Trip Report
Mount Ruth (Mount Rainier)
Mixed snow + rock scramble. Snow melting & disappearing quickly.
Brian Booth
- Sat, Jul 14, 2018
- Mount Ruth (Mount Rainier)
- Scrambling
- Successful
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- Road suitable for all vehicles
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Snow melting & disappearing rapidly; very low snow for mid-July. No snow on Glacier Basin trail.
North-facing gully below 6700' saddle had only a thin ribbon of snow. Snow level on E face was ~7,200'.
Inter Fork creek was a safe ford, but nearly knee-high (sandals needed).
Spectacular, crystal-clear day with unbeatable views.
We arrived at White River Campground at 8:15am, which was almost too late - we got the last spot in the parking lot, and it looked like the off-pavement parking in the vicinity probably filled shortly thereafter.
After fording the Inter Fork creek, with the very minimal snow cover, we ascended to the 6700' saddle on the thin ribbon of snow, staying to the R edge to avoid punching thru into rushing water; we were able to stay on snow about 3/4 of the ascent to the saddle. The portions that were on land generally had very loose rock. The ridgetop was dry, and we had to ascend to ~7,200' to reach continuous snowfields.
The summit provided clear & breathtaking views of the mountain, Emmons Glacier, and Little Tahoma. While there, we heard & saw a loose wet avalanche on the edge of the Fryingpan Glacier (above the bottom portion of the Emmons Glacier).
The glissade was great down to 7,200'. Below that we had to descend on foot, which was slow going, especially on the loose rock
.
