Forum Index > Trip Reports > Mt. Baker summit camp and stupendous ice avalanche, July 2018
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Brushbuffalo
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Location: there earlier, here now, somewhere later... Bellingham in between
Brushbuffalo
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PostWed Jul 18, 2018 11:04 pm 
Pictures below Mount Baker is in my veins. I can't get enough of it, and this was my 79th successful trip to the summit, and 5th summit camp....6th if I count the unplanned bivy after climbing the north ridge right smack into a sudden furious storm in 1976. (anxious hours there but that's a whole 'nother story). eek.gif Anyway, two things stood out about this particular trip done on July 16-18, 2018 with friends Grant L., Jack J., Craig P., and newbie-to-climbing Rob C. (who performed magnificently) smile.gif 1) The standard Coleman-Deming route crosses a stupendous, and I mean STUPENDOUS....ice avalanche that fell off the hanging glacier on Colfax Peak,apparently on Saturday July 14. We heard second hand reports by friends of witnesses. As I looked at it from our first night's camp on Heliotrope Ridge, it didn't look any bigger than many I have seen and crossed going back to 1964. But when we crossed it on our climb to the summit, WHOA Doggie! It is HUGE! it is by far the largest ice fall I have seen or heard of from the Colfax hanging glacier. I timed how long it took us to cross it as we descended from our summit camp this morning (July 18)and it took us 16 minutes to follow the track that others had laboriously threaded through the ice blocks. Other big ones here in past years have taken maybe at most 4 or 5 minutes to cross. It looks like a substantial portion of the glacial thumb of the Coleman hanging on the north side of Colfax Peak had broken free and traveled hundreds of meters down the Coleman. Some blocks of ice were as large as garages, and in places you could see blocks that still retained the annual demarcation of annual snow separated by wind-blown dust. One of many fascinating aspects of this fall is the fact that the mass was sufficient to scour out channels many meters wide and several meters deep just by the power of thousands of tons of ice moving along the glacier's surface. We felt like ants crawling through a dumptruck load of gravel. There are no reports that I am aware of about any climbers being in the wrong place at the time. It would surely have been an unsurvivable event. The fact that the standard route unavoidably crosses in the fallout zone of ice avalanches from Colfax has bothered me for many decades, yet the Coleman-Deming is still by far the most common route on Baker, and also serves as the typical descent way for other common routes such as the North Ridge. I emailed my friend John S. about this event and he may take his famous yellow airplane up to photograph it soon. If so, I will post a link. EDIT: Here are a couple of John's photos and some comments. 2) The second thing that made this trip notable but in a strange way is that when I thought I have seen it all on this mountain, we saw and spoke with two visitors, not residents of this area, who climbed to the summit with no rope, no crampons, no ice axes, no poles, and we think, no common sense but from their remarks and actions, lots of arrogance and lots of ignorance. Truthfully, as we slogged up the Roman Wall to the summit dome, I was hoping that we wouldn't meet them again as they descended, because there is a big crevasse at the bottom, and we didn't want to be horrified as one or both slipped out of control down the long slope into the crevasse. I was hoping not to be placed in a moral dilemma of having, or not, to descend to aid them. It probably would have been a fatal slip anyway. However we would have done it, thinking of the Good Samaritan. We hope they made it back to the trail head safely. Our summit encampment was fun and is one of my favorite things to do in the mountains. Why exert all that effort to stay only minutes when you can stay for 17 hours? A bit surprisingly, in this high pressure system we are enjoying, a minor cloud cap developed around 5 a.m. and lingered off and on for a few hours. Of the five of us, only I chose to sleep on the very top rather than 40 or so vertical feet below toward the east. I had done this twice before but this time it was a bad move! At night the wind veered from south at 25 mph to west at a steady 40 mph (I measured it. Yes, I am a weather geek). It was "flappy" in my bivy sac and cold even in a 15° sleeping bag. Around midnight I grabbed the bundle being extra careful not to lose the whole package over the precipitous east face and stumbled down to try to sleep in the trench excavated by a couple of my mates. Thanks, Jack and Grant, and thanks Jack for letting me into your smallish sleeping space in the middle of the night! We awoke to poor visibility, subfreezing temperatures, and still-strong wind, now out of the north. We skedaddled out of there fast (the same thing happened when several in this party and I camped on top of Rainier about four years ago....clear windy night, morning cloud cap). Sorry I didn't take any pictures....my camera lens was malfunctioning in the cold and frost.
ready to go: Rob, Craig, Jack, Grant
ready to go: Rob, Craig, Jack, Grant
"wood duck"
"wood duck"
Heliotrope Ridge camp
Heliotrope Ridge camp
Lincoln Peak towering above Thunder Glacier
Lincoln Peak towering above Thunder Glacier
"Hi back, Jack"
"Hi back, Jack"
you can see just about the entire route. Note the track on the "Roman Wall" (headwall of the Deming Glacier)
you can see just about the entire route. Note the track on the "Roman Wall" (headwall of the Deming Glacier)
heading out for camp on top
heading out for camp on top
ice fall debris isn't so impressive from a distance
ice fall debris isn't so impressive from a distance
ice fall debris  as viewed from ( incorrectly named) "Pumice Ridge."Ice fell from Colfax Hanging Glacier, on left
ice fall debris as viewed from ( incorrectly named) "Pumice Ridge."Ice fell from Colfax Hanging Glacier, on left
note the pattern of tracks  all over the Roman Wall. Looks like a herd of buffalo have stampeded down the face.
note the pattern of tracks all over the Roman Wall. Looks like a herd of buffalo have stampeded down the face.
enjoying  camp 40 vertical feet down and east of summit
enjoying camp 40 vertical feet down and east of summit
just right there!  ( but very windy, almost always!)
just right there! ( but very windy, almost always!)
Shuksan, of course
Shuksan, of course
Sherman Peak, which has its [url=https://mbvrc.wordpress.com/2013/10/29/sherman-peak-icerock-debris-avalanche-plugs-sherman-craters-east-breach/]own history of avalanches[/url]
Sherman Peak, which has its own history of avalanches
yes that's a kite...why not?
yes that's a kite...why not?
my pre- 40 mph sleeping site on top
my pre- 40 mph sleeping site on top
where the smarter guys slept and where I ended up
where the smarter guys slept and where I ended up
Baker's shadow
Baker's shadow
source of the shadow ::)
source of the shadow smile.gif
looking back up the Roman Wall to cap over the top
looking back up the Roman Wall to cap over the top
banner cloud over Colfax
banner cloud over Colfax
note the tiny figures amongst the ice
note the tiny figures amongst the ice
source of the ice fall
source of the ice fall
One of several troughs scoured out by moving ice mass.  The whole base is the trough, not just the little one in center. The right side is the "wall" of this trough.The total volume of the slide is much more impressive than the largest block size.
One of several troughs scoured out by moving ice mass. The whole base is the trough, not just the little one in center. The right side is the "wall" of this trough.The total volume of the slide is much more impressive than the largest block size.
Craig (in back) next to ice block for scale, and this is not even close to the biggest one we saw.
Craig (in back) next to ice block for scale, and this is not even close to the biggest one we saw.
the post-trip yard sale....look familiar, anyone?
the post-trip yard sale....look familiar, anyone?

