Trevor Dickie
As Washington's ski resorts are finally nearing opening day, we can look back on a November with a tiny bit of snow, some clear weather, and of course, a more than a dash of rain. Regardless of the weather, Mountaineers across the branches hiked, scrambled, and kayaked their way through the month.
This month, we have six scramble reports, three day hikes, and one kayaking trip.
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.
Honorable mention: Mini mountaineers
This month, our newest youth program the Mini Mountaineers had their first ever outing! Here's a short quote from Katie Love's wonderful report:
"The kids were quick to create a sense of community. Within one minute of arrival, one little guy pointed to another Mini Mountaineer and asked, “Is he my friend?” His chaperone was quick to respond, “He sure can be!” Those two were running around and playing together most of the program, experiencing the joy of becoming fast friends."
scramble - Guye Peak/east route 11/8
"We enjoyed perfect sunny weather with a temperature of 35 F and no wind. Despite the added challenges of dealing with varying depths of snow on the route, the students all performed well and gained self-confidence and pride on this already-sporty T5 scramble, with the added bonus of beautiful late-season views."
Khrum Kashan's report detailed what seemed to be a great scramble, with lots of useful information and beta for others thinking about the route.
hike - Kamikaze (Teneriffe) falls 11/11
"I have not done many cold hikes and usually never start early in the morning. Met the group in the parking lot at 8am. Nancy and Peter welcomed me to the group and we headed up dressed like we were ready to go skiing in mid-January."
This was both Andrew Carlson's first Mountaineers outing, and his first trip report. A warm welcome to Andrew, here's to more great trips with more great reports!
hike - miller peak 11/12
"Five easy stream crossings, but in spring/summer the water level is likely much higher in a couple of them. Lots of frost right from the parking lot. A light coating of snow began around 4,000' and increased as we went higher, but it was spotty and just a few inches at the most. Careful footing on summit rocks was needed due to ice here and there."
A solid report on the hike from Nancy Lloyd, with plenty of photos to detail the route. I'd bet there's a just tiny bit more snow on it now!
Winter scramble - dickerman mountain 11/12
"The ground was sufficiently snow-covered and the ambient temperature was still low enough that you could opt to pick your own path to the summit through firm enough snow, or just follow in the footsteps of others. I'd guess there was 1-2' of snow on the ground... but I'm not sure."
The Starks' words rang true this year, as "winter is coming," but I'm still not exactly sure if it has arrived. Another great report from one of our de facto November report winners, Gabrielle Orsi.
winter scramble - bandera mountain 11/17
"We took turns leading. Each person had time with some easy navigation as a trail or bootpath was almost always evident. Before arriving below Mason Lake, we came across this boulderfield. Cairns guided us across where we picked up the trail/bootpath again. Luckily the boulders were dry although mossy."
This is Susan Shih's first entry as our reigning champion from October. She is again consistent, and this is not the only report she wrote on this month's list.
winter scramble - vesper peak 11/17
"It was pretty easy to punch my boots into the snow and climb up though, when others' bootprints weren't a comfortable reach for me with my shorter legs. Ice axe was also handy on the descent for iffy moments as I couldn't always quite plunge-step since the windblown snow was pretty hard."
Hey! That sure looks like winter. Glad to see you again, old friend. This report is filled with wonderful snow-heavy photos, and it makes sitting at my desk right now a bit painful. Another great report by Gabrielle Orsi.
winter scramble - dickerman mountain 11/24
"Several hikers ahead of us had forged a path in the 3-foot deep snow without snowshoes; it would have been possible for us to go without as well, but we donned snowshoes for providing more flexibility in case of need for route deviation, first aid, avalanche, or even bathroom breaks, any of which would have been nearly impossible in the unconsolidated snow."
Brian Booth's report tells the story of a group that encountered deep snow, but through preparedness and grit, conquered the snow with their snowshoes and teamwork.
kayak - tacoma narrows 11/24
"We paused momentarily to watch some porpoise pass in front of us and as I drifted under the bridge I watched two sea lions pass close by going the other way. The paddling was easy as we rode the currents headed about along the west shore."
Here is your monthly Kayak report from Lisa Johnson because I'm pretty sure she has made every single top 10 list. And rightly so, her reports are always very detailed. This month, it seems that the wildlife was out to play in the Puget Sound.
hike - north bend ranger station 11/25
"The younger, wild trees we saw aren't as full and bushy as trees you find at a Christmas tree farm... but they were fun to gather. The consensus was that everyone wants to return next year for another Christmas tree. I'll be hiking this summer with Christmas trees in mind...!"
A different kind of report from a different kind of Mountaineers trip! Happy to see a group so excited to find their trees outside of their local tree lots.
winter scramble - teanaway butte via tarzan butte - 11/27
"After 20 or so minutes on the summit, we head for the saddle between Tarzan and Teanaway Buttes. The 6-9" of snow make the rocky scree slippery. One person had his snowshoes on which really seems to help. Teanaway Butte is just ahead at 4734'."
Here's the final entry on the list; another report from Susan Shih, filled with truly fantastic photos and a helpful amount of detail on the outing. Is there a better way to get outside on a holiday weekend? A solid case for "no" can be made using this report.
Last month's 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!
