed for Point Success from top of Wapowety Cleaver instead. Carryover highly recommended. Other info: The fixed line down to the glacier is core shot near the bottom and showing significant wear. We opted to use our own rope, though the party behind us did not and survived to tell the tale. Tag Point Success while you're up there - we passed within a few hundred feet and I already regret not stopping by! Gear: one piolet + one tool, six screws, one picket each (used once, useless). 50m Rope
Seattle Branch midweek hike of the Maple Pass Loop with 8 hikers.
Spectacular view of the entire Olympics: Olympus, Anderson, Deception, Townsend, Constance, Cruiser (&Sawtooth Ridge), Stone, Brothers, Bretherton, Lena, The Brothers... Made it back to the trailhead with the last of the daylight, and the assistance of a glowing full moon.
Great trip! Top-notch leader, great participants. Thorough planning, and thoughtful instruction. Couldn't have been better!
One day circuit of ascending the Quien Sabe and descending the Sahale glaciers.