July 19 Easton to crater
7/15/09
WA Cascades West Slopes North (Mt Baker)
1970
2
Easton is totally melted out all the way to camp at the top of the Railroad Grade, so about 2500' hike now. There are some pitiful barely linkable paches below that, will be gone in another day or two. The glacier is setting up more crevasses that same time last year, presumably due to less snow this last winter. Unless you really like a long hike with skis and then lots of crevasse hopping, it is about done for the season.
The glacier was a zoo! At least a hundred booters on the route (no exaggeration), I was the only skier until one guy I saw very late, he was just going up for a few thousand feet from camp to get a corn run. The booters were all congenial except for one who snarled "If you fall into a crevasse, I won't haul your ass out."
I got to the crater, did not want to do the Roman Wall without other skiers. There were dozens of booters in the ant line, but I'd rather have someone(s) work together and have a perspective on how to take care of each crevasse. So nice run down from just above the crater.
No pix but if I had any they would all be stuff you have seen before. Clear day, the views from Glacier to Rainier to the San Juans were magnificent. Next time (please let it be in mid June) I want to bring a good map to figure out what all the other mountains in between are, I think I recognized Three Fingers.
The glacier was a zoo! At least a hundred booters on the route (no exaggeration), I was the only skier until one guy I saw very late, he was just going up for a few thousand feet from camp to get a corn run. The booters were all congenial except for one who snarled "If you fall into a crevasse, I won't haul your ass out."
I got to the crater, did not want to do the Roman Wall without other skiers. There were dozens of booters in the ant line, but I'd rather have someone(s) work together and have a perspective on how to take care of each crevasse. So nice run down from just above the crater.
No pix but if I had any they would all be stuff you have seen before. Clear day, the views from Glacier to Rainier to the San Juans were magnificent. Next time (please let it be in mid June) I want to bring a good map to figure out what all the other mountains in between are, I think I recognized Three Fingers.
Sorry that I couldn't join you (I had a great high school reunion,though). Squak or Easton to the summit is on my must-do lists for next late June/early July.
I totally missed the optimal window this year, which is to have snow almost but not quite down to the parking lot (filter out the sleds). I think the way to do it is the set aside the last two weeks in June, make no conflicting other plans, and the first great weather forecast, go for it. Such a good plan, I will do it next year, for the Squak.
BTW I was looking across at the Squak, which sure does look like a nice line, much more direct than Easton, and I was wondering the best way to find it when the Scott Paul trail is covered in snow and not findable. Peering down from the (hot, dry) Railroad Grade trail, it looks like you can go up the morainal valley of which the RR Grade is the west boundary, and just angle up NE through some evergreens below where the steep E wall of that valley gets formed up, into some great looking meadows that clearly would lead to the big rocky crag. Is that the best way?
BTW I was looking across at the Squak, which sure does look like a nice line, much more direct than Easton, and I was wondering the best way to find it when the Scott Paul trail is covered in snow and not findable. Peering down from the (hot, dry) Railroad Grade trail, it looks like you can go up the morainal valley of which the RR Grade is the west boundary, and just angle up NE through some evergreens below where the steep E wall of that valley gets formed up, into some great looking meadows that clearly would lead to the big rocky crag. Is that the best way?
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