[twodogdad]

Last weekend I headed for the Pasayten with ambitious plans. Hiking from Slate Pass to high camp above Lake Doris was easy and beautiful. Larch gold was basically gone but the basins of Fred's Lake and Lake Doris were still very pretty, and from above Eureka valley and the peaks around it, especially Blackcap and Monument, provided a lot of eye candy. (It was my first trip that way.) The trail is long but has very few rocky sections and should have been great for dogs but I hadn't done a lot of hiking with my boys over the summer so they got pooped. On Saturday I left them in the tent to lick their paws, and climbed Osceola (which is no place for dogs: 1000 ft of sharp talus). I was nervous about the dogs, not knowing how long it would take me to get them back to the car, and it was clear that I would not be able to visit all the peaks I had intended. So I lingered atop Osceola (the summit provides unique perspectives: Jack Mountain is the beauty-contest winner), before making it back to TH. Two days later Stephen responded to the call for one more trip, to take advantage of the weather and we headed for Sahale. It's a familiar gorgeous spot, and the hike up Sahale Arm and the glacier is easy; the summit pyramid gave us a little bit of trepidation: we climbed the SW ridge, and I'm not sure where 3+ ends and 4 starts but the route seemed harder than Tower (it's much shorter). The top was even harder to leave. On our way back we spotted a large bear high up one of the heathery slopes (and a bear photographer who was having a peculiar conversation with the bear), and then as we drove back at least a dozen wild fires just south from Marblemount along the crest of Razorback Mountain: very unusual for this time of year, especially given the location. GeoHiker surmised those might have been controlled burns run out of control; if so the approaching storm should give the controllers a good break. Let it snow. tdd Osceola photos:

Chilliwack Range from Osceola Summit

Baker

Jack from Osceola Summit

Buckskin Ridge, Eldorado (back)

Ptarmigan

Pasayten Pk (left), Snowfield (back)

Lake Doris, Rolo

Osceola Register

Carru, Lago

Blackcap

Osceola Summit Cairn

Carru, Lago, Ptarmigan, Eureka Cr

Monument-Blackcap Ridge

Sahale photos:

Sahale

Buckner from Sahale Arm

Johannesburg, Cascade Pk, Triplets from Sahale Arm

Sahale Snowfield

Steve on Sahale Snowfield

Sahale Summit

Buckner, Goode

Steve Coming Up West Ridge

Forbidden

Boston

Eldorado

USGS Marker

Steve on Summit Block

Self-Portrait with Eldo

Steve, USGS Marker

R-L: Formidable, Glacier, Spider, Dome

Dome, Sinister

Cache Glacier, Sun Bunny

Dome-Sinister

Last Sling of Summer

Agnes

Glacier

Formidable

Bonanza

Canadian Invader

Let Me Take You Down

Heathery Fields Forever

[RichP]

Bravo, Niko. You had a great hiking/climbing season this year . I'm sure you are itching to get those skis on now.

[twodogdad]

Thanks. I reached 50% of my target which was a crazy target but still... I might be able to tap one or two more--on foot or ski (we're now expecting the first big white dump). Hope those bums in the streets are not spoiling your trip. (On dit que bourgogne--particulierement en Paris--c'est bon pour votre genou.) N

[raising3hikers]

Nice job TDD

[wildernessed]

Nice Niko !

[huron]

Let it snow, indeed! It is hard to leave that summit. In particular, being so close to Boston must have been difficult. You can almost see the rap slings on Boston's South side from Sahale's summit.

[Mesahchie Mark]

Nice work! I think Steve needs a nickname...

[Magellan]

Bravo TDD!

[twodogdad]