June 12, 2004, Sauk Mountain
6/12/04
WA Cascades West Slopes North (Mt Baker)
2036
0
I managed to squeeze in a perfectly respectable tour between rain events this afternoon, departing my parking spot (one remaining snowbank blocking the road just before the trailhead) promptly at 3:00 PM under threatening skies with little wind and good visibility. The west-facing switchbacks are almost entirely melted out now?amazingly, I once skied this face on July fourth after a good snow year?and the famous Sauk Mtn. wildflowers are just beginning to bloom.
Once over the ridge, northerly slopes are still snow-covered, as are selected east faces. I took the usual 1400 ft. line down to the lake; the first couple of hundred feet from the summit are a bit runneled, but after that there are expansive, 35-40 degree slopes all the way down, with several inches of smooth, slushy corn over a firm base. In general, runs to skiers left are no longer continuous, so it is necessary to traverse to the right every now and then. The very enticing gully on the south face of Bald Mtn. looks like was probably skiable just a few short weeks ago.
I meant to take another run, but around 5:00 as I climbed back to the ridge, the cloud deck descended abruptly to near lake level, rendering the entire landscape a flat, featureless white. I still meant to take another run, but it started spitting rain, then precipitating steadily, so I thought about the forecast for sun and warmth later in the week, and decided to head for home. Of course, once back on the ridge with skins stashed in my pack, the southeast snowfields lured me downhill again; these were not nearly so pleasant, being far more runneled and dirty, but I managed to ascertain that a particularly determined (not to say stubborn) skier can still descend through the trees for 800 feet or so on that aspect before giving up.
By the time I climbed back to the ridge and started descending the summer trail, it was raining steadily, the steep hillside glowing a healthy, springtime green. In the absence of another ferocious heat wave, a few weeks of reasonable skiing remains up there.
Enjoy,
Mark
Once over the ridge, northerly slopes are still snow-covered, as are selected east faces. I took the usual 1400 ft. line down to the lake; the first couple of hundred feet from the summit are a bit runneled, but after that there are expansive, 35-40 degree slopes all the way down, with several inches of smooth, slushy corn over a firm base. In general, runs to skiers left are no longer continuous, so it is necessary to traverse to the right every now and then. The very enticing gully on the south face of Bald Mtn. looks like was probably skiable just a few short weeks ago.
I meant to take another run, but around 5:00 as I climbed back to the ridge, the cloud deck descended abruptly to near lake level, rendering the entire landscape a flat, featureless white. I still meant to take another run, but it started spitting rain, then precipitating steadily, so I thought about the forecast for sun and warmth later in the week, and decided to head for home. Of course, once back on the ridge with skins stashed in my pack, the southeast snowfields lured me downhill again; these were not nearly so pleasant, being far more runneled and dirty, but I managed to ascertain that a particularly determined (not to say stubborn) skier can still descend through the trees for 800 feet or so on that aspect before giving up.
By the time I climbed back to the ridge and started descending the summer trail, it was raining steadily, the steep hillside glowing a healthy, springtime green. In the absence of another ferocious heat wave, a few weeks of reasonable skiing remains up there.
Enjoy,
Mark
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