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Stefan
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Joined: 17 Dec 2001
Posts: 5085 | TRs | Pics
Stefan
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PostMon Feb 17, 2003 5:31 pm 
Excelsior/1160+ (Wallace Lk. Quad) Matt G. and I drove up the North Fork of the Skykomish to about 2-3 miles past the Blanca Lake trailhead and we were stopped by snow at about 2400 feet. We had snow all the way from here. Under normal winter conditions we could not get near this point unless we had a snowmobile! We walked the road for about 1 mile to the West Cady Ridge trail and a sign indicating the trail was under construction. After about a 1/4 mile in the snow covered trail we came across two I beams across the river, so we scooted our behinds across the wet iron beams and now had iron rusted butts! We followed the trail in snowshoes and eventually came to the west ridge of Excelsior where we then took off our snowshoes. Postholing was only ankle deep and the west ridge was easy enough to follow to the top of Excelsior with its several bumped top. Snow was coming down, but it was that dry snow that doesn't stick to you. Views were rare. On the way down the padding on my feet started hurting--it felt like I had been walking for 25 miles in plastic boots! On the way back it started raining about 200 meters from the car! (Almost 8 miles round trip.) I dropped Matt off and decided to check out a road for peak 1160+(440'P) which is behind the town of Startup. The sign on the road allows nonmotorized users to access the property, and since I had a bike with me, I decided why not? I followed a road that follows along the very near top of this peak with my bike. There are two possible summits and so I did them both. On one I left a small cairn of little stones, which I believe might be the higher..... Stefan 2/15/2003

Art is an adventure.
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reststep
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reststep
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PostMon Feb 17, 2003 5:56 pm 
Glad to see you are back out there Stefan. It sounds like things went quite well.

"The mountains are calling and I must go." - John Muir
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