June1, 2008, Kaleetan and Chair Circ-nav
6/1/08
WA Snoqualmie Pass
2869
7
After the magnificent TR last week, I suffered from delusions of the same views and weather and headed out Sunday, hoping like everyone else for a break in the fog... y'all know what I got... ;-)
Left Alpy's overnight lot around 6:30, taking high road to Bryant Col. Ran into two fellow TAY-ers, Curt and Tom, who were headed the same direction. I figured three sets of eyes were better than one, since visibility was so limited, so off we went!
Made great time over the col and across Melakwa Lake (still solidly snowed in), but followed a sucker bootpack up the ridge south of Kaleetan... our one wrong turn of the day, which we only realized after a half-mile or so of 4th classing over rock, snow, and brush. Thankfully, you can't get lost on a ridge, and we ran into the S face quickly enough, finding good bootpacking up the face to where the snow ended (about 50' shy of the summit). The summit was dry rock, despite the clouds around us and the humidity collecting on our jackets and packs. Summit register read one party from 05/31, then us @ 1314hrs.
Ski down was uneventful, with a little surface sluff off of hardpack, a few glide "cracks" opening below faces, all exacerbated by drainage. The face down to Melakwa Pass was still well covered, and, if temps remain cool, may be skiable till July!
Melakwa Pass is still totally filled in down to Chair Lake (which is also completely covered), however, the descent to Snow Lake required a little more thought. With waterfall sounds in the obvious drainage to the lake, we cut skier's R, picking line through trees and holes, and across old slide paths, down to Snow Lake. The lake was also well-covered, with only large, visible holes on the edges (adjacent to drainages). There appeared to be ~12-20' of snow still covering the lake, based on the depth of the holes. Up and over to Source Lake was uneventful, following visible skin track from Snow Lake.
C-T-C time of 9h15min, with plenty of time spent resting, consulting the map, and hoping (in vain) that the clouds would clear. Welcome to Sno Pass in the spring! A wonderful tour with great snow... and it's JUNE!! Thanks to Tom and Curt for partnering up--and for keeping me down to only ONE wrong turn!
EDIT: Had trouble with pics... whole gallery @
http://picasaweb.google.com/dfrostenson/KaleetanPkChairPkCircumnavigation
Left Alpy's overnight lot around 6:30, taking high road to Bryant Col. Ran into two fellow TAY-ers, Curt and Tom, who were headed the same direction. I figured three sets of eyes were better than one, since visibility was so limited, so off we went!
Made great time over the col and across Melakwa Lake (still solidly snowed in), but followed a sucker bootpack up the ridge south of Kaleetan... our one wrong turn of the day, which we only realized after a half-mile or so of 4th classing over rock, snow, and brush. Thankfully, you can't get lost on a ridge, and we ran into the S face quickly enough, finding good bootpacking up the face to where the snow ended (about 50' shy of the summit). The summit was dry rock, despite the clouds around us and the humidity collecting on our jackets and packs. Summit register read one party from 05/31, then us @ 1314hrs.
Ski down was uneventful, with a little surface sluff off of hardpack, a few glide "cracks" opening below faces, all exacerbated by drainage. The face down to Melakwa Pass was still well covered, and, if temps remain cool, may be skiable till July!
Melakwa Pass is still totally filled in down to Chair Lake (which is also completely covered), however, the descent to Snow Lake required a little more thought. With waterfall sounds in the obvious drainage to the lake, we cut skier's R, picking line through trees and holes, and across old slide paths, down to Snow Lake. The lake was also well-covered, with only large, visible holes on the edges (adjacent to drainages). There appeared to be ~12-20' of snow still covering the lake, based on the depth of the holes. Up and over to Source Lake was uneventful, following visible skin track from Snow Lake.
C-T-C time of 9h15min, with plenty of time spent resting, consulting the map, and hoping (in vain) that the clouds would clear. Welcome to Sno Pass in the spring! A wonderful tour with great snow... and it's JUNE!! Thanks to Tom and Curt for partnering up--and for keeping me down to only ONE wrong turn!
EDIT: Had trouble with pics... whole gallery @
http://picasaweb.google.com/dfrostenson/KaleetanPkChairPkCircumnavigation
Actually, I got to do this tour on both May 31 and June 1 with two different parties.
