[Matt]

Dates: February 15-16, 2015 Destination: "More Rain" Mtn (7252 ft. 312P) via Torment Basin Party: Matt, Dicey, Steph Abegg "More Rain" Mtn is the 7252-foot point on the ridge west of Mt. Torment, named for its position high above Morraine Lake. (The lake, however, is in such a deep hole that you can't even see it from anywhere up on this ridge). We hiked up the Torment Basin climbers trail to Torment Col (the 6670-foot col west of Torment), then followed the ridge up to More Rain. We had originally aspired to go through the col and climb Torment via its NW Glacier, but various snow conditions plus a very cold windy night cancelled that plan. Instead we enjoyed dramatic views from a new vantage on the Cascade Pass crest, plus beautiful sunset and sunrise light. I'd highly recommend this destination. The way trail is surprisingly good for the Cascades, and Torment basin is all moderate snow travel. We didn't even use our ice axes till we were nearly at the summit, just snowshoes for some soft parts and crampons for some firmer crust.

More Rain Mtn GPS Track

Sunday Torment Creek Way Trail We parked at the Eldorado gate and hiked 0.7 miles to the start of the Torment Basin climbers trail. Just after the road crosses the river, there's a small pullout on the right, and the trail begins right there on the left, where you can spot a faint trail and cairn. We were able to follow it upward for a couple thousand feet. It's periodically obscured by downed trees, but easy to find again farther uphill. It's all mature forest with little brush, by far the easiest approach I've done in the Cascades for a long time. At 4000 feet, there was one rough spot where larger trees were down on a steeper slope, but above that it was easier hiking again. If you're not sure where to go, just keep the creek on your left the whole way.

Torment Basin Way Trail

Typical trial marker, a single rock sitting atop a log that had fallen across the track

Pretty sunlit tree trunks

We walked on dry ground till 4600 feet, then moved into snow along the creek bed. Under the trees, the snow was hard enough for crampons. We continued upward near the stream, crossing it at about 4800 feet, then beginning to angle farther right into the basin. Around 5400 feet we came out onto wide open snow and a bright warm afternoon. Time for sunglasses and sunscreen. We switched to snowshoes since our boots were sinking in somewhat, but probably could have gotten by without them. Torment Basin The basin was easy travel across moderate slopes to Torment Col, the 6760-foot col between Torment and More Rain. However, it was also all side-hilling, making our legs ache with the uneven effort. Periodically we went straight upjust to relieve the strain on our uphill legs. However, our efforts were rewarded and motivated by widening views of the peaks around us and the steep spires of Torment above us.

Sidehilling across Torment Basin to More Rain Mtn.

Johannesburg behind us

Crossing below Mt. Torment

Playing with shadows

Looking up at the walls and spires of Mt. Torment

At the far end of the basin we came to Torment Col, which is the lowest point on the entire ridge of peaks that stretches from Eldorado to Buckner. Through the col, we could look across to the peaks of the Icecap Traverse, stretching from Eldorado to Tricouni, with Klawatti Peak and the Inspiration Glacier right across from us.

Looking through Torment Col to Borealis Pass and Tricouni Peak

Looking through Torment Col to the Inspiration Glacier & Klawatti Peak

Torment Col to More Rain Mtn We walked into the col a ways to look at the route we'd have to take down a thousand feet if we wanted to cross over to Torment's northwest glacier tomorrow, and stashed some of our climbing gear by a big rock. Then we headed up the ridge crest to More Rain peak to spend the night. We decided to put our camp just past More Rain's 7100-foot east summit, where there were wide flat areas with plenty of room, but also plenty of wind blowing across the crest.

Our tracks crossing Torment Basin and heading up More Rain

Ascending the ridge above Torment Col

Partway up the ridge to More Rain

Continuing up More Rain, as Forbidden comes into view behind Torment

Sunset on More Rain Mtn Sunset was approaching fast, so Steph and I hurried up to take photos from the summit, while Carla decided to stay and set up camp. More Rain had large cornices on the north side, so we couldn't look over at the peaks on that side, but setting sun cast a beautiful display of changing light across the peaks arranged around Mt. Torment. We watched as the light altered from daylight glare to a subtle evening glow. The snow-clad peak made a dramatic canvas for the light, shifting from bright white snow below a deep blue sky, then softening to pastel gold and pink glowing across the peaks, to mauve and blue shadows spreading across the basins, and finally deepening into gray-toned darkness below a deep purple sky.

