Alta Via 2 - Day 1 - Bressanone to Refugio Plose

August 27, 2013

The bus leaves Bressanone at 9:33 a.m. from a stop near the town's university, line 321 towards St. Andrä. Fare is free if you have Brixen Card which one can obtain at any hotel in Brixen. 

At Plose we have to make our first decision - to hike the 4000 ft up or to take the gondola and significantly shorten our hiking time. The weather is not good and is supposed to get progressively worse during the day. If we are to get any views, we need to get up fast. Dave and I opt for the gondola while Darren decides to do the hike.

The gondola ride, also free if you own a Brixon Card, takes about 15 minutes. It must be a scenic ride but the clouds obscure most of the views today. 

A leaflet taped to the gondola's window suggests that there is a guided tour offered today (and every Tuesday) at 10:00 a.m.  The hike from the top of the gondola directly to Rifugio Plose is estimated to be approximately 1.5 hours. The tour takes 5 hours of hiking time along route #14, also called Via Panoramatica Dolomiti. It seems there will not be any panoramic views wowing us today but we have plenty of time and decide to take the tour. 

It takes us to M.ga Gableralm, a sort of a farmhouse which offers cheese platter with a slice of bacon and variety of warm beverages.  As expected we do not see far but the sheep, cows, and horses roaming the slopes around us provide opportunity for some interesting photographs, and we find ourselves admiring tiny blue bells and pink, heather-like plants, and even find enjoyment in interesting cloud formations.

M.ga Gableralm is where we leave the group as they proceed back down to the chair lift while our journey ends at Rifugio Plose today. We retrace our steps on route 14, crossing intersection with route 7, a ridge run that must be fun on a sunny day. We spend few moments contemplating the route but with heavy clouds above us threatening with immediate rain, we choose to continue heading out on route 14 until the intersection with routes 4 and 6, the official Alta Via 2 route. It climbs gently all the way to Plose, located approximately 30 minutes from the last intersection. 

The sun peaks out for a brief moment, it feels good but the rain comes shortly afterwards. It's a short but intense shower followed by another brief moment of sunshine. At this point we are looking down a valley close by the Rifugio, route #3 snakes towards a structure at its bottom, a rainbow connects its forested hillsides. It's a very nice view. 

Our room is not ready when we arrive at 13:53 so we warm up with a cup of hot chocolate (cioccolata calda) and rush outside for a quick photo shoot when the views open for another brief moment.

The Refugio is surprisingly quiet. It's us three, a family of noisy germans, and later a group of three more trekkers arrive. Just when we think this is it, couple from Colorado adds to the count. They join us for a dinner which is included in the cost (we are offered a choice from special mountaineering menu, 3 items for first course and 3 items for second course) and we spend the evening with them discussing various adventures around the world.

Island Peak – 75 Days to Departure - Steamboat Prow

Once again the weather forecast changed on a short notice just before the weekend and shattered our plans to attempt Mt. Rainier. What to do? Being in the “Rainier” mood, ideas such as Echo Rock, Observation Rock, Hessong Rock, and Skyscraper Mountain came to mind, but as Friday evening rolled in, we found ourselves exhausted after a long week of juggling between work, and preparations for the climb, so in the end we decided for an easier, relaxed outing in Sunrise area where the forecast still promised Mostly Sunny.

It did not look mostly sunny when we left Seattle at around 8:00 a.m., and it looked even less sunny when we drove into a downpour shortly past Enumclaw. We still had no plan of which trail we’ll hike, and with the rain getting stronger, we were not quite sure if we wanted to hike at all. 

Surprisingly the sun was out before we crossed the White River Entrance, and with it our hiking spirit. After a brief stop at the ranger station, we were on our way to Steamboat Prow.

The route started on Glacier Basin Trail which was smooth and well maintained an easy walk under the canopy of evergreens with occasional views that grew more plentiful as we approached the trail’s terminus. Flowers bloomed in numerous colors along this part of our hike, and creeks chirped songs of a happy summer day as they rushed down the hillsides.

Then we entered the basin, a meadow of delicate Glacier Lilies which we soon left behind as we hiked into the harsh environment of the alpine zone. Tall crumbling rock lined the walls, occasional rock fall stirred the dust, and evidence of prior slides littered the valley floor.