Saturday it was warm and sunny and we were gobbing on the sun screen. I drank 3 liters of water. And the beautiful Roosevelt Ridge and the Chair and Kaleetan Pks and the other far out places were fabulous.
Sunday we could barely see 100 feet at times. We used my GPS to pick the trail to the first saddle. The run down to snow lake seemed to go on for ever too.
It was sublime...
Saturday it was warm and sunny and we were gobbing on the sun screen. I drank 3 liters of water. And the beautiful Roosevelt Ridge and the Chair and Kaleetan Pks and the other far out places were fabulous.
Sunday we could barely see 100 feet at times. We used my GPS to pick the trail to the first saddle. The run down to snow lake seemed to go on for ever too.
It was sublime...
Sublime is a great adjective for Sunday... at times totally disorienting, at others absolutely perfect! Crossing Snow Lake was otherworldly; plus, my map and compass skills got a great workout! I thought I heard voices from the direction of melakwa lake--what time did you cross M pass?
author=frostyday link=topic=10235.msg41175#msg41175 date=1212531184]
Made great time over the col and across Melakwa Lake (still solidly snowed in), but followed a sucker bootpack up the ridge south of Kaleetan... our one wrong turn of the day, which we only realized after a half-mile or so of 4th classing over rock, snow, and brush. Thankfully, you can't get lost on a ridge, and we ran into the S face quickly enough, finding good bootpacking up the face to where the snow ended (about 50' shy of the summit).
"Sucker bootpack"! Naw, that was our side trip from Saturday. Just skiing the 900 ft chute from the ridge. 1. is me waiting for my friends 2 & 3. Catchy names ;) . Definitely quite a ways over to Kaleetan summit from there.
Great meeting you Day. Fun tour. Thanks for the pictures.
t
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author=russ link=topic=10235.msg41185#msg41185 date=1212545742]
"Sucker bootpack"! Naw, that was our side trip from Saturday. Just skiing the 900 ft chute from the ridge. 1. is me waiting for my friends 2 & 3. Catchy names ;) . Definitely quite a ways over to Kaleetan summit from there.
And of 1, 2, and 3, guess whose idea the "sucker bootpack line" was, and who sidestepped the top many feet? ;D (and of course there was yours truly, who did one lap on a shorter but sweet line on the opposite wall of the basin and had time to dry my socks out while waiting for 1, 2, and 3 to complete their side trip)
Too bad you didn't have the views - I very much enjoyed the variety of viewsheds passed on this tour. Sounds like it was still a great day out, though!
The views in Sunday were all in my imagination (kindof like the symphonie that I hear when I am playing the piano). My yoga instructor would have been proud of me.
Dont have any idea what time we were in Mpass on Sunday. We had four people, we did not stop because it was kindof cold. Didnt get back to car until ~4:30. We did some lolygagging on the climb up to the last pass at end of snowlake because of the poor vis and problems with skins staying on skis. It was pretty and interesting to have a little time to stand and look at the dripping mossy trees.
The drop into the final chutes into Source lake was eerie. I feel bad for those people who died there this winter :-[. A guy my party had been there to retrieve the bodies. He was taking pictures of the tree damage for an avi class he will help teach next season.
Dont have any idea what time we were in Mpass on Sunday. We had four people, we did not stop because it was kindof cold. Didnt get back to car until ~4:30. We did some lolygagging on the climb up to the last pass at end of snowlake because of the poor vis and problems with skins staying on skis. It was pretty and interesting to have a little time to stand and look at the dripping mossy trees.
The drop into the final chutes into Source lake was eerie. I feel bad for those people who died there this winter :-[. A guy my party had been there to retrieve the bodies. He was taking pictures of the tree damage for an avi class he will help teach next season.
russ-- Really, I should thank you; it was an easy track to follow up, and provided us with a much more sporting approach! ;D In alot of ways, that was the most fun portion of the tour--although I missed the views you all had on Saturday!
blitz--were you all the party of 4 in the white suv? We got back to the upper lot right behind you, if so... if not, it sounds like we were right in front of you. We had trouble with wet skins too--I used a good bit of tape to lock them on for the climb up from Snow Lk...
blitz--were you all the party of 4 in the white suv? We got back to the upper lot right behind you, if so... if not, it sounds like we were right in front of you. We had trouble with wet skins too--I used a good bit of tape to lock them on for the climb up from Snow Lk...
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