
Trip Report
Intermediate Glacier Travel Field Trip - Mount Ellinor & Mount Washington
Over night trip to Mount Ellinor. Camped at 4500' rather than closer to the summit due to the avalanche danger on the winter route. Experienced several inches of new snow overnight and a full-on winter camping experience!
- Sat, Feb 1, 2025 — Sun, Feb 2, 2025
- Intermediate Glacier Travel Field Trip - Mount Ellinor & Mount Washington
- Mount Ellinor & Mount Washington
- Climbing
- Successful
- Road suitable for all vehicles
-
Light snow on the trail to 3500' and heavier upon approach to the base of the winter route. Elected to stop near the base of the winter route due to predicted avalanche conditions of fairly heavy new snow over a well-developed crust. We observed these conditions as well, so elected to not climb further.
Met the group in Hoodsport at Hoodsport Coffee Company at 0730. Road travel easy to Hoodsport with light snow flurries intermittent on the route. Drive to Mount Ellinor Lower trailhead at 2600' had several inches of packed snow on the road. The forest service road 27 immediately after the right turn at Big Creek campground is in terrible condition pothole central.
Light snow on the trail to intersection with the trail from the upper trailhead at 3500'. Then snow depth increased reaching 30 cm of new snow at 4500'.
Set up camp near 4500' level at the base of the winter chute due to predicted Considerable avalanche danger in this area, which is south-facing and receives significant solar effect. We observed significant new snow (30 cm) above a hard crust layer so confirmed we did not want to climb higher at this point.
We spent the afternoon setting up camp - dug 1.5 snow caves (slept in 1 of them), dug snow pits to evaluate snow conditions, did some beacon search and rescue practice and practiced various crevasse rescue techniques in groups of two.
Finished training events at around 4:15, and got busy cooking dinner and hot drinks.
Hit the sack by 7 PM and slept with varying degrees of soundness until 0715 Sunday. Woke to several inches of new snow so decided we would still not climb higher.
Packed up and snowshoed/hiked out arriving at the cars at around 1230 PM.
Dug out the cars from 4 or so new inches of snow at the trailhead and drove back to Hoodsport Coffee for debrief, coffee, lunch and ice cream - depending on preference. Hiway 101 ice cream for me - always a highlight of the trip!