The views were incredible, especially after we ascended the initial formidable looking slope, our company here were the Burroughs Mountain, Ruth Mountain, and Rainier itself. Looming over its surroundings Rainier grew bigger as we approached the top of Inter Glacier, and made the final push – a rock scramble to the top of Steamboat Prow where it was so near we could nearly touch it.

Underneath us lay Camp Shurman and from there our eyes followed the route to the summit via the Emmons Glacier. It seemed quite straightforward ascending from the camp, then cutting through seracs, and then a long, steep looking slope. 

This vantage point also provided spectacular views of Little Tahoma, the whole Burroughs Mountain and far beyond, and up close and personal view of the mesmerizing Emmons Glacier.

It was hard to leave this gorgeous world of rock and ice and never-ending views but the evening was closing in and finally we had to say our good byes. The 1800 vertical feet glissade helped us make a good time, and even with our later start, we made it back to the car before it got dark.

RT: 10+ miles

Elevation Gain: 5300 feet

Island Peak - 88 Days to Departure - The Brothers

Gorgeous weekend to head out for a more challenging trip. We left Seattle early Saturday morning, and after a short detour (oops, how many times were we in the area before?) got to the Lena Lake trailhead and started hiking around 11:30 ish. 

The first part of the trip took us to Lena Lake, the trail was well maintained, not as busy as I expected it to be, but then we were starting at a time many locals were already enjoying the lake where we arrived around 14:00 p.m. and found many campsites occupied and people enjoying the hot sunny day.  

After the lake, the trail took us up the Valley of the Silent Man towards the climbers base camp.We found it full, and still having energy left, we proceeded higher up first on a well defined path, later navigating our way through a long blown down area, until we found a great camping spot higher up. We moved in and spent the evening by a fire, enjoying some good chocolate wine.

The morning came quickly. Soon after our departure from camp we reached the snow which at first was firm and not too steep; however we had to cross several snow bridges here, most of which did not look in a good shape, and we made a note to be extra careful on our way down.

The route soon got steeper; the snow was still firm, and with crampons easy going. We had to cross a stream and little bit of rock scrambling followed. We turned left little too soon and things got steep fast, so we retracted and followed a lower path that got us around the cliffs to another snow covered slope. 

This one was long and steep, and led us to the last rocky area where we scrambled to what we thought was the summit; however soon we found out we were mistaken. The summit was further on and between it and us lay a 30 foot drop. It was possible to downclimb the section and connect to the summit path but not being much of a rock scrambler, and being tired already, false summit did just fine for me for this trip.

The way down, with snow still firm and slippery at the steep part, was nearly as challenging as the way up but we made it down in one piece, exhausted but glad we had a great trip.

Island Peak - 92 Days to Departure - Hannegan Peak

Hannegan Peak was one of my first hikes along Hwy 542, and with the walk through green picturesque valley full of magnificent views, challenge of a 3000 feet elevation gain, and a treat of 360 degree views from the top, it instantly became one of my favorite trails, a destination to which I always longed to return. Seeing photos from a recent trip my friend David Chatham took up there deepened that desire and with (finally) a sunny day in the forecast I was sure Hannegan Peak will make a great destination to celebrate the Independence Day.

The trail, as I remembered it, was easy 3 miles before any serious elevation gain started, a walk through a valley full of greenery, wildflowers, and views of never-ending line of peaks rising to the sky.

The peaks were there, standing in their rugged beauty, so were the windflowers - bright yellow wood violets lining the left side, the right side filled with blooms of purple hues. What I did not expect, at least not to that degree, was the amount of avalanche debris in the area, multiple slides tearing down sizable trees, shredding them to pieces, depositing them along the way, sometimes as far as the valley floor. 

The slides, crossing the trail in so many spots I stopped counting, slowed the approach significantly. Some of them were easy to navigate but often the slide presented a snow bridge under which the water rushed and rumbled, and often those snow bridges were not in the best shape. Weakened by the warmth of the summer sun, partially collapsed, and too thin for comfort, there was couple of crossings where we chose to scramble down the muddy hillside holding onto the branches rather than risking falling into the ice cold snow melt water should the bridge not hold.