Blue & White in full daylight, 4:53pm

Colors softening near sunset, 5:15pm

All pink alpenglow, 5:24pm

Purple shadows spreading across the basins, 5:28pm

Last faint light on the crest, 5:31pm

Tones of gray and deep purple as we return to camp, 5:38pm

A few more highlights of the sunset:

Me enjoying the sunset

Forbidden & Torment

Boston & Sahale

Cascade Pass & Johannesburg

Wind blowing across the ridge

Wind & Cold As I hiked back down to camp after sunset, I could see Carla standing by the tent that she had put up. When I paused for more photos, I found out why she was standing there. She yelled out, "The tent will blow away if I let go. I need your help to put it up." The next couple hours were consumed by trying to get camp set up in the relentless wind and blowing snow. The first tent, my Big Agnes Copper Spur 2, stood up surprisingly well once its corners and fly were anchored in the snow. Its large vestibules even had enough clearance to run two stoves under cover from the wind. However, the other tent, my one-person Big Agnes Fly Creek, totally distorted and collapsed. Its single pole just wouldn't stay in place. I ended up working by headlamp to contrive extra lines to every spare object we had to various parts of the tent, until finally it would stand well enough to sit or sleep inside. Meanwhile, anything left out on the snow tended to disappear under the spindrift. When the tent would finally stand up, I did something I've never done before, and crawled into the sleeping bag without heating any water or cooking dinner. I was just too worn out from cold and wind. Fortunately, Carla later brought me a pot of hot water that they'd heated in the other tent, and later I was able to get up and boil some more water to share for hot water bottles. Inside the tent, at least, I was quite warm. My new XTherm air pad insulated really well, even sleeping on snow. For the rest of the night, my main memory is periodically looking out into the vestibule and seeing my gear slowly disappearing in the spindrift that blew under the edge. Monday Still I had to be ready for sunrise, so the end of the night went something like this. 4:15am, temperature inside the tent read 18 degrees. 5:15am, stuck my boots inside my sleeping bag so they'd thaw out enough to wear them for sunrise. 6:15am, pushed aside the spindrift to look outside the tent onto the scene below. Sunrise was still an hour away, but Eldorado showed just the faintest glow of light and subtle hue of color reflected from the lightening sky that was hidden by the snow crest behind me.

Morning begins

Sunrise at More Rain Camp In anticipation of the morning, I'd slept with all my clothes on anyway. So I wedged my feet into the partially thawed boots and hiked up to the lower rise just above camp to watch the day begin. First came faint shadings of color tinting the clouds behind the eastern peaks and reflecting onto the snow below. This sunrise wasn't bright primary colors, but subtle shades of coral and mauve.

Torment, 6:53am

Wind-carved snow & Primus, 6:55am

Tracks & Johannesburg

The view south, with Bruseth, Rainier, Sloan, Sonny Boy, & Buckindy

Then the light began to shine westward onto Eldorado, which lit up bright orange.

Our camp, More Rain, & Eldorado just before sunrise, 6:59am

Orange clouds behind Eldorado

First peak to catch the light, 7:08am

Craggy shadows of Klawatti

Steph & Carla bundled up for the morning

Glowing ridges of Johannesburg, 7:19am

The Morning Raven of Eldorado Peak

The sunrise done, I went back to my tent and crawled back into my sleeping bag to wait for the sun. Of course, we had put our tent in the westward lee of a rise, so it was the one place on the ridge that never got any sun. Carla & Steph went up to see the morning view from More Rain, but I had fallen back asleep so soundly that I didn't even hear them leave. Hiking Down Eventually we dug all our gear out of the snow and packed up to leave.

Stitched view of More Rain, Eldorado and much of the Icecap Traverse

Heading down to the col to pick up our stashed gear

The area stayed windy all across the basin. In some places, the wind had blown away everything but our packed tracks, leaving fossilized snowshoe prints standing on the surface.

Admiring our fossilized snowshoe tracks

Looking back at More Rain from the far side of the col

You take the high road and I'll take the low road

Snow was firm enough for crampons the whole way. Sidehilling downhill in the crampons turned out to be even more of a leg-burner than going uphill with snowshoes. Down in the woods, progress went easier, but it was still a steep descent with a full pack. For the next couple days afterward, I couldn't walk down stairs without grabbing the railing and gasping at the pain in my quads. Stats: Eldorado Gate to More Rain Camp 7100, 5.0 miles, 4930 gain Camp to More Rain Summit, 0.25 miles, 50 loss, 200 gain Gear Report Big Agnes Copper Spur 2 tent - worked very well in the wind. Big Agnes Fly Creek 1 tent - failed totally in the wind. Xtherm Air Pad - stayed very warm on the snow Ropes, harnesses, helmets, pickets, ice screws, extra tools, avalanche gear - lots of extra weight for the climbing that we didn't do Steph Abegg's Trip Report

[Redwic]

Looks like it has some great views! Thanks for sharing!

[John Morrow]

Considering things this winter, everything about this post ROCKS in a big way! Thank you, thank you.

[Tom_Sjolseth]

I think it's difficult to get conditions on the NW Glacier that inspire confidence. They can be had, but you go through such a variety of terrain and slope aspects that you really have to hit it right. Thanks for the stoke and the great photos. Brings back some great memories.

[mbravenboer]

That looks very nice indeed! Thanks for sharing

[Distel32]

[GaliWalker]

[iron]

you are the king of sunrise and sunset shots! nice trip. more rain has been on my list for awhile...

[Roly Poly]

Wow!!! Just gorgeous.

[raising3hikers]

very nice trip i agree with what iron said, you are the king of sunrise and sunset shots

[Magellan]

Effin gorgeous!

[Matt]

[iron]

[Paul M]

Some truly stunning shots as usual Matt!!!

[Matt]

Amazingly, Dicey found the ice screw that I lost in the snow at this camp when she went back 18 months later on Brett's trip to Eldorado via this ridge.