Forum Index > Trail Talk > Glacier Peak Glacier Route vs Scramble Route?
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Jordan
y



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Jordan
y
PostTue Jan 17, 2023 4:10 am 
I did GP solo about 3 years ago over two days. Followed a roped group up and around on the glacier then took disappointment down. Early august after a heavy snow year. The ice bridge was definitely showing along with a few cracks in the glacier. I don't know which route is scarier, unroped on the glacier or coming down disappointment peak. I never really felt I was in danger of falling off a cliff coming down DP but definitely in danger of rock fall. I took the route that goes just barely to the east of DP. Five years ago was my first attempt at GP with thoughts of going over DP. I studied google earth maps and decided that the route to the west of DP would be easier. On the westerly side of DP I got to about 30yrd from the summit when I came across a huge chasm in the rock. It was deep, wide and when I saw it I was basically right on top of it. I could see the bottom and it was a long way down. Scared me so much I turned around right then. The year I did summit I spied the route from the top of DP and down the westerly side. It looked rough.

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SpookyKite89
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Jordan
y



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Jordan
y
PostTue Jan 31, 2023 7:01 am 
peter707 wrote:
Quote:
I think it would be very foolhardy to do a glacier route on Glacier Peak without boots, an Ice axe, crampons, a rope, and partner. Late season can mean very hard snow and ice. I have skied Glacier Peak in June right of Disappointment Peak, climbed the Sitkum route in September, skied the Kennedy Glacier route in April and June, and climbed the North Ridge route in August.
@gb, have you had a chance to scramble on Disappointment Peak, if so do you agree with "loose class 2 (mountaineers)", "exposed class 3" (WTA trip report), or "class 4" (summitpost)? I'm trying to figure out if I can avoid the glacier entirely.
Go barely east of the peak on Disappointment. There is somewhat of a scramble trail to follow when the snow is gone. West of the peak, no snow, you're asking for trouble. Been there.

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peter707
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peter707
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PostFri May 19, 2023 9:49 am 
Randito wrote:
Do you and your partner have prior experience with ultra distance activities? I would suggest doing a North Bend Trifeca to first assess how you'll be feeling at the end of 33 mile 11k vft day (e.g. Tenneriffe, Mailbox, Si ) You are a lot less committed after 18 miles to bail and not do the full distance if you feel beat. A one day ascent of Mt Adams via the South Route or North Ridge would be another good test run.
Update on this - I finished Tiger Claw 50km (+/- 8600') on Saturday, so now I should have some official ultra distance activity. Time around 9 hours 20 minutes. In practice I hope glacier peak is not 88F because that was too hot.

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zimmertr
TJ Zimmerman



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zimmertr
TJ Zimmerman
PostFri May 19, 2023 9:52 am 
Didn't you say you did Wonderland in 4 days? That's like 4 back-to-back 50Ks which are considered Ultramarathons lol. EDIT: I mathed bad and was thinking 3 days. Either way I think finishing in a day is definitely in your wheelhouse provided you can remain alert and careful until after the descent from Disappointment or the glacier. Then it's just a march out. I can't imagine not wanting to camp at Glacier Gap when given an opportunity though! Why not Bivvy?

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peter707
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peter707
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PostFri May 19, 2023 1:49 pm 
zimmertr wrote:
I can't imagine not wanting to camp at Glacier Gap when given an opportunity though! Why not Bivvy?
I'm sort of a mountaineer (RMI trip up DC route), backpacker (wonderland trail), back-country skier, and trailrunner (tiger claw 50km) at different times. I understand what motivates each group. The mountaineers peak bag, the backpackers like to thru-hike things, skiers like to lap the best snow, trailrunners like going fast. So regardless of who I go with, I can adapt to their style. Camping is wonderful. The 6-mile one-way (12 miles round trip) of highly runnable terrain at the start/end is too irresistible to carry camping gear, for my ultramarathoner friend.
runable spots!
runable spots!
I think Glacier Peak is the most runnable of the WA volcanos, with probably >50% of the miles being possible to run on. Here's the splits I see on alltrails: (Plus, I never have enough time off to properly camp)

zimmertr
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zimmertr
TJ Zimmerman



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zimmertr
TJ Zimmerman
PostFri May 19, 2023 1:59 pm 
That's a great perspective! I'm planning on it this year too and that does make a single push sound more enticing to me honestly. Maybe I'll allocate a separate trip in the future for checking out the new lakes in the White Chuck Moraine.

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MangyMarmot
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PostSat May 20, 2023 2:29 pm 
Glacier Peak in a day sounds doable. A two day ascent sounds more enjoyable though. Disappointment Peak is not technically difficult but the rock is very loose. Be very careful not to have anyone above or below you. From what I remember, there was maybe one climbing move.

Jordan
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peter707
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PostWed Jun 28, 2023 6:15 pm 
My friend Chris and I summited Glacier Peak on 06/25/2023. We decided to take the glacier route and we roped up going down the Cool glacier -> Suiattle glacier transition since there was some suspect glacier at that spot. This is the trip report: https://www.nwhikers.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=8037393

Exmoor, HikingBex, MangyMarmot, SpookyKite89
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Exmoor
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Exmoor
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PostWed Sep 13, 2023 10:37 pm 
I figured I'd bump this thread with my trip report since I found this thread valuable. I climbed GP on 9/10. My intention was to take the glacier route since I naively thought this would still be doable this late in the season. In fact the glaciers were completely melted out with huge crevasses from edge to edge. I got some beta on the scramble route from people headed down. It looks very intimidating, but it's really only tough and technical for a few hundred feet below the summit of Disappointment Peak. Opinions were mixed on which way to take. I did the east side on the way up and the west side on the way down and found the west side preferable. Everything said in this thread about loose rock getting kicked down the mountain is true and I inadvertently let a few big rocks go down myself. Fortunately, your travel at the points where its an issue is mostly lateral and it should be easy to space out and avoid being downslope of anyone. Full trip report here: https://www.nwhikers.net/forums/viewtopic.php?p=1258456

peter707, jaysway
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