Ruth Mountain, WA 6/7/2014 - 6/8/2014

The forecast seems promising, and I’m craving some North Cascades views. Ideas are flowing. In the end we decide for Ruth Mountain. Neither of us climbed it before, it will be good to explore new territory.

 We make a plan to camp at the summit to enjoy sunset and sunrise. We leave Seattle optimistic despite the fact the forecast downgraded from mostly sunny to partly sunny but the closer we are to the mountains, the more obvious it becomes that the partial sunshine will be hard to find. Clouds roll across the sky, cutting off the mountain tops. Summit of Ruth might not be the best place to camp after all. We stop at Glacier Ranger station and pick up the permit anyway, just in case it clears later during the day.

The approach is on an easy trail through valley where spring desperately tries to start. First flowers are appearing along the trail, snowmelt creates beautiful waterfalls. Yet the remainders of winter are still present. Large fields of avalanche debris we have to cross, weakening snow bridges that slow our progress. Overall the trail is in better shape that it was last year when we dealt with at least 15 bad snow bridges on our way to Hannegan Peak. This time the number is down to 4.

 Solid snow coverage starts just below the switchbacks to Hannegan Pass. The conditions are

good, both crampons and snowshoes remain strapped to my backpack. Heading up the steep snow covered scramble slope I opt to reach for my ice axe.

With several groups ahead of us a path is set on the traverse to Ruth arm. Once we get there we face a decision. Should we proceed to the top as planned? Or should we perhaps camp here. We’re not the only ones who try to make our mind. A group of three skiers are contemplating as well. In the end they decide to push on. With dark clouds rolling towards us, the summit does not look inviting for an overnight stay.  Thinking we might even head back to the car if weather worsens, we drop our overnight gear and head to bag the summit.

 The views are excellent. We don’t see much of Shuksan or Baker but there are many other peaks that are below the clouds, including neighboring Icy.

In the end we decide to camp on the arm. The clouds are coming and going but otherwise it’s a pleasant evening, warm and calm. We don’t regret the decision. The sky clears just before sunset. Moon rises above Ruth. We have a chance to enjoy some incredible colors.

 The morning brings more clouds. Where there was Ruth yesterday, we stare into a white void. We pack and head down. The clouds are much lower today, the rain is imminent but we make it out dry. Couple hours later we raise our glasses. Cheers to another great trip!

Excelsior Pass 3/28/2009

Even though the forecast made it obvious there will be no spectacular views awaiting hikers and snowshoers in the mountains this weekend, we decided to give Excelsior Pass a go. If nothing else, we knew we'll get a nice workout out of it.



We found the road clear all the way to the trailhead and just a little bit of snow covering the beginning part of the trail. We followed relatively recent snowshoe track for a while, which made the first part very easy and quite fast going.



With elevation gained the snow started to cumulate. It appears the people who left the tracks turned way before they reached the pass and even though we still could see evidence of previous visitors, now we followed way older tracks partially covered by fresh snow and started to dip deeper and deeper. Postholing to our knees was not much fun and snowshoes went on after gaining approximately 2000 feet of elevation.



Soon afterwards we left the original summer trail and continued straight up the hill. For most of the way we were in deep fresh powder and even with snowshoes on we still kept sinking pretty deep. Fortunately short parts of the route were little bit crusty giving our legs some relief but this usually did not last long. There were few steeper parts where we really had to fight with snowdrifts, it was more like snowcrawling than snowshoeing at that point but in a way it was actually really fun and for sure it kept us warm.



With combined effort (Aaron broke probably over half of the trail, the rest of us split the other half) we reached the little view point next to the pass at 3:00 p.m. As expected we did not see far but the winter conditions made the forest around us looked pretty cool and the lack of views did not bothered us
much.

