Forum Index > Trip Reports > Tusk O' Granite Snowshoe and Sunrise 2/10/18
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awilsondc
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awilsondc
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PostWed Feb 14, 2018 10:14 pm 
1 am found me gearing up for another sunrise hike. Well, the gear was packed the night before but you get the idea. Like everyone else I was stoked for the good weather over the weekend and had decided to repeat West Granite Mountain (Tusk O' Granite) to catch the sunrise. It worked out pretty well last year so I figured I'd head back up there for some more sunrise views. Last time breaking trail through several inches of fresh snow really slowed me down so I left about a half an hour earlier in hopes of making the summit well before sunrise. I got to the trailhead around 3:15 and started to get ready. I laced my boots, then I laced them again extra tight. Twice before I got blisters in my mountaineering boots on this trail and I was determined to make sure my boots were laced well. Didn't matter... about a mile into the trail I felt that familiar burning sensation at the back of my heel. I don't know what it is about the trail up to the turn off for Olallie Lake but it gives me blisters when I wear my mountaineering boots. I've worn these boots numerous times without any problems. St Helens, Glacier, Colchuck, Helen Buttes, never a problem but on this wimpy little trail I get blisters. Three times now, I don't get it. Is it the specific grade of the trail? Must be, only thing I can come up with. Anyone else have a similar issue? I had intended on taking the direct south ridge up to Tusk O' Granite but the trail was pretty much snow free. That combined with some heavy fog reflecting against my headlamp I opted for the comfort and certainty of the trail over to the west ridge rather than bumble my way through brush in the dark with limited visibility. At about 3.7 miles in I switched to snowshoes and shortly after left the trail for the west ridge. Conditions were great for snowshoeing. There was a mostly supportive, sometimes delicate crust with 1-2 inches of snow on top. 95% of the time the crust supported my weight with my snowshoes and it was pretty easy hiking. It was icy in spots but the snowshoe crampons got good purchase. I made great time to the summit and arrived over an hour before sunrise. It was cold up there. Really cold. I put on all layers (base layer, fleece, puffy, shell) as well as mittens with hand warmers and it was still pretty chilly. I really had to talk myself into setting up my tripod for some dawn pictures, and despite numb fingers I manages to snap a few good shots. It warmed up significantly once the sun came up, and I was pretty comfortable. Here's what I got (in chronological order):
Early dawn
Early dawn
Rainier ~45 minutes before sunrise
Rainier ~45 minutes before sunrise
Granite Mountain
Granite Mountain
Granite @ dawn
Granite @ dawn
West Granite Summit
West Granite Summit
Kaleetan and Chair
Kaleetan and Chair
Rainier with dawn colors
Rainier with dawn colors
Rainier alpenglow
Rainier alpenglow
Kaleetan and Chair
Kaleetan and Chair
Trees catching the alpenglow
Trees catching the alpenglow
sunrise
sunrise
Golden light
Golden light
McClellan Butte and others at golden hour
McClellan Butte and others at golden hour
Face full of alpenglow
Face full of alpenglow
Golden hour valley
Golden hour valley
The way down was a bit more tricky. Not good for snowshoes, so I took them off and booted down most of the west ridge. I had to stomp hard enough to break through the crust to get traction, but not hard enough to punch all the way through to my knees. It was a descent of carefully measured stomp steps which worked out well. The last couple hundred feet I glissaded down into the basin before putting snowshoes back on until I got back onto the trail. I ran across a few other hikers, most of which were going for Pratt. Then I had an interesting experience. I stopped to chat with a Russian couple (based on accent) and their large black dog. We chatted for 30-45 seconds before I let them pass (I was off trail). The dog had been super chill, no barking, growling, or signs of aggression but has he passed he seemed to say 'hey another human! I wonder what it would be like to BITE HIS LEG!!!!' and he lunged at me. Fortunately his owner had him on a leash and pulled hard just as he was reaching my leg. He only got a two tooth nip with a little tug of my pants as his owner pulled him away. Could have been a lot worse, it was a big dog like 100 lbs! The rest of the way was pretty uneventful, but with a few cool patches of sunlight rays through fog in the trees. There was one right next to a stream of water which would have made an awesome picture, but the fog and light rays dissipated as I was composing the shot. I did manage this one though.
Sun rays in the trees
Sun rays in the trees
10.7 miles 4500 ft gain (more than normal due to several trips up and down the ridge taking photos) ~ 5 hrs 45 min car to car

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olderthanIusedtobe
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PostWed Feb 14, 2018 10:20 pm 
awilsondc wrote:
Kaleetan and Chair
Kaleetan and Chair
Wow, Kaleetan looks awesome from that vantage! Nice image. up.gif

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RichP
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PostWed Feb 14, 2018 10:22 pm 
Great set of photos. It felt like a summit bivy sans freezing my butt off. biggrin.gif

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Nancyann
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PostThu Feb 15, 2018 12:04 pm 
Thanks for getting up early and freezing your butt off so the rest of us can enjoy some really fantastic pictures! Not being a morning person, I like to take pictures during the "golden hour" at the opposite end of the day. biggrin.gif That has got to be so frustrating that you only get blisters on that particular stretch of trail while wearing your mountaineering boots. confused.gif Maybe covering that area with a large band aid before you even put your boots on would help. I had some old Raichles that used to do that to my right heel only, and it really helped to preemptively cover that spot before hitting the trail.

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Matt
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PostThu Feb 15, 2018 12:39 pm 
Looks great up there at the beginning of the day.

“As beacons mountains burned at evening.” J.R.R. Tolkien
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iron
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PostThu Feb 15, 2018 1:06 pm 
good stuff and good idea. definitely one way to avoid the now-inevitable overcrowding most everywhere.

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awilsondc
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awilsondc
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PostThu Feb 15, 2018 8:33 pm 
Nancyann wrote:
That has got to be so frustrating that you only get blisters on that particular stretch of trail while wearing your mountaineering boots.
It really is quite baffling... I almost stopped to apply moleskin but decided on more unnecessary suffering instead. biggrin.gif For now I think I'll just avoid that trail in those boots. The seem good everywhere else.
iron wrote:
good stuff and good idea. definitely one way to avoid the now-inevitable overcrowding most everywhere.
Absolutely. I've only had to share one summit at sunrise - Mt. Defiance on Memorial Day a few years back. The solitude afforded by going early certainly is nice, but you still pass through the crowds on the way down. The Ira Springs Trailhead parking situation on that Memorial Day made me vow never to return to that trailhead. It was awful.

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silence
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PostMon Feb 19, 2018 12:12 pm 
Way to go! Stunning images!

PHOTOS FILMS Keep a good head and always carry a light bulb. – Bob Dylan
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cascadedy
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cascadedy
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PostMon Feb 19, 2018 7:39 pm 
Gorgeous! Love it!
awilsondc wrote:
McClellan Butte and others at golden hour
McClellan Butte and others at golden hour

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gb
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gb
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PostWed Feb 21, 2018 5:13 pm 
Nice images. I most liked #'s 3, 4, and 5, and "Golden Light".

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