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Alden Ryno
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Joined: 04 Jun 2019
Posts: 150 | TRs | Pics
Location: Issaquah, WA
Alden Ryno
Member
PostSat Mar 19, 2022 9:00 am 
A back-dated trip report from late February. Despite gawking at maps of the area, I had never been north of the Mount Baker Highway (HWY 542). While winter likely isn't the best time to change that, I wanted to venture to a new-to-me place, and because a simple summit or trip isn't all that enticing for a full day of great weather, I decided to attempt Tomyhoi Peak in the winter. I knew that the summit block would be a challenge, given how it thwarts the best of us in summer, but why not?
nice
nice
wide open spaces
wide open spaces
Gaining ridge to summit area
Gaining ridge to summit area
Shuky Cheese
Shuky Cheese
First, I needed to find the most appropriate winter way into the lakes basin on the eastern edge of the High Divide. The Welcome Pass Trail largely stays in the trees and avoids most avalanche terrain but it's steeps and undulates on the ridge. The standard approach via the Yellow Aster Butte Trail is easily the worst option: it crosses a lot of avalanche terrain, is all side-hill, and there's a decent road walk (4+ miles). The defunct Keep Kool Trail seemed like the easy choice: moderate terrain all the way up while crossing very few avalanches paths. The fact that it's defunct matters little in the winter when there's snow down to the road. Keep Kool it was. I woke up at 2AM in Issaquah, fed and walked the dogs, then began driving to the WSDOT shed along the North Fork Nooksack River. When I arrived, I wasn't sure where to park... The spot in front of the snow berm is an obvious snowplow drive and I didn't want to be that guy. The opposite side of the road was a chain-up area, which might work alright since it wasn't going to be snowing. Thankfully, a plow driver was around so I hopped out and asked what their preference was, and they actually plow a few spots for pull-in/back-in parking across the street, tangential to the chain-up area. I had to ask the driver a few times to point it out, turns out the spots were line-of-sight behind a few signs. I hadn't seen them because of the darkness. (good to know!) I began walking up the road a few minutes before 6AM. The road was nice and compact thanks to snowmobiles, but I veered off a few times to cut distances through the woods as the road winds its way up, slowly, in elevation. About 2 miles in, I reach the pull off and attempt to begin walking off the road; immediate post hole. Time for snowshoes. I donned the fat feet and ventured into the unknown. Actually, the tree swath of a former trail was evident for a while before disappearing as it switchback'd up. I just found the path of least resistance and kept a relatively steady bearing to the NNE. Eventually, I saw a skin track! I promptly decided to follow it for a while. After some time, I checked my track and realized that I was a few hundred feet above where I needed to be and simply cut across the treed slopes.
Trees thinning
Trees thinning
Some of the lightest Cascade powder I've encountered
Some of the lightest Cascade powder I've encountered
When I reconnected with the "trail" (on my map), the trees were beginning to clear. The steepest portion of this approach is between a large lip below Keep Kool Butte and the lakes basin proper. It was only about 200 feet and without the trees, I would've been concerned about starting a slide, but the tree density gave me some comfort along with knowing that the slope was short before leveling out again. I used some tree assistance as the snowshoes weren't able to bite enough in some of the steeper spots.
Above the steep bit, looking back
Above the steep bit, looking back
easy on the eyes
easy on the eyes
Then, the entire area opened up! No more trees (practically), rolling snow hills, and... snowmobile tracks? They were a day or two old but were most certainly in the wilderness area. What perplexed me most was where they came from. There's not a simple way into the area. I'm constantly impressed where some people can get snowmobiles. Incredible machines!
Tomyhoi, American Border Peak, Larrabee, and Yellow Aster Butte. I'd love to get out to ABP and Larrabee in summer/fall this year.
Tomyhoi, American Border Peak, Larrabee, and Yellow Aster Butte. I'd love to get out to ABP and Larrabee in summer/fall this year.
I walked, and I walked, and I walked. This was going on for ages. I checked the map and it looked like I was only about half-way to Tomyhoi as the crow flies. Sheesh. It's far back there (as if reading maps ever gives justice to the vastness of places).