Once we reached area about ¼ miles before the switchbacks, the snow coverage became solid, and straight up we went, following a nicely set boot track. The sun was now out, the sky nearly perfectly blue, and not much breeze to calm us down. After a little bit of huffing and puffing and a whole lot of sweating, we reached Hannegan Pass. We did not linger long; the promise of the great views drove us up the now very steep slopes. The snow conditions were good and we made a quick progress. Soon we were rewarded by first unobstructed views of Granite Mountain, Ruth Mountain, Mt. Shuksan, and many more, and the higher we got, the more spectacular mountain views our eyes could feast on became.

We were in no rush to head down. We spend over an hour on the summit, striking a friendly conversation with a couple who arrived shortly after us, learning about the surrounding peaks and some interesting routes in the area. Finally the lateness of the day, and the fact we had to be back at work bright and early the following day, made us say good bye.

What a day! And the weekend (and more sunshine in the mountains they say) only couple days away!

Island Peak - 123 Days to Departure - Mt.Ellinor

With so many choices here in Washington State, there are mountains we climb and take off the list once and for all, and then there are those which makes us return year after year.  For me, Mt. Ellinor is one of the latter kind.

Located on the Kitsup Peninsula about 15 miles past small town of Hoodsport, this mountain has a reputation of being a short but grueling climb making one’s knees squeak. That might be true in the summer, when a narrow trail zigzags up the steep slopes to the prime views of the Olympics; however for many climbers the spring – after avalanche danger subsides but there is still enough snow pack left for the chute route -  is the preferred time to go.

There are 3 possible starting points for this climb, some might not accessible earlier in the season. The longest one starts from the lower trailhead and gains 3400 ft in about 2.5 miles. On the contrary the shortest one, starting from the upper trailhead, will gain about 2400 feet in approximately mile and half. And then there is a nice scenic ridge run in between those two.

The day was supposed to be partly sunny but the closer we got to the mountain, the faster our hopes to see any sunshine faded. The area was engulfed in a thick layer of clouds with an occasional sucker patch letting our eyes feast on a view that vanished as quickly as it appeared. The breeze, touched by the sporadic remnants of the snow pack, carried the chilliness of the cloudy morning.

Usually, we start at the lower trailhead but this time we drove higher up, and parked together with 4 other vehicles at the intersection with Jefferson Pass, where in a shady corner a mile from the upper trailhead sizeable snow patch blocked the road.

The forest was peacefully quiet, for the first half mile we had it all to ourselves.  We made several brief stops here to admire the softness of the pine needles, baby bear grass getting ready to bloom, and the most interesting piece of bark peeling of a tree in layers.

Most of the uphill was covered on dirt. The snow started just below the area where the trail flattens a little and starts heading for the chute where we arrived just at a time a patch of blue sky let us snap a quick picture, then the whole route once again hid in clouds.

There were others who likely just like us arrived hoping for a nice weather, and were now making their way up the chute, step by step slowly disappearing in the fog. We followed shortly after a quick gear up break. The staircase of frozen steps kicked by fellow climbers earlier was in a great shape. Crampons were not necessary; however I found them helpful, especially when a step off path was required, where the snow was solid and still rather slippery.

Passing several members of the group ahead of us, encountering one goat at the first false summit, and enjoying about 3 moments of sunshine, each lasting for no more that 10 seconds, we made a good time to the top. The view into the Olympics, even though roofed by dark cumulous clouds, was open, and a tiny sucker patch above the summit rocks allowed a peak into the Lake Cushman area. It was kind of like looking through a window, very cool experience actually.

The summit stay was windless and rather enjoyable. Looking towards the neighboring Mt. Washington, we discussed the possible traverse route with one of the locals who has done it several times, and just before our departure, a group of girls shared some of the wine they brought to the top with us.

And then…. of course there was the glissade. More solid at the top, not dangerously icy but hard enough to make bumps hurt, with some tricky spots trying to avoid a tree, dropping adventurers into a deep corridor, and spitting them at the flat area of the false summit. The bottom part was much smoother ride, long, curvy, most enjoyable with the snow softening with elevation lost, leaving us looking forward for next year!

