Trevor Dickie
I have to say, Mountaineers seem to be an excited bunch when the weather gets nice. With summer on the horizon, the number of trip reports you posted in May went WAY up. These reports have been wonderful, and it looks like it's bound to be a good summer for The Mountaineers community. This month, we have six climbs, one scramble, two hikes, and one sailing report to highlight from our favorite trip reports.
You can find recommendations for how to write a solid report here. The following write-ups are listed in the date that the trips occurred, not ranked in any way. Click on the photos to read the full reports from the volunteers and members.
climb - Mount Rainier/Fuhrer Finger 5/4-5/5
"We woke up to a starry, moonless night. After packing up camp we started out at 3:15 a.m. The snow conditions were great. The crevasses we encountered had reasonable snow bridges. Other than a stretch of maybe 50 meters where the lead climber kicked in toe-deep steps, the climbing was straightforward."
A real alpine start! Doesn't sound like there was a single complaint on this trip, which is always good to hear.
climb - Mount Rainier: Gibraltar Ledges + Ingraham Direct 5/4-5/5
"A car-to-car attempt on Mount Rainier via Gibraltar Ledges, early in the climbing season- that was the mission! Marlisa and I picked Gibraltar Ledges after getting some feedback from some of our Mountaineers mentors. Our initial plan was Ingraham Direct, but we switched ascent routes to Gibraltar Ledges because we would only be traveling as a team of two"
Over the past year, I've been reading through all of the trip reports that get posted to the website. This report, in formatting, detail, and imagery, is the best trip report I have seen, hands down. Kudos to Greg Overton for such a great write-up.
climb - Colchuck Peak/North Buttress Couloir 5/4-5/5
"On route, we had a bit of everything in snow quality. Our early start afforded us safe travel up the NBC prior to excessive direct sunlight, morning shade on the NW face, and loose cloud cover protected the Colchuck Glacier during our decent. All and all, many variables lined up nicely for safe and enjoyable climbing."
Another report from a day that sounds like it went off without a hitch. With the sunny weather in early May, too many routes to count must have been perfect for climbing!
hike - lake serene 5/5
"First stopped at Bridle Veil Falls about 2 miles and 600 feet of gain for a nice view of a high volume of water cascading down a several hundred feet high rock face. One of our trip participants who has lots of wildflower and bird call knowledge kept us informed on the various wildflowers and birds in the area."
I mentioned in the last Top-10 blog post that we were headed into waterfall season, and it sounds like the rivers sure are running high! Catch one if you can on one of the upcoming weekends. (We have some suggestions for the summer if you're looking for a trip or two)
Sail - Esther, Port of Edmonds Marina 5/15
"Diligently we set the upwind mark off the Edmond's off-leash beach, then motored South. "How deep is your keel?" was asked. "About five feet. Why do you ask?" "I can see the bottom." Oh, that shallow, eh? Though it was probably plenty deep for most boats keels, it was a little unnerving having crabs wave at us."
Another great Carl Harrington sail report, though I'm not sure seeing the crabs waving from the boat is a good thing...
hike - easton ridge 5/15
"The trail ascends fairly quickly with long switchbacks. In less than a mile look for signed trail junction for Easton Ridge to the right. More switchbacks before attaining the top of ridge. The trail starts to go down the ridge and ends without access so we turned around just past the opening at the top with views of Lake Cle Elum, Easton Lake, and Lake Kachess plus mountains beyond."
PSA: The snow is melting from the trails, and the wildflowers are out. Time to get out and starting hiking a bit higher into the mountains!
scramble - snoqualmie mountain 5/23
"Finally above tree line, the snow became more continuous on the ridge but still patches of trail and rocks were distinguishable on an off. Wore micro-spikes or crampons from here to the summit and back to this section and used ice ax and helmet as well."
A great trip report from a well-prepared group. Good route detail from Emma Agosta.
climb - North Twin Sister/West Ridge 5/18
"Our original plan was a 4 day climb of Dark Peak in the North Cascades, but we ended up here due to bad weather there. The weather was excellent, clear skies most of the day and moderate temperatures. As we drove up the FS road to the trailhead, we passed a man riding his bike hard up the road, I was so glad I didn't have to push my bike up that road for the 3rd time!"
Another great report from Susan Shih, from a trip to the North Twin Sister in perfect weather, and apparently an open gate at the trailhead!
climb - Mount Mystery & Little Mystery 5/25-5/27
"Next morning clouded in and windy. Headed out 6:30am, gained the ridge at Constance Pass, couldn't see anything. Turned around and started back down, but then clouds started to lift, decided to head on out the ridge. Ridge runs OK except for a couple sections, big bypass at Twin Benchmark that took some time. Just kept plugging along, clouds kept lifting little by little, and after a couple of hours Mystery finally revealed itself."
It's always rewarding when the day starts out cloudy, only to clear up just in time for the summit or the viewpoint you are climbing to reach. Keeps you cool on the way up, but you still get the reward you are looking for!
climb - The Tooth/South Face 5/28
"Opted for the summer route as weather was warm recently with some rain. Route is in a very good condition. Pretty much snow free until the Snow Lake fork. Afterwards some post hole danger in the Source lake band and a few thin snow bridges. At upper elevation snow cover is still quite good."
Another trip report from an ideal-weather day. Great photos from Assaf Israel. Looks like a great trip for a great group!
Our last Top-10 blog post is also online for you to check out. If you have a trip report you've really enjoyed, or wrote one yourself that you are quite proud of, send them our way at info@mountaineers.org. We may be featuring the best of the best in an upcoming edition of Mountaineer magazine!
