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Brushbuffalo Member
Joined: 17 Sep 2015 Posts: 1887 | TRs | Pics Location: there earlier, here now, somewhere later... Bellingham in between |
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).
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)
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 "wood duck" Heliotrope Ridge camp Lincoln Peak towering above Thunder Glacier "Hi back, Jack" 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 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 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 just right there! ( but very windy, almost always!) Shuksan, of course yes that's a kite...why not? my pre- 40 mph sleeping site on top where the smarter guys slept and where I ended up Baker's shadow source of the shadow looking back up the Roman Wall to cap over the top banner cloud over Colfax note the tiny figures amongst the ice 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. 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?
Passing rocks and trees like they were standing still
Passing rocks and trees like they were standing still
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Bernardo Member
Joined: 08 Feb 2010 Posts: 2174 | TRs | Pics Location: out and about in the world |
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Bernardo
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Thu Jul 19, 2018 7:51 am
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Wow, great report. Looks like a fun trip. I like the flag in camp.
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OutOfOffice Member
Joined: 02 Jun 2015 Posts: 91 | TRs | Pics Location: Seattle |
No kidding, huge ice fall! Baker is one of the most beautiful climbs in the state hands down.
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Bernardo Member
Joined: 08 Feb 2010 Posts: 2174 | TRs | Pics Location: out and about in the world |
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Bernardo
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Thu Jul 19, 2018 10:59 am
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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 Member
Joined: 21 Sep 2007 Posts: 2343 | TRs | Pics Location: Edmonds, Wa |
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
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Midnight Slogger 'Schwack Job
Joined: 04 Aug 2017 Posts: 96 | TRs | Pics Location: Greater Cascadia |
Excellent report BB, thanks for the many pics and thoughtful commentary, as always!
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williswall poser
Joined: 30 Sep 2007 Posts: 1963 | TRs | Pics Location: Redmond |
Most excellent report and pix. Can't wait til I'm retired to have more time for suffering!
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moonspots Happy Curmudgeon
Joined: 03 Feb 2007 Posts: 2456 | TRs | Pics Location: North Dakota |
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moonspots
Happy Curmudgeon
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Fri Jul 20, 2018 4:50 am
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williswall wrote: | Can't wait til I'm retired to have more time for... |
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
"Out, OUT you demons of Stupidity"! - St Dogbert, patron Saint of Technology
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Brushbuffalo Member
Joined: 17 Sep 2015 Posts: 1887 | TRs | Pics Location: there earlier, here now, somewhere later... Bellingham in between |
moonspots wrote: | williswall wrote: | Can't wait til I'm retired to have more time for... |
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
Passing rocks and trees like they were standing still
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Bernardo Member
Joined: 08 Feb 2010 Posts: 2174 | TRs | Pics Location: out and about in the world |
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Bernardo
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Fri Jul 20, 2018 5:15 am
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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 Member
Joined: 19 Aug 2011 Posts: 12 | TRs | Pics
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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 Member
Joined: 11 Jun 2018 Posts: 2 | TRs | Pics Location: Seattle |
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BigBubba
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Fri Jul 20, 2018 9:36 am
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Here's a panoramic sunset shot from this trip!
Sunset shot on 7/17/18
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Get Out and Go Member
Joined: 13 Nov 2004 Posts: 2127 | TRs | Pics Location: Leavenworth |
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.
"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)
"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 seeking hygge
Joined: 06 Mar 2007 Posts: 12655 | TRs | Pics Location: here now |
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DIYSteve
seeking hygge
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Fri Jul 20, 2018 6:10 pm
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Schroder Member
Joined: 26 Oct 2007 Posts: 6696 | TRs | Pics Location: on the beach |
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Schroder
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Sat Jul 21, 2018 10:03 am
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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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