Passing rocks and trees like they were standing still
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Bernardo
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PostThu Jul 19, 2018 7:51 am 
Wow, great report. Looks like a fun trip. I like the flag in camp.

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OutOfOffice
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PostThu Jul 19, 2018 10:51 am 
No kidding, huge ice fall! Baker is one of the most beautiful climbs in the state hands down.

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Bernardo
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PostThu Jul 19, 2018 10:59 am 
It's been scientifically proven that anyone who climbs Mount Baker 79 times is very likely to try for 80. I would love to read a retrospective of your experiences on the mountain over all that time. I too like going back to the same places and developing a deeper appreciation.

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raising3hikers
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PostThu Jul 19, 2018 11:47 am 
79x's and counting. That is an impressive ice fall! I've walked through there a few times but the ice debris wasn't that big

Eric Eames
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Midnight Slogger
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PostThu Jul 19, 2018 5:56 pm 
Excellent report BB, thanks for the many pics and thoughtful commentary, as always!

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williswall
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PostThu Jul 19, 2018 8:01 pm 
Most excellent report and pix. Can't wait til I'm retired to have more time for suffering!

I desire medium danger williswall.com
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moonspots
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PostFri Jul 20, 2018 4:50 am 
williswall wrote:
Can't wait til I'm retired to have more time for...
lol.gif don't bet on it. "They" (the old retired guys) all said I'd be busier after retirement than when I was working. I didn't believe it. I've been retired (mostly) for 4 years now, and am busier than ever! But no, I wouldn't go back! And yes, this was a well documented, and interesting TR.

"Out, OUT you demons of Stupidity"! - St Dogbert, patron Saint of Technology
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Brushbuffalo
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Brushbuffalo
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PostFri Jul 20, 2018 5:07 am 
moonspots wrote:
williswall wrote:
Can't wait til I'm retired to have more time for...
lol.gif don't bet on it. "They" (the old retired guys) all said I'd be busier after retirement than when I was working. I didn't believe it. I've been retired (mostly) for 4 years now, and am busier than ever! But no, I wouldn't go back! And yes, this was a well documented, and interesting TR.
Indeed. I'm busier than ever, and a lot of it has to do with helping other people. There is really only limited satisfaction and purpose in continually only amusing oneself. And thanks, Moonspots.

Passing rocks and trees like they were standing still
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Bernardo
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PostFri Jul 20, 2018 5:15 am 
Brushbuffalo wrote:
Indeed. I'm busier than ever, and a lot of it has to do with helping other people. There is really only limited satisfaction and purpose in continually only amusing oneself.
An excellent point. Well said.

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wallorcrawl
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PostFri Jul 20, 2018 9:24 am 
Brushbuffalo wrote:
I'm busier than ever, and a lot of it has to do with helping other people. There is really only limited satisfaction and purpose in continually only amusing oneself.
Best thing I've read recently...thank you

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BigBubba
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PostFri Jul 20, 2018 9:36 am 
Here's a panoramic sunset shot from this trip!
Sunset shot on 7/17/18
Sunset shot on 7/17/18

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Get Out and Go
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PostFri Jul 20, 2018 3:00 pm 
I'm a big fan of repeat hikes (as well as new ones). I'm nowhere close to 79 visits on any of them. I'm sure each one was a treat for you. Yeah, we all look forward to your 80th climb. May as well aim for 100 at that point. dizzy.gif

"These are the places you will find me hiding'...These are the places I will always go." (Down in the Valley by The Head and The Heart) "Sometimes you're happy. Sometimes you cry. Half of me is ocean. Half of me is sky." (Thanks, Tom Petty)
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DIYSteve
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PostFri Jul 20, 2018 6:10 pm 
up.gif

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Schroder
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PostSat Jul 21, 2018 10:03 am 
Wow, I thought I had been up there a lot with 14 summits in 51 years. Last time I was there, about 10 years ago, I saw only one other group besides us on the Coleman that was roped up and saw a least a dozen unroped, many of them lone skiers. I've broken through a crevasse every time I've been on that mountain and that time was no exception.

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