[Matt]

Date: June 12-13, 2010 Destination: Eightmile 7840 & North Craggy 8205 (USGS Billy Goat) Party: Matt, mtnmike, Suzanne R

Eightmile Summit Camp

This trip can be done in a day, as previously described in Stefan's 6/8/08 report. However, we wanted to stay out overnight and enjoy a high camp, so we did Eightmile first and camped overnight on the summit. On Saturday, we hiked the Eightmile trail toward Eightmile Pass, then went up the north end of Eightmile to its 7840 summit. On Sunday, we continued to the Eightmile – West Craggy Col at 7400, dropped to No Dice Lake 6521, made a side trip to North Craggy 8205, and exited down No Dice’s outlet to the Eightmile Creek valley. Map to be inserted here Highlights of the trip:

• Temperatures up high were warm & pleasant.
• The lakes were mostly frozen & cold.
• The Craggies were craggy & corniced.
• The camp atop Eightmile featured panoramic views and a near-solstice sunset that lingered for hours into the night.

Saturday Billy Goat Hairpin 4550 to Eightmile Peak 7840 We parked at the usual snow pile on the last hairpin turn of the road before the Billy Goat trailhead, and hiked the trail till we were across from the north bowl of Eightmile Peak, circa 5400 feet a bit before Eightmile Pass. We dropped 100 feet down into the streambed, then hiked up snowy woods to the bowl north of Eightmile and a wide gully that angled left up below Point 7756. We scrambled around the left side of some rock bands and up onto 7756, then followed the crest to Eightmile’s summit.

New sign over old sign at Pasayten Wilderness Boundary

Route up south end of Eightmile

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Scrambling around side of Point 7756, with later route up North Craggy and down No Dice Creek in background

Ridge between Point 7756 and Eightmile summit 7840

Eightmile’s summit had a Fay Pullen register and fine views of all of the Craggies. A hundred yards past the summit I found a likely spot for a tent, but it was so warm I decided I’d lay out my sleeping bag on the summit itself.

Mike & Suzanne on Eightmile

My shadow on Eightmile, looking at North & Big Craggy

West Craggy Lake 6980 I figured I could have a nice afternoon nap on the warm summit, but it wasn’t to be. Looking out toward West Craggy, I noticed the blue rim of a lake just beginning to melt out of the snow. But it was 800 feet downhill. In the morning we’d have to go halfway down anyway to reach the Eightmile – West Craggy col, but the lake would still be on the wrong side of the col, and it would be cold and shaded then. Now it was sunlit and warm, so down I went, racing to get there before the evening shadows.

West Craggy & West Craggy Lake 6880

West Craggy Lake

The scramble down to the col was about half rock and half traversing on snow on the west side, then all snow from the col down to the lake. High above, I could see the silhouettes of Mike & Suzanne on the summit.

Summit people watching me run the ridge toward the Eight/West col

Down at the lake, there was another problem. To get a photo with mountains in the background, I had to walk out an peninsula of snow in the lake. Getting onto the peninsula was okay, but getting off it not so good. When I stepped toward the edge, I sank waist deep in a thick half-frozen mix of slush and water. I flailed out of it, stood on my pack to warm up my feet, frowned at the bloody streaks where the icy crystals had scraped my legs, and brushed the slush off of ludicrously inconvenient parts of me. Then I found a firmer place to get in, and was able to swim with only a bit of soft floating ice to push out of the way.

Closer to the lake

Swimming in West Craggy Lake

My tracks on the peninsula of snow

Evening at Eightmile Camp Hiking the 800 feet back uphill, I could see the backlit tent very prettily glowing like a beacon on the summit. In the waning light of the day, I rejoined Mike & Suzanne for a warm dinner.

Summit camp awaiting my return

Dinner at camp

Our camp was a fine grandstand for watching the sunset develop. Out north, the alpenglow highlighted bunches of summits I’ve never explored on the other side of Eightmile creek.

Looking at the opposite side of the Eightmile Creek Valley

East of us, Eightmile’s shadow fell right onto tomorrow’s route up from No Dice Lake to the North/Big Craggy col. As the shadows climbed higher, just the peaks of the Craggies stood out in deeper red.

Eightmile shadow pointing to the North/Big Craggy Col

Craggies Sunset from Eightmile Camp

As the evening deepened, the light shifted from alpenglow on the peaks to a band of afterglow behind the peaks.

North & Big Craggy Alpenglow

North & Big Craggy Afterglow

Out west, hordes of peaks stood out against he afterglow.

Silver Star & Glacier Afterglow

Goode, Logan, etc

Further after sunset, the light shifted higher to make clouds glow orange over Eightmile’s summit.

Post-sunset cloud-light over Eightmile summit

From our dining room I hiked back up to the summit and laid out my sleeping bag. The evening stayed warm enough that I never even had zip my bag al the way closed. Lying atop the peak, I watched the near-solstice light linger long into the night. The sky slowly faded to darker shades of blue, but even hours after sunset I could still see a glow of light on the western horizon whenever I lifted my head to look that way. It wasn’t till near midnight that I could look up and see a sky finally darkened to black with the Big Dipper hanging overhead.

Sunset (8:59pm) behind Ptarmigan Peak

Orange clouds out west (9:16 pm)

Light lingering on the western horizon (9:56pm)

Sunday Got to get to bed now, so here are the rest of the photos, and I’ll fill in text later. Morning at Eightmile Camp

Morning at the summit bivy (5:15am)

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Morning sun on the tent site

Bivy & tent

Eightmile Peak to No Dice Lake 6541

Scrambling toward the col

Descending the Eightmile – West Craggy gully

Mike checking the frozen surface of No Dice Lake

North Craggy 8205 Up to the col:

Hiking up into the sun

Sun sitting on the col

Shadow stretching back down toward the lake

Up the ridge and on the summit:

Nearing the col

North Face of Big Craggy

Summit group photo

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Big & West Craggy, No Dice Lake, & Eightmile

Descent:

Looking down the descent route from North Craggy (and back up to Eightmile col)

Mike glissading down North Craggy

Suzanne glissading down North Craggy

No Dice Lake

Swim in No Dice Lake

Mike & Suzanne hiking past No Dice Lake

Exit

Exit Route, angling down from No Dice Creek to Eightmile Creek

Claim corner marker grown into tree

Car parked below snowbank at the hairpin

[iron]

gotta love ludicrously inconvenient parts.

[Dane]

Summit bivy No thanks on the icy swims though.

[twodogdad]

[raising3hikers]

Thanks for the report. So that's what that area looks like in nice weather. I guess so nice that you had to take a swim in a mostly frozen lake. I'll remember your trip for my next time out there as I want to climb those two peaks also.