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Trip Report    

Jim Hill Mountain

Jim Hill Mountain (winter)

  • Tue, Jan 27, 2015
  • Jim Hill Mountain
  • Scrambling
  • Successful
  • Road suitable for all vehicles

1/25/15 We started at the Stevens Pass Nordic Center at 8:00. It took one hour to reach Lanham Lake as the trail was packed from previous users. After spending half an hour trying to cross the outflow of the lake, we ended up walking across the slush-covered ice covering the lake. Due to low snow levels, the steep ascent up the side of the valley was slow and challenging, with lots of brush bashing, downed logs to cross, etc. The snow was just deep enough to afford frequent opportunities to posthole, but too shallow to cover any obstacles. It took 3 hours to gain the ridge. Once on the ridge, the going was easy to the end of the ridge (6400). We chose to stop there, knowing that our descent would be arduous and slow, and we were worried that with all the warm weather we wouldn't be able to cross the lake the way we did on the way up. In the end, we chose to circumnavigate the lake rather than cross it. We made it to the trail at the outfall of the lake right at sunset and took the trail out by headlamp. A fun but arduous day.