Island Peak 214 Days to Departure - Pratt Mountain

The alarm woke us up into a recognizable sound of rain. Drop after drop splattering on the window, an orchestra of drums practicing Verdi's Requiem. Even before I fully opened my eyes I could clearly picture them leaving wet trails on the glass against dark grey sky of the wee morning hour.



It was the kind of morning when all you want to do is to crawl deep under your covers and stay there for the rest of the day... so we got up and packed, wondering what happened to the "partly sunny" that the forecast promised yesterday.

As we drove to the meeting spot at Eastgate, the sky remained grey and the clouds lingered low, producing heavy drizzle. Half hour later we left Eastgate under the same conditions, headed for exit 47. Our mood was not the greatest, the Jeep was rather quiet as we tried to brace ourselves for the rainfest.



We were so preoccupied with the unpleasant thoughts we did not really notice the conditions started to change, and what a surprise it was to get out at the trailhead and see patches of blue above us that got bigger and eventually took over the sky completely transforming the mood of the entire day.

We covered the first several miles of the route reasonably fast. The trail was broken, and except for several interesting stream crossings and sizable avalanche debris we we stopped to check out for a brief moment, there was not much to slow our progress.



Things got slower once we left the beaten path, and started heading up towards the ridge of Pratt Mountain. Snow got deep quickly here, and it was the typical energy sucking cascade concrete, yet still we managed to keep a decent pace. Perhaps it was the promise of the great views that drove us up fast, and it's for sure we were not disappointed.

On the ridge the winter transformed the trees into frozen status, frosty white limbs beautifully ornamented with sparkling icicles. Further on the other side of the valley our eyes could feast on grand views of Granite Mountain, West Granite, Kaleetan Peak and many more.



Thank you Mother nature, for treating us with such an amazing day!

RT: 9 miles
Elevation Gain: 3400 feet
Trip Duration: 8.5 hours

Island Peak - 236 Days to Departure - The Trip of Changes

With the weekend approaching a discussion sparked as of where to go play in the snow this time. Several destinations competed for out vote, and in the end Middle Chiwaukum with good elevation gain and superb views won unanimously. But the closer to the weekend we got, the more obvious it became that the nature wouldn't treat us with clear blue sky, afterall we are in Washington State, and 2 weekends with good weather during winter is usually only wishful thinking.

We still could climb Chiwaukum but everybody agreed it would make more sense to postpone it for a sunny day when the long journey to the top will be rewarded with views. And there came the first change. The new destination was chosen - Sparkplug Mountain via Surprise Lake, where majority of the trail leads through a snowy forest that is fun to navigate through no matter whether it's sunny or not.



Then, on Saturday morning as we drove to the trailhead, the rain picked up and grew stronger, and it was raining rather heavily at Scenic where we were supposed to start our adventure. It did not take us long to agree on another change, and off we were headed over Steven's Pass to check what is the weather doing there. What a surprise it was to be welcomed by sunshine and mostly blue sky.

The clouds came later as we made our way up Smithbrook Road towards Lake Valhalla and mount McCausland, bringing snow showers, and when we arrived to the lake there was not much more than a hazy view of Lichtenberg, a mountain rising above the lake, available to us. McCausland was completely engulfed in clouds, and for a brief moment we considered another change - climb Lichtenberg instead - but then we proceeded in Mccausland's direction.... and just when we arrived to the summit, the sun broke through the clouds, and even opened some views down in the valley. Perfect timing.



Our lunchbreak with sun and nearly no wind was most enjoyable. We sipped on tea and shared chocolate, and then another change was suggested.... since we are already here, why wouldn't we attempt Lichtenberg also? It was a mere though at first but less then an hour after it originated we found ourselves in the uphill direction again, plowing through deep snow, making slow but steady progress towards the summit.



It was hopeful that we could actually bag two peaks during the trip, but then, less than 100 feet from the summit, a narrow corniced ridge banished our hopes. Still it was a good climb, finished by a fun glissade from the top, and leaving us with a reason to come back in the future.

