Trevor Dickie
With the fires burning around Washington this past month, it’s been a pretty hazy August. Luckily, that didn’t seem to stop you from getting outside! And even better, it didn’t stop you from writing more than a few fantastic trip reports.
This month, we have five climbing reports, two scramble reports, two from sea kayaking trips, and one hike report.
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.
SCRAMBLE – TOKALOO ROCK & AURORA PEAK 8/3
“It turns out, we were crossing over the top of a giant complete open arch! A massive hole through the rock in the ridge! We dropped back down past the tarn and then to the other shallower tarn in front of Andrew Benchmark. This is where we dropped off the ridge down to Saint Andrew's Lake. The clouds were settling in as we reached the lake.”
Calling all geologists — can someone please tell me how an arch like this happens around Mt. Rainier? Anyways, Chris Pribbernow’s trip report on his scramble was great. A long, varied day with scrambling, and a little biking for good measure.
CLIMB – Mt. SHUKSAN/SULPHINE GLACIER 8/7
"The last major rappel went off the NE ridge, almost to the snow on skiers left. We needed one final handline to get carefully onto the snow. For those who are counting, that came to five raps and a handline. I felt good about keeping everyone safe and getting down comfortably, even though it took extra time.”
Brian Starlin’s report from his climb exemplifies a safe and well-coordinated trip. Consistent weather observations, timekeeping, and cautious decision-making kept the climb safe and under control.
CLIMB – MOUNT DANIEL/LYNCH GLACIER 8/7
“You'll want to be with partners who are fun to be around and have a good attitude... it's almost a 20 mile day! You'll want to wash off all the dirt and deet in the creek at the end of the climb. You'll want to get a burger (or Impossible Burger!) at The Brick in Roslyn on the way home because you'll be craving it.”
Liana Robertshaw’s report on their climb details a copious amount of poop for one outing, but also plenty of great climbing and adventure!
kayak - washington park to friday harbor 8/11
“The rain had stopped and we had sunshine for the rest of the day as we rode the flood into Friday Harbor after our 15 minute break, arriving at the kayak dock about 1530. It didn’t take long to get our boats on wheels and up the ramp where we parked them in the grassy area on the hill beside a band performing to a small seated crowd.”
Another great kayak trip this month for Lisa Johnson, with a bit of everything weather-wise. Though it’s got to be hard to complain if your adventures end in Friday Harbor; with all the food and treats a tired Mountaineer could possibly want.
HIKE – ANNETTE LAKE 8/14
“Took a long break at the lake: picked berries, some of us swam in the lake (not too cold!), and one group member brought his home-made fishing rod and caught a rainbow trout within a minute of casting! We had the lake mostly to ourselves, although we saw quite a few people going up as we were hiking down.”
Apparently at Annette Lake they call it catching, not fishing. And those berries! Is there really anything better than a hike with fresh snacks available on the way up? Alina Badus’s report details a great mid-week day out in the woods.
climb - mt. baker/easton glacier 8/18
“Navigating a thin bridge between crevasses, then a final jump across to safety right next to a ‘bottomless’ crevasse. This is holding for now, but if this goes I think the route is done. Or, simply take out that ladder that you strapped to your pack and keep going. In the picture the 3rd and 4th climbers are slightly below the thin bridge.”
In our Top 10 July blog post, I may have suggested that we were already in the late-season. Now, after much deliberation, I figure we are in what will now be known as the hind-season. One can only wonder what September will hold for our glaciers at this point. Michael's report has some great photos and up-to-date glacial information. Worth the read.
climb - south early winter spire/south arete 8/22
“Wildfire season was in full force and we were monitoring nearby fires and air quality. No participants had pre-existing respiratory issues/medical concerns, and air quality was no worse than in town so we went ahead with the climb (keeping in mind that we would turn around if the smoke became an issue or discomfort for any participant). On the climb smoke was not an issue and it was actually better than we had expected.”
“Food beta: Pickles are the new summit treat. 7-11 sells sliced pickle packs for $1.”
These days unfortunately, smoke management in August seems to be the new normal, but at least this group was on top of it! Glad to read the climb was largely unaffected. Rikki Hinz shows a good example of planning in conjunction with our smoke problems. Be sure not to miss the tip on summit snacks, I’m not too sure if it sounds so great, but I do feel obligated to give it a try.
climb - main cowlitz chimney 8/25
“Here we used our 60 meter rope and rappeled straight down to where you can start scrambling. The 60 meter rope just reached the base, but the ground is slightly slanted with a few loose rocks, which made it a little awkward to get off of rappel and scramble to a flatter area.”
Sharon’s report is detailed and clear, a great resource if considering this climb sometime soon. I’m happy to hear about trips with less and less smoke as we near September. I believe I speak for all of Washington in saying blue skies are better than gray — at least when the gray is really just smoke.
kayak - indian island circumnavigation 8/26
“Our hearty group of ten Mountaineers from three different branches (Everett, Seattle and Tacoma) successfully completed the 12.75 nm trip in just over seven hours. As planned, the trip included four breaks: on the water off Kala Point, lunch at Fort Flagler, snack break (with ad hoc self and assisted rescues practice) at Mystery Bay, and a rest break combined with a short portage at the isthmus between Marrowstone and Indian Islands.”
It’s always great to hear about a large group from all around The Mountaineers paddling around on a big adventure. Doug’s report is detailed and gives a great overview of the group’s trip. Sounds like a wonderful, calm day.
scramble - big snow mountain 8/27
“We were dripping in our gear
Eating berries all the time
Crossing talus without fear
Still enjoying the climb”
From now on, we will only be accepting trip reports in the form of poetry, thank you for your cooperation!
Jokes aside, what a nice surprise. David Judish’s report is quite unique in its format and I’m pretty excited about it. Seems like a good way to write about a great trip.
If you want to check out last month's Top 10, you can find them here. 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!
