Home > Trip Reports > October 23, The Muirky Snowfield

October 23, The Muirky Snowfield

10/15/08
WA Cascades West Slopes South (Mt Rainier)
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Posted by Nicks Sticks on 10/24/08 1:00am
I headed to rainier to get some October turns in and keep the streak going.  My partner bailed on my at nine last night so I had to make the lonely drive to Longmire (LDL) by myself.  Even partnerless the drive up was stunning.  The slide alder and maple's colors are unbelievably vivid right now.  I arrived at Paradise at about ten or ten thirty.  Visibility was so bad I drove past the parking lot without even seeing the ranger station.  After several laps around the lot I found the trail head.  There were maybe three other cars in the parking lot.  I don't think I have ever seen fewer than fifty up there.  I took my time gathering everything together hoping that the cloud would lift.  I was more concerned with finding the bears that I had been warned about than I was about getting lost. 



I started climbing towards Panorama Point.  The visibility did not improve.  In fact it seemed to get worse the higher I climbed.  The continuous snow started somewhere above beyond Pebble Creek.  The forecast said the clouds were supposed to lift after morning clouds so at about 7200ft I hunkered down for a half hour and waited... and waited...  Nothing. 



I didn't want to go out on the snowfield proper if the with visibility so poor, especially since I was alone.  The last thing I wanted to do was fall in a crevasse or wander off onto one of the adjoining glaciers.  But I had made it this far and I was at least going to get some turns in so I slapped on skins and headed higher.  Just when I was about to give up and head back the sun started to break through.   The snow above 8000 was much better than lower down.  There were several inches of old new snow which made skinning easy.  The only downside was that the it of one of my skis had partially delaminated and was acting like a plow.   I climbed to moon rocks (about 9000ft) where I stopped for lunch.  It was getting late so I decided to turn back here.  I also didn't want the clouds to move in while I was any higher.  Death was not on the agenda.  I never saw another person above the Alta Vista trail.  It was strange being up there without anyone else.  I like it.

I stopped just above the clouds for a few photos. 






Now I remember why I hiked all the way up here.


...and then I headed back into the clouds for the slog back down.


"There is something about skiing above an inversion.  It is nice to know it is warm and sunny up here, and cold and dumping down there." -Glen Plake


Finally, near LaGrande, the clouds lifted


It won't be very long before the snow is all the way to down below Panorama Point.  I saw the remnants of tracks below the lower Skyline trail.  Winter is coming.  Unfortunately I didn't have time to go mushroom hunting.  The fall fungi are out in force and I bet one could make quite a haul.
Looks like my LDL will be a solo trip tomorrow, as well (my partner bailed).  I haven't skied the Muir snowfield in years.  How far is it from the lot to Pebble Creek?  I'd like to wear my tele boots instead of packing them.  Is it less than 2 miles before I'll be able to start skinning?  Thanks for the cool TR and any advice/beta you can provide. 
-Erik (Dobber)

Pebble Creek is just above Panorama Point.  I think the sign said 2.2 miles.  So it was probably about 2.5 miles to where the snow was continuous.  At the very bottom of the snowfield there are a few steep mini-headwall-looking snowbanks (if anyone else knows what I am talking about and can offer a better description please feel free to elaborate).  I put my skins on at the top of the second one.  There might have been continuous snow farther down but I couldn't see anything beyond the trail. 

There was some snow on the trail after where the paved part ends.  I hiked in my Garmont AT boots.  It wouldn't have been so bad except for the return trip.  Walking down the paved section really sucked.  And I hate the feel of poles on asphalt.

Here is a link to a topo map of the area.  Pebble Creek crosses the trail right before the snow starts.  http://www.alanarnette.com/alan/rainiertopo.htm

Ski hard.

Excellent. Thanks, man.


It was corn on Saturday, and it was good. With a freeze overnight, tomorrow should be the same.

Nicks Sticks: nice photos -- the colors look great!

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october-23-the-muirky-snowfield
Nicks Sticks
2008-10-24 08:00:37