June 21, 2011, Pebble Creek Gully
6/21/11
2132
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Jill and I have been housebound for months recovering from numerous surgeries and its Road Trip time. The campervan is packed with skis (Zap only), bikes, and bird and wildflower books. We arrived at Paradise around 1pm and the temperature was in the low 60s and sunny. Jill hung out with the tourists and worked on her physical therapy exercises and I started touring towards Pebble Creek. The last time I skied this run was in 2006. That was the day we met Sky after one of his steep descents. Most folks bypass the Pebble Creek gully/waterfall in summer and head for the Muir snowfield or Nisqually Chute.
I needed a short tour that was not baking in the sun. The gully has a mainly NW aspect and although it is only about 800vf down to the Nisqually, it provides excellent corn when the surrounding terrain is baking and sluffing. Im still in post-surgery mode so getting to Pebble