July 14-15, 2009, Flett Russell Flett with Pix

With a couple of days to kill, Snowbell and I aimed for the northwest side of Rainier just 2 days before the road and campground opened.  A 5.5-mile cycle to Mowich Lake was the entry fee to the trip, vigorous enough that we agreed not to tell anyone how a ranger gave our packs a lift for the last 1.5 miles.  Hefting his pack right next to mine at the lake, I was dismayed to find that his uber-light discipline and new Dynafit stuff were a multi-pound advantage over my big tele rig and €œmerely light€ gear.   :'(  He did appreciate the dark chocolate and bourbon at camp that night though€¦.    ;)
     A wet-sneaker scramble over Knapsack Pass and then a couple of turns, traverses and carries later (on skis from the base of the Pleasant Peak shoulder) we found a fine camp spot on the NW side of Spray Park just yards from a tiny tarn with snowberg-chilled water.  At an hour when many civilized backpackers are supping appetizers and cocktails, we went for an evening skin.  The Flett Headwall was the goal, and we did ourselves in climbing to its top.  Joe graciously let me, on my first trip here, jump in first, prodding me with, €œI€™ll take photos€ and, €œI want to watch you on it before I test my new light setup€.   It was a gorgeous plunge down the top of the glacier wall, the perfect corn just tinted orange at 9 PM.
     As soon as Joe launched off the top rollover I could see that he loved his new skis.   8)  The return to camp was almost all on quite smooth snow, with one meadow-prance with boards on.  It was a luxurious late evening with endless views, and we thought how nice it could be if we had a second night in Spray Park to look forward to.
  On Wednesday we got off before 7:30, booting on firm snowfields.  We bagged Echo Rock on our way past and hit the Russell around 10:45.  There was a bit of crevasse weaving, but acres of smooth surface to skin and turn on.  The Russell headwall (Is this the correct term?  What makes the Flett Headwall different from the top of the Russell??), not too tall but steep and dark, reared over my head as I toiled, higher, icier, and more pitted than the top of the Flett; the visor of my ball cap hid the sight but not the goal. 
     Joe went up a snow tongue and a bit of Ptarmigan Ridge to the apex of the Russell Glacier, while I climbed the left side.  This was the only time I used boot crampons or my axe.  After dumping the gear we scrambled up a ways more, failing to grab another high point but enjoying the massive, active upper mountain.   At about 4 PM we clicked in.  Edging hard between the jump turns while dodging snow pockmarks and lurking rocks was the name of the game.  Wahoo!  A bunch of creamy arcs and two dead-ends later we regained Ptarmigan, summited Observation Rock in a short side trip, and lined up for a rematch with the Flett.  On this run the top snow was not as soft as the previous night but it was still superb.  I videoed Joe from below as he blasted the Flettwall again, then we returned to the tent for the final time. 
     Today it was with a somewhat different tone that we wished we were camping a second night  :(, as we hastened to compress our kits into Pass Knapsacks.  Then it was skin, hike, ski, boot and hike to the Pass, race the twilight to the Lake and the bikes, and a chilly coast back to the car at 10:30 PM.  I took my only fall of the trip when I toppled off my nephew€™s bike right by the bumper, landing squarely on top of the pack-and ski-gear load that had pulled me off kilter.   :-
     What a gorgeous sub-alpine and alpine area, with unforgettable views!  The benches in that part of Spray Park show almost no signs of use, and not a soul was to be seen for two days.