Date: Saturday 2/11/2012
RT: 10.7 miles
Elevation gain: 3953 feet
Time: 9 hours

Island Peak - 251 Days to Departure - Silver Peak

There is a first for everything, and the first scramble in Washington State for me was Silver Peak off I-90. It was on a windy October day in 2006 when we dashed to Annette Lake and after a short break of its shore, where most hikers find their final destination, our group of five adventurers continued up on a steep talus field, hopping from rock to rock towards the blue sky of the beautiful day.

The lake below us seemed to shrink as we gained elevation and I remember thinking that the great view was an adequate reward for the burning legs and sweat dripping down our foreheads.



Then we made the final step and gained the ridge. Rainier greeted us from the South and the rest of the views were pretty cool too. Only a short distance stood between us and out destination, and as we run the ridge towards the peak, I knew deep in my heart I was hooked on scrambling.



Few years later Silver Peak came back to my mind. This time it was the winter route promising and interesting ridge run and good photo opportunities that caught my eye.



On Saturday morning on 1/28/2012 we were headed to give it a try. We were able to drive only as far as the first intersection after leaving I-90. From there we made the half mile or so to the trailhead on foot. The snow was packed letting us maintain a swift pace, and the conditions remained good on the actual trail too where a narrow path was broken in, hard enough that we could proceed without need for our snowshoes all the way to the last switchback where according to our decision to avoid potential avalanche danger further along the route we said good bye to the trail, and accepted the challenge of the steep forested slope and deeper snow.

Once we emerged from the forest several hundred feet higher, the ridge stood in front of us, long, proud, and full of obstacles we were yet to overcome.



It was an interesting run indeed. Not the easiest one to navigate - corniced, cliffy, ice mixed with sections of deep powder.... but despite the challenges and no view of Rainier, it was just as rewarding as I remembered from my first visit up there few years ago.

RT: 7.7 miles
Elevation Gain: 3840 ft
Time: 8 hrs 35 minutes

Island Peak - 264 Days to Departure - Mt. Teneriffe

In the summertime when you climb nearly 4000 ft and you find yourself atop a mountain with all the views hiding in clouds, it can be a little disappointing. In the winter it is a different game altogether. The light snowflakes gently falling from the overcast sky, blanketing everything with fresh powder that then transforms the trail into a winter wonderland and crunches under one's feet, that can be a fully satisfying experience on its own.

There was a light dusting of snow on the trail when we arrived to Mt. Teneriffe trailhead around 9:00 a.m. Strapping snowshoes on our backpacks, we headed up. With the first part being an easy walk up the road, nearly flat and with good traction, we arrived to the intersection with Kamikaze Route in no time. As planned we took the more challenging (= more rewarding) route and continued on yet another old logging road.



With the distance we covered already, we started to wonder about the nearly 4000 feet of elevation gain this train promised. And the further we walked on the beautifully snow dusted yet only very gently rising road, the more obvious it was that there is a real challenge awaiting us ahead.

We arrived at our second intersection. A sign posted here directed us to Kamikaze Falls. Finally we left the road and started gaining elevation. Just as expected the gain was rather serious and it continued all the way to the summit.

About a mile after leaving the road we passed semi frozen Kamikaze Falls and while taking photographs, we witnessed a large piece of the ice tearing from its base, and with a crushing thump plummeting down the face of the waterfall. From a safe distance it was a impressive thing to watch.



The trail got more snow cover with elevation we gained and in around 3000 feet the conditions were good. The trail was covered with a layer of fresh gripping powder, as we proceeded up the ridge towards the summit... and then, all of a sudden, our ice axes slipped through the fresh layer to an abrupt stop. It was about 800 feet below the summit where an icy crust hiding below the layer of fresh snow provided us with an extra challenge.

It was slow going from there. Parts of the trail were OK, part, even with microspikes rather slippery. Exercising extreme caution, and taking few slips, we safely made it to the very cold summit with no views where we spent whopping 5 minutes, and headed back down.



After the initial 800 feet of descend, things went pretty well. There was about 3 inches of very fresh snow on the trail making it look completely different that when we were huffing and puffing our way up earlier that day, and the amount of new snow kept consistent all the way back to the trailhead with plenty more coming down.

Seems like the winter is finally here this year!

RT: 6.8 miles
Elevation Gain: 3,860 feet