January 22, 2009, Grouse Creek/Helio-ish
1/22/09
1584
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After driving all the way to the Heliotrope trailhead (high clearance vehicle not required), ikkin and myself meandered up Grouse Creek towards Heliotrope proper. Had to walk to the forest for maybe 0.5 miles before there was enough snow to skin. It's amazing how little snow there is below 4,000 ft!
We skinned to the base of a steeper gully, and bootback up. Snow was windpacked/wind scour. Skinning was possible again at the top of the gully; definitely would have been made easier with ski crampons. Topped out around 6,500 ft, short of the normal high pt. on Heliotrope. Skiing was firm, but edgeable. Snowmobile nuisance was minimal. And it was an great to get out with a new face into an area normally inaccessible this time of year.
We skinned to the base of a steeper gully, and bootback up. Snow was windpacked/wind scour. Skinning was possible again at the top of the gully; definitely would have been made easier with ski crampons. Topped out around 6,500 ft, short of the normal high pt. on Heliotrope. Skiing was firm, but edgeable. Snowmobile nuisance was minimal. And it was an great to get out with a new face into an area normally inaccessible this time of year.
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