Mount Shuksan/Sulphide Glacier

Left Seattle at about 7 am, arrived at trailhead at 9:30, and started walking at a little after 10 am. Reached a nice campsite at 6200ft by 2:30 or so. There was running water available, which made it a more desireable location rather than trying to camp higher. Toilet that was supposedly there was not yet melted out.

Route up glacier was straightforward. Left a little after 4 a.m. Snow was firm and required crampons the entire way. The glacier is in great shape - we did not come across any crevasses. But we did see a black bear on the glacier, about 500 yards away or so. He saw us and started running the other way. Reached the base of the summit pyramid at about 6:30 a.m. There was a group of 10 climbers working their way up toward the ridge at an extremely slow pace. Our option was to attempt the gulley, which was covered in firm snow. Given the experience level of our group, we decided to turn around. The gulley looked steep, and the snow was quite hard. We only had four pickets to protect. This route is definitely doable, but at this point in time, it was most likely beyond the skill level of most basic climbers.