The long road back
The long road back
The next puzzle piece was gaining the upper, upper basin. Again steeps slopes. The standard trail goes right up an open slope that had former debris and a nice fan at the bottom...not liking that. I saw a steeper spot that seemed to be holding less snow and was surrounded by bare rock and trees and went thattaway. It was a nice natural ramp and was steeper in a very short un-exposed section but was more less steep overall. A bit west of the standard trail.
Standard path later in the day, from the slope I ascended/descended
Standard path later in the day, from the slope I ascended/descended
Looking down on what I came up
Looking down on what I came up
View back from above the next steep bit. Shukshan, Keep Kool Butte, and Dakobed
View back from above the next steep bit. Shukshan, Keep Kool Butte, and Dakobed
mmmm
mmmm
the wind may eventually "erode" the trees right off the face of the mountain
the wind may eventually "erode" the trees right off the face of the mountain
It was at the top of this bit that the snow turned from winter powder (cold powder) into windboard. I was so grateful. Breaking trail was going fine, but a break is nice. The windboard didn't give at all under the snowshoes and made travel easier. There were punchy spots here and there.
Dictionary: "wind-affected" *this image*
Dictionary: "wind-affected" *this image*
Chilliwack
Chilliwack
Kept on walking... The next piece was the downclimb to the col before the upper, upper, upper basin (lots of basins). I dropped from about 6,500' to 6,250'. This was the most spooky section for me. I was steep and exposed. In all likelihood the most likely to slide, but there were rocks popping out here and there and the shallowness of the snow reduced my anxiety. The col was a massive cornice with a serious drop to the NE. I strayed far from the edge.
on the other side of the spookier descent
on the other side of the spookier descent
As I gained into the upper, upper, upper basin, I saw an extremely wide, moderately steep slope directly where I wanted to go and a ridge-lette to my right that meandered a bit, which made it less steep. I opted for less steep and meandered up. Again, a patch of trees were present, clueing me into the idea that slides were less likely to occur or be devastating.
Path taken up (right) and down (left).
Path taken up (right) and down (left).
Then, I gained the ridge proper. That's were stayed there for the most part until I arrived at my stopping point. I had a short booting section around some gendarmes but overall, it was simple albeit a bit puckery at times.
summit from a little ways out
summit from a little ways out
Some steep snow bits
Some steep snow bits
up and over or around?
up and over or around?
ridge
ridge
Path taken around rock on the way down
Path taken around rock on the way down
When I looked at the summit blocked, I knew that I wasn't going to give it a shot. It was 2pm. If I had more time, then maybe. But that trip would've taken a minimum of two hours round-trip and I had to be at the airport to pick up Rikki that night and I don't like being out into the dark all that much. It's more a function of fatigue after a long day before sunrise than being scared of the dark (cause I know you were wondering).
summit block
summit block
The snow gully didn't look terrible. It was steep, but looked to be holding little loose snow. It was the top block that gave me the most pause. The eastern side was absolutely not going to go and I couldn't see the western side (apparently that's the better option). Not at all displeased with my choice, I turned back and began the long trek out. Not to belabor the details, it went easily and seemed like just as much walking on the way out. Getting to the trees was a relief since I was beyond any of the apparent terrain traps and it seemed like a short distance once there (in reality it was, comparable to the travel above the trees).
Keep Kool Butte later in the day
Keep Kool Butte later in the day
Sunset came about 15 minutes after I was in the trees so I only caught glimpses of the ridiculously bright alpenglow on Shukshan and the surrounding area. I was able to make it back to the road before throwing on my headlamp and tromped the 1.75 miles out to the WSDOT shack. When I reached the snow berm at the end of the road, I thought that my car had been towed or stolen. I couldn't see it and thought of how unlikely that was given the plow driver told me to park there and there are people there all the time (not that it stops some people...)... Turns out, those damn signs were blocking my view again and there aren't any lights on the far side of the road. I packed up, drove home, then got Rikki at the airport. By the time we got home, I was nearly 2AM. A nice waking 24 hours!

abkoch3, ozzy, fourteen410, silence, half fast, SeanSullivan86, kw, JimK, reststep  awilsondc  KascadeFlat
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