Glacier Peak/Disappointment Peak Cleaver

Trip Report

Day 1 | North Fork Sauk tH to Low Camp

We got to the trailhead at around 7:30am and left soon thereafter. The trail is nice and easy, with a fairly steady low grade for the first 7 miles. You quickly pick up elevation for the next 3 miles as you ascend switchback, after switchback, after switchback... before coming up on White Pass Camp.

We took a short but steep detour to use the vault toilet there, which we decided to skip on the way back due to the elevation you have to regain after descending down to it. There are plenty of little streams to fill up water before White Pass, but none in this area, which was confirmed by multiple groups of backpackers asking us where the nearest water source is along the trail.

At around 11 miles in you get we got our first view of the Glacier Peak, and a second wind ensued. Although it didn't last long due to the steep valley crossings, adding even more elevation to the day. After the valleys there is a field of large white boulders which can be navigated around via cairns, but you'll be stepping over and across them at least once, if not most of the time.

We got to the low camp just after 5pm and decided to stay there. We all decided it would be best to get some rest now, and take the extra 1-2 miles between our new camp and the Glacier Gap Camp with fresh legs and less pack-weight in the morning.

Day 2 | Low Camp to Summit

We started on the trail to the summit just before 4am. The full moon was out with clear skies, so our the  harsh shadows our headlamps cast make them more of a hindrance than they were beneficial, so we quickly turned them off.

On our way to Glacier Gap we had to cross many streams of rock-flower-gray water, making it hard to tell how deep the surprisingly swift glacial melt was flowing. There were easy to find paths of rocks to step across in the morning, that were significantly more difficult to find and cross after the sun had its way with White Chuck. After this we ascend a steep ridge with our first few snowfields as we got to, and wrapped around the Glacier Gap camp.

It wasn't until a little while later that we actually stepped on to what's left of the glaciers. We roped up after descending the rocky ridge line on to Gerdine Glacier. Most people were not roped for this section. The CalTopo map shows the Glacier ending anywhere from 50-200' from where we were walking, and the run out was not steep with no visible crevasses, but it doesn't hurt to be cautious. That being said, we did see at least one person walking / scrambling across the rocky ridge to the West of the bootpack.

The bootpack follows the ridge until about 8500' where it cuts around the East of Disappointment peak, which has clear signs of rock-fall danger as you pass underneath it. There were also a handful of small crevasses weaving in and around the bootback.

Wrapping around the saddle is where we crossed our first snowbridge. It was thick and over rock but did not look like it would last much longer. From here to Glacier peak's shoulder we crossed a few small cracks and one more snowbridge over a much deeper crevasse. Between these is a small but significant area of bare ice. It was very firm in the morning which had us worried about our decision to bring lighter shoes and micro-spikes, rather than mountaineering boots and crampons, but the angle was low enough and the steep sections short enough that we had no problem.

Once we got to the shoulder, the peak was in our sights and it was just a long, steep, loose rocky ascent to the top. We reached the summit at around 10:30am.

Day 2 | Summit TO Camp

By the time we got to the summit we were already aware of the fact that one of our party severely underestimated the amount of food he brought, so on the way down we discussed plans to go all the way out that day, rather than spend another night back at camp like we planned. We weren't too worried about it (yet) since we were well ahead of our target time, in spite of the extra few miles we had to travel in the morning from the lower camp.

We didn't spend much time at the summit as the day was getting hotter and hotter (probably close to 90º at the base) and we didn't want to risk being the ones to punch through those snow bridges. By the time we reached the glacier again, we were the last group roping up to get back, which put a little pep in our step. Not to mention the constant rockfall shedding off the West side of the summit by this point, which was far enough off the bootpack to not pose any danger, but reminded us of the other section toward the bottom that would have us right under falling rocks. Luckily that portion of the mountain seemed to stay much more stable throughout the day.

We got to the high snowbridge and saw a boot print of someone who punched a leg through (which was not there on the way up), so we stayed high over the bootpack to avoid repeating that mistake. The ice section had melted enough to make the descent easy, and the lower snowbridge held despite our fears.

Another group passed us going up a few minutes later. We warned them about the conditions, and upon seeing them again on the trail back, found out they decided to turn around upon seeing the first snow bridge. Probably a good idea. We managed to get off the glacier a mere 30 minutes after we roped up.

A surprising number of people were either soloing or  not roped up despite the clear crevasse danger. We only talked to one party who actually turned around because of not having a rope, but many more had no problem with taking that risk.

We got back to camp, exhausted, by 2:30pm.

Day 2 | Camp TRAILHEAD

To be continued...

Map