[Gimpilator]

Greg K and I did Big Snow today. The Hardscrabble lakes route is now roughly 25 miles because of the gate at Dingford Creek. We used bikes to get to the "big log" mentioned in other reports.

tire trouble

the "big log"

Burnt Boot Peak

The boot path is in decent condition until it reaches the talus slopes below the first lake. Further on it is hard to follow and a recent avalanche has wiped out a large portion. The snow began several hundred feet below the lakes.

Lower Hardscrabble

the east buttress

Summit Chief peeking

Thomson north face

Above the upper lake we followed the gully to the pass where we admitted to each other that we were both feeling tired. The remaining distance to the summit was a bit of a grind, even though it wasn't steep. Neither of us used an ax or traction devices on the ascent but we did use axes for glissade control on the descent.

snow covered slabs

above the pass

nearing the summit

a little further

summit

While we were on the summit I noticed a silent glider passing through the valley below. He caught an updraft and spiraled up right before our eyes, until he was several hundred feet above us. Greg waved to him and he circled us once before moving on. Then, when I signed the register, I noticed we were the first party of 2013.

Myrtle Lake, Big Snow Lake, and Dorothy Lake

Overcoat, Chimney, and Lemah

the glider

first signature of 2013

my friend Ed Miller was here 10 years ago

On the way out we tried to sneak into Goldmyer Hot Springs even though it added some distance, but sadly we were caught and turned around before we could even get our toes wet.

back to the pass

the lower lake

pano

11.5 hours car to car (I was hoping to come close to Fletcher's time, even with the Goldmyer detour, but he was faster by an hour).

[chiwakum]

Thanks for the report. Awesome pics.It's good to know how much snow there is now. I'd like to know why you chose the hardscrabble route vice Myrtle Lk this time of year? Having done both routes I think I'd lean towards Myrtle this early in the season. Love the pano!

[Fletcher]

Thanks for the shout out Adam, can't remember how long we dilly dallied on that trip but I think we were moving most of the day. I did, however take a bike with street tires up there and had to ride out in the dark. Goldmyer by stealth is balsy!

[olderthanIusedtobe]

Nice pics. Cool encounter with the glider. Several years ago I saw 2 of them buzzing around Mt. Pilchuck for an hour or so. Looked like fun. They got pretty close to the ridgeline at times.

[Jeb]

Nice effort, thanks for the beta. I thought I could see some tiny dots on Big Snow from Canoe Peak

[RichP]

How is the brush in the lower part of the route? We spent a couple of hours breaking limbs there 2 years ago and vowed to return with some clippers as it was pretty overgrown. Haven't made time for that yet.

[Greg K.]

Amazing hike with so many variables and views. Brush from the road was fairly over grown but easy to push through. Many limbs had cut back from years past which was another good route finding aid. Once out of the brush remnants of cairns and ribbon helped along the way through the boulder field. From there we relied on previous route history and Adam's intuition. When we finally made it to the pass we knew the hardest part was over and the final push to the summit was a for the most part a straight shot on the ridge. Near the end the west slope was fairly steep snow for the last 100 yards. Knowing that Adams's friend, Ed, had been up in years past, made the trip all the more sentimental. We read most of the entries dating back to 1995 and enjoyed the panoramic shots of noted surrounding peaks left in the '24 Hour Fitness' water bottle. To top it all off Adam spotted the Huge white glider about 500' below us. I'm guessing it had a 50-60 foot wingspan. The glider hit an updraft and spiraled nearly 1500' in a 400' circumference to the bottom of the cloud layer and then circled over in plain view. Its climbs like these that keep you wanting to come back to the mountains.

[Jim Dockery]

Nice trip. I've always wanted to get in to climb this, thanks for the good picture:

[iron]

^ that's a nice looking chunk of granite.

[DIYSteve]

This TR takes me back to the days when the MFK road was open and Hardscrabble was the standard route to Big Snow. Looks like you had a great day up there.

[puzzlr]

That's a lot to tackle in one day. Great pictures.

[SergioNapelo]

Nice trip report! I really enjoy your trip reports, this one just reminded me one more time that I want to get up on the Big Snow sometimes soon!

[ree]

Thanks for the great trip report... this one is on my list for later in season. The plug for trip reports on nwhookers in the summit register makes me larf.

[Bedivere]

[Randy]

Love your big log picture. It brought back memories of reckless exploring, being fast, being free of responsibilities, and snowshoeing. All good...except for the snowshoeing. Here's a shot of the log within a week of it rolling down the hill in 2002. Makes me feel old!

Big Snow Log