Welcome Pass 2/7/2009

Welcome Pass was on our list for the whole year (since we failed to get to the top last year - not once but twice) and since forecast for Saturday called for a nice sunny day; we decided to give it a try. We met in Everett and headed up North. Even though we drove through some foggy areas reminding us of typical winter day, once we got to the clear parts we could see all the mountains out in their full glory and we knew it’ll be a great day.



Considering current conditions we expected to be dealing with hard packed snow and we weren’t too far from this estimate. What surprised us the most was the amount of snow in the area, or perhaps I should say the lack of snow. The route was snow patched with several completely bare sections all the way to 3800 ft where we finally found more solid snow coverage.



We ascended with no problems. Some of us used Yak Tracks, some chose not to use any traction devices. The snow deepened once we got closer to the pass and on the ridge. We had to do some trail breaking there but the powdery layer was shallow enough that snowshoes were not needed.



Once at the pass we continued to one of the viewing points where we took quick lunch, enjoying fantastic vistas of Baker and Shuksan. Then we explored little bit further where amazing views of Tomyhoi Peak, American Border Peak, Mt. Larabee, Goat mountain and many more opened for us. Amazing day to be up there!

Artist Point 11/30/2008

Last season it took 3 tries before we made it to Artist Point. This year we succeeded the first time. The road was clear all the way to the parking lot and since it’s been relatively warm there were no ice patches or other traps waiting for us along the way. We started out on snow. Deep enough to put snowshoes on but it was not necessary for the first part of the trip and few of us decided to boot it up nearly all the way to Artist Point.





We hiked surrounded by clouds with very little visibility but enjoyed strolling in the fresh snow despite the fact that the grand views this area has to offer were hidden behind the nature’s curtain. It felt good to strap snowshoes on again and explore white meadows, ascend snow covered hillsides, and enjoy the freedom of plunge-stepping down the slopes.





We made it to Artist Point in a good time. It was still foggy but it did not stop large part of our group from climbing atop of a peak nearby. At that time the first sign of blue sky appeared above us and partially blinded by the sunshine we got to enjoy the first view of Mt. Baker. Shuksan came out soon afterwards, first mysteriously peaking from the clouds, revealing itself more and more, until it majestically stood in front of us in its full beauty. We went from nearly no views to perfectly clear day in about half hour. It was incredible and made for such a fantastic finish of the trip.

Yellow Aster Butte 9/28/2008

I left my house at about 6:45 a.m. and drove through a dense morning fog to the meeting location in Everett. The fog lifted somewhat before I got there, and disappeared completely during our drive to Mt. Baker area. When we arrived to the trailhead some 2.5 hours later, we were surrounded by beautiful mountains standing proudly against perfectly blue sky. It was my third time up here but the very first time when the trailhead area was clear of clouds and I could finally enjoy the nice view of Mt. Baker right from where we parked.



We were on the trail soon afterwards and steadily progressed up the meadow, switchback after switchback until the forest swallowed us and in its shadow we found a great refuge from the unexpectedly burning sun. We quickly gained several more hundred feet of elevation and then finally emerged to the open meadows where breeze carried sweet scent of berries and views were plentiful. From there the trail contoured the valley offering more and more views along its way. First we were stunned by unobstructed view of the rugged Mt. Shuksan, soon afterwards we could admire serene beauty of majestic Mt. Baker, and later enormous mass of Tomyhoi Peak arose right in from of us.



We started the climb to the false summit together with many others. It was a beautiful day and it was busy up there. As soon as we walked onto the top Mt. Larabee gave us a warm welcome together with American and Canadian Border Peaks, followed by many more mountains. The views went forever.



We enjoyed a brief lunch break atop of the false summit and then continued towards the true summit. Little bit of easy scrambling spiced up our already wonderful day. We decided not to go back to the false summit and instead dropped down the scree slope and headed for the tarns. The reflections in them were nearly perfect; however the water was not completely calm due to a minor breeze. We were happy to forgive Mother Nature this slight imperfection and enjoyed the tarns anyways.



Needless to say it was very hard to head back.