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contour5 Member
Joined: 16 Jul 2003 Posts: 2963 | TRs | Pics
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contour5
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Fri Aug 04, 2017 7:13 pm
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So, I made huge plans. I was gonna climb Glacier Peak. Actually I was planning to climb Kololo, Kopeetah and the Hive, and then climb Glacier Peak. I tend to go overboard in the planning stages, but this was sort of a new high. I'm not even a climber.
White-Pass-Columbine1 Tiger3 Colum3 Paint4 Thistle2 Trail-Boss-2 Scream-1 WP-2a
I slogged up to White Pass in an 80 degree black fly tornado. The bugs were relentless. All my clothing- t-shirt, shorts, socks and hat- were freshly sprayed with permethrin. All my bare skin was slathered with DEET. Every time I stopped, I hosed myself down with Geranium Oil. And still they came, looking for an open spot; an untreated patch of skin. Vicious, evil chunk-biting monsters from hell!
The breeze increased as I went up, and by the time I reached Foam Creek Basin it was blowing steady and gusting to about 40 mph. I camped on a little draw of ashy till between two snowfields just short of Foam Creek Pass. The wind blew in pulses- 30 seconds of wind followed by 10 seconds of calm. The pattern intensified to a steady, swirling, gusty hurricane of pumice dust and ash. The dust came right through the mosquito netting and filled my tent with abrasive grit. The wind increased, and my tent pole connector gave way, and my tent basically collapsed. Passenger side pole punched a hole in the roof. I spent the night with the other tent pole draped across my shoulder, pummeled by 50 mph gusts of wind.
Foam-Creek-Pass-2
In the morning I climbed the little pass and sat in the meadow repairing my tent as dozens of climbers streamed by on their way to GP. The basin below the pass was still filled with snow- the lowest lake still frozen over. The wind blew steady, and it was cold despite the blazing sun. I had planned for a warmer trip, and didn't have enough clothing. I fled back to White Pass.
I still had about 8 days worth of food left, so I went north on the fabled Painted Traverse. I didn't get very far, but you don't have to- the first few miles of this ridge are so intensely beautiful that further travel seems almost pointless. I still hope to complete this route sometime in the future- starting from RMLO- but it was a fine trip just doing an in and out from the south end. Hung out on Red Pass with Larry from Philadelphia. Larry's walking to Canada.
Red-Pass-w-Larry
Portal Peak is an easy climb from Red Pass, with a couple of maybe class 3 maneuvers to make climbing with a large pack somewhat sporty. The route down the north side was steep and sort of exposed, although once I got to the bottom I could see that I might have taken an easier route...
Whoops. I hit post instead of Preview... I'll just dump the rest of the pictures right here...
Sloan-3 RP-1 WC-Cinder-Cone WC-CC-3 Portal-55 purples5 6910--trail Portal56 Portal-Pyramid 6910-trail-2 G57 6910-view68 camp78 6910-view79 marmot-4 ss-56 ss78 ss37 FoggySaddle5 Fog3 Fog-4 Fog-6 fog8 ss41 ss42 Baker4 c79 c81 fuzzball5 Fuzz4 Baker6 R7 Black5 p88 G54 tent6 Upper-WC WC-Glacier tent-77 Falls-4 Falls3 Marmotus9 Marmota7 p64 Marmo8 Quartz-Pipe ss86 ss85 G1a G1aa Saddle-1a Saddle-2a Firepit-at-6500 camp83 ss1a ss3b camp77 camp98 camp65 Steepgrass1 Steepgrass2 Steep3 White-Pass-44 Sloan-1 Sloan3 PT-peaks-1 glacier-1 Portal-1 S3 red-1 red-5 G-4 g12 gp-11 MC1 pt16 pt19
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RichP Member
Joined: 13 Jul 2006 Posts: 5634 | TRs | Pics Location: here |
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RichP
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Fri Aug 04, 2017 7:23 pm
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I've missed seeing your reports. Your pics are so dang good.
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FiveNines Member
Joined: 01 Oct 2010 Posts: 528 | TRs | Pics
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HitTheTrail Member
Joined: 30 Oct 2007 Posts: 5462 | TRs | Pics Location: 509 |
I used to envy people with quality camera gear and a natural eye for photos. But I have let go of that and now just enjoy to results.
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cascadetraverser Member
Joined: 16 Sep 2007 Posts: 1407 | TRs | Pics
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NICE photos; contour, you know where the really good places to go are, don`t you!
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awilsondc Member
Joined: 03 Apr 2016 Posts: 1324 | TRs | Pics
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That's a wealth of purty pictures you got yourself there! Jake and I were up there around the same time for Glacier. Flowers and weather couldn't have been much better. Nice TR!
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Bootpathguy Member
Joined: 18 Jun 2015 Posts: 1791 | TRs | Pics Location: United States |
Experience is what'cha get, when you get what'cha don't want
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olderthanIusedtobe Member
Joined: 05 Sep 2011 Posts: 7722 | TRs | Pics Location: Shoreline |
I haven't been backpacking all year. I miss White Pass and surrounding area. Thanks for letting me see it vicariously.
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Distel32 Member
Joined: 03 Jun 2014 Posts: 961 | TRs | Pics Location: Edmonds, WA |
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Distel32
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Sat Aug 05, 2017 8:22 pm
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mbravenboer Member
Joined: 20 Oct 2013 Posts: 1422 | TRs | Pics Location: Seattle |
Excellent photos, contour5. Sorry to hear about your tent issue and delayed climbing ambitions! Still looks like you enjoyed some wonderful scenery.
I'd like to do Kololo one day as well, but heading up Glacier Peak solo is a bit too much for me.
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Kim Brown Member
Joined: 13 Jul 2009 Posts: 6900 | TRs | Pics
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Good Lord, what a wonderful trip! And the photos; mighty perfect. It was nice meeting you up there, and it'd be cool to do a trip together as we talked about!
Sure am bummed I couldn't get up to White Mtn to see Glacier Peak, but the heat would have killed me (I mean more than usual).
"..living on the east side of the Sierra world be ideal - except for harsher winters and the chance of apocalyptic fires burning the whole area."
Bosterson, NWHiker's marketing expert
"..living on the east side of the Sierra world be ideal - except for harsher winters and the chance of apocalyptic fires burning the whole area."
Bosterson, NWHiker's marketing expert
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BarbE Member
Joined: 28 Jul 2006 Posts: 1153 | TRs | Pics
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BarbE
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Sun Aug 06, 2017 2:27 pm
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One does not have to climb Glacier Peak or do the pained Painted Traverse to get the feel for this magical place, and your pictures proof it.
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