June 27, 2009, Adams, SW Chute, sweet corn
6/27/09
WA Cascades West Slopes South (Mt Rainier)
1940
2
The road to Cold Springs is now snow-free when we (Brad, Holly, and myself) arrived on Friday evening of the 26th. The campground was (typically) noisy with late arrivals and early departures. We used ear plugs to good effect. The cold beers, benadryl, and ear plugs put me down colder than a wedge. Brad is half my size but drinks twice as much as me. How can this be? I awoke contentedly stuporous. I couldn't tell if I was killing mosquitoes or crane flies they were so large. The dawn hike up the south ridge (Sucksdorf Ridge) to the false summit (Pikers Peak) was pleasant and straightforeward with skinnable snow by 6500 feet. Brad and Holly went on to the true summit and skiied down while I nursed my flu at Pikers Peak. The day remained sunny and breezy as we (patiently) awaited the Southwest Chute to soften and began skiing down by about 2pm. We were rewarded by sweet corn smooth as a babys butt to about 7000 feet. At 7000 feet, we trended to the skier's left following a snow finger (some sun cupping present) around a large buttress and then boot traversed (slightly rising traverse) over the next 1/4 mile through two drainages and back to our uptrack. Skied our uptrack back into the dirt and more cold beers. The time is now.
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