Trip Report
Glacier Peak/Disappointment Peak Cleaver
Perfect weather to enjoy the best trail in the state!
Anna Maxwell
- Sun, Aug 14, 2022
- Glacier Peak/Disappointment Peak Cleaver
- Trail Running
- Successful
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- Road suitable for all vehicles
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The trail is in incredible shape, clearly a lot of work has recently been done! Lots of water sources along the trail till high camp. Still a lot of on/off again snow travel below the White Chuck Glacier and beyond. Some evidence of (we saw) rock fall below disappointment peak and off glacier peak while traveling. There are two visibly crevassed sections you cross where the suiattle and cool glaciers meet to the right of disappointment peak. Snow bridges are solid enough. We brought microspikes instead of crampons for the approach and that worked fine. Pretty chill glacier travel, just make sure you aren't up there too late. The summit needs a new register book. Bugs were not bad, but bring bug spray (horse flies/mosquitos esp at the TH).
A great day out in a special place. Probably my fav summit yet.
It took us around 11:28 trail head to trail head because my partner got very serious adductor cramps and we were stopping a lot (yay for chewable salt tabs, ibuprofen, and mash potatoes). Probably a bad idea to just be drinking plain water, but he had no ultra running background so how would he know that. We started just after 6am. Probably took us just under an hour to get through the rolling old growth first 5 miles.
We made it to those beautiful verdant hillsides around 2:15 after those switchbacks. I really stopped paying attention after that because the trail was so distractingly stunning and we were already taking a lot of stops. I think high camp around 7200 is probably the best place to camp and maybe the last or second to last solid water source before the summit.
We started on the snow around 11am and I think summited just before 1:00pm which was too late to be up there. We were the second to last party to come down.
Unfortunately we were moving slower than expected up and down on the snow/glacier. Snow was perfect for plunge stepping not the way down, unfortunately the plunge steps were especially triggering for his adductor cramping. By the time we got through the snow/ rocky section and back on solid trail we were moving quicker again and were able to run most of the way down and out. A fabulous day and a trail well worth as much time as you can give it.