Skunked again... Slot Couloir Snipe Hunt

"The last thing I want to do is spend the day chasing around after snow."
Famous last words. After backing out of a trip to Adams due to weather and other influences, Brad and I spent the day rock climbing at exit 38 contemplating our options for the morrow...
We hemmed and hawed, debating the weather at Rainier vs. I-90 corrider and access issues. "I really want to do the Slot." Brad declares.  Hence a plan was born. After several attempts to rope others into our scheme and no takers, we left Seattle only an hour behind schedule arriving at the WAC cabin off Alpental Road sometime around 9:30 where we commenced a final gear check before hitting the trailhead...

Brad: "Okay, looks like I'm ready."
Holly: "Really?"
Brad: "Yep."
Holly: "Do you think you will need your poles?"
Brad: "Oh, yeah! Thanks."
Holly: "No problem... how about your other ski boot?"

Off to a fine start.
I even found a "lucky" quarter at the trailhead. (Keep this up and I think skiing could be a highly lucrative money maker for me!)
Our plan was to head up Commonwealth basin, cut in between Guye Peak and Cave Ridge, approach Snoqualmie Mountain and locate the slot... the best laid plans of mice and men... it wasn't long before we were off trail and route...

"How you doing?" Brad queried.
"Great! How prepared are you to bivouac?"
A mental assessment of our pack contents determined it was doable, but certainly something to reconsider before our next bushwack recon outing... :)

Somehow, we missed the gully between Cave Ridge and Guye Peak initiating a  rather steep, brushy, snow free ascent and circumnavigation of Cave Ridge. Finally, some three hours later (?) we summited the ridge with limited visibility... Snoqualmie was a ghost in the shadows. We continued around the peak of Cave Ridge finally reaching a gully down Snoqualmie Mountain.

Brad dropped to his knees exclaiming, "The Slot! The Slot!"

Or not.
By this time, thunder was rumbling in the distance at random intervals. Not wanting to be completely skunked, we decided to boot up a narrow tongue of snow, the slot impersonator, for at least a meager 500 vf.  "That's our turn around point." Brad stated. Moving quickly, we reached the top in short order where Brad immediately transitioned from snow travel to rock face, heather scrambling, when an angelic voice of reason called out:

"Um, Brad? How much further do you intend to go?"

Dejected and deflated, Brad reluctantly consented to my gentle reminder of turn around point, the ever increasing roll of thunder, and the two conspicuous lightening rods extending from his pack...
Once refocused on the very real weather issues, we made a fast transition to get the *bleep* out of there and off that exposed slope making as many short quick turns as we could through the soft, manageable sun cups. Back in the trees, we followed the creek down the gully through Cave Ridge and Guye Peak, our original plan for ascent. Snow continued much of the way down, quite deep in many places, but very broken up, littered with debris and a significant number of narrow trees, thus we booted it.

"I have a feeling if I were with Joe Bell, we would be skiing this right now." Brad commented...

Somehow we managed to exit at Sahale Ski club instead of our original entry point the PCT trailhead, thus making it a complete round trip.
Technical joy-o-meter caluculations gave this brush tour a very low rating, however, the experience gained from all our wanderings and an overall better knowledge of the terrain left us quite satisfied.