Forum Index > Trip Reports > Paradise cloud caves, 09-07-07
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Scrooge
Famous Grouse



Joined: 16 Dec 2001
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Scrooge
Famous Grouse
PostSat Sep 08, 2007 4:38 pm 
I went down to Mt Rainier on Friday morning, planning to try to photograph what's left of the Pinnacle Glacier.
Group of Mountaineers at the base of the Pinnacle Glacier in 1925.
Group of Mountaineers at the base of the Pinnacle Glacier in 1925.
The weather did not cooperate. Both the Mountain and the Tatoosh Range were completely fogged in and, as it turned out, stayed that way most of the day. After waiting an hour and a half, hoping it would start clearing up, I bagged Pinnacle and crossed the valley to get some exercise on the Skyline Loop. Instead of starting from the Paradise Visitors Center, I drove down to where the road crosses the Paradise River and took the short connector, the "4th Crossing Trail", up along the river to get to the loop. There I turned east and climbed past the Stevens-Van Trump Memorial to get to the Paradise Glacier spur. There I was passed by a group of seven little old ladies (about my age), who turned out to be half of all the people I saw all day. They took the spur, too, and I watched them get further and further away as they headed up the valley.
Paradise Glacier Trail around noon, the clearest it got all day.
Paradise Glacier Trail around noon, the clearest it got all day.
However, the ladies stopped at the end of the trail (a long way from the end of the valley), so I soon passed them up and wandered off up through the morainal moonscape on my own.
Paradise Glacier Basin, from just beyond the end of the trail. I actually continued on up the valley almost to the saddle.
Paradise Glacier Basin, from just beyond the end of the trail. I actually continued on up the valley almost to the saddle.
Most of the day I was in the clouds or surrounded by clouds. I never did see the top of Rainier. Besides making it unexpectedly cold, the clouds made photography almost impossible. Everywhere you looked, the upper part of your view was a mass of greyish white, making for a contrast challenge that was too much for my camera. Most of my pics turned out too dark to tell what the subject was.
Into the clouds ......... Believe it or not, there's a marmot in this picture, just about right in the middle.
Into the clouds ......... Believe it or not, there's a marmot in this picture, just about right in the middle.
Chased by the clouds ...... about 2:00pm, when I stopped for lunch. They caught up with me, so I cut my lunch short.
Chased by the clouds ...... about 2:00pm, when I stopped for lunch. They caught up with me, so I cut my lunch short.
I had continued on up the basin till I ran out of time and energy. As the unconsolidated morainal debris got steeper, the going got pretty difficult. Even the largest rocks were unstable. ...... Here's a set of pics from my scramble.
Moraine detail
Moraine detail
Cascades
Cascades
Outfall from the Paradise Glacier
Outfall from the Paradise Glacier
That was my closest approach to the terminus of the modern Paradise Glacier. Then I turned around and started out, taking a few odds and ends of pictures on the way.
Flowers in a lunar landscape
Flowers in a lunar landscape
Ice Caves memory
Ice Caves memory
Skyline Trail and a hazy Unicorn Peak, about 4:00pm. The Tatoosh Range finally came out of the clouds about 3:00pm.
Skyline Trail and a hazy Unicorn Peak, about 4:00pm. The Tatoosh Range finally came out of the clouds about 3:00pm.
Altogether, about 6.0 miles and 1500 feet, including more than a mile of talus-whacking. rolleyes.gif A pretty good day for a decrepit old man. agree.gif

Something lost behind the ranges. Lost and waiting for you....... Go and find it. Go!
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Scrooge
Famous Grouse



Joined: 16 Dec 2001
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Location: wishful thinking
Scrooge
Famous Grouse
PostSat Sep 08, 2007 8:07 pm 
HJT asked
Quote:
Was my cairn still standing? It would have been a single stack of rocks near where the trail ended.
Snow cave and cairn
Snow cave and cairn
edit - Nope ............. bawl.gif

Something lost behind the ranges. Lost and waiting for you....... Go and find it. Go!
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Scrooge
Famous Grouse



Joined: 16 Dec 2001
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Location: wishful thinking
Scrooge
Famous Grouse
PostSat Sep 08, 2007 8:22 pm 
Oops. ....... Nope. Sorry HJT. There was nothing remotely resembling a seven foot cairn. If there had been, I would have photographed it, for sure, being one of nwhiker's cairn proponents and defenders. There was only one other cairn out there beyond the end of the trail, and it was pretty sloppy.

Something lost behind the ranges. Lost and waiting for you....... Go and find it. Go!
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Scrooge
Famous Grouse



Joined: 16 Dec 2001
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Location: wishful thinking
Scrooge
Famous Grouse
PostSat Sep 08, 2007 8:27 pm 
rockband.gif rockband.gif WOW ! cheers.gif cheers.gif cheers.gif That is one fine cairn. agree.gif

Something lost behind the ranges. Lost and waiting for you....... Go and find it. Go!
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JimK
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JimK
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PostSat Sep 08, 2007 9:41 pm 
Scrooge, now sure if you've seen the feature on the old ice caves on my website. Paradise Ice Caves I was there in August 1981. Just 26 years ago.

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Magellan
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Joined: 26 Jul 2006
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Magellan
Brutally Handsome
PostSat Sep 08, 2007 9:43 pm 
Coolest short trip report in a long time, Scrooge.

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Scrooge
Famous Grouse



Joined: 16 Dec 2001
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Location: wishful thinking
Scrooge
Famous Grouse
PostSat Sep 08, 2007 11:49 pm 
Thanks M. ........ Thanks Jim. I remember reading the story of the two young guys crawling down through the ice caves. In fact, it made enough impression on me so that I think of it every once in awhile. ........ I just didn't remember that it was you. winksmile.gif

Something lost behind the ranges. Lost and waiting for you....... Go and find it. Go!
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Scrooge
Famous Grouse



Joined: 16 Dec 2001
Posts: 6966 | TRs | Pics
Location: wishful thinking
Scrooge
Famous Grouse
PostSun Sep 09, 2007 12:29 am 
Found another shot I like. rolleyes.gif
Where the glacier used to be
Where the glacier used to be

Something lost behind the ranges. Lost and waiting for you....... Go and find it. Go!
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Matt
Tea, Earl Grey, Hot



Joined: 30 Jan 2007
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Matt
Tea, Earl Grey, Hot
PostSun Sep 09, 2007 1:15 am 
Fascinating, and distressing, to see how much the glaciers have retreated.

“As beacons mountains burned at evening.” J.R.R. Tolkien
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reststep
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reststep
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PostThu Sep 13, 2007 6:58 pm 
Interesting report and pictures Scrooge. I am going to have to put that one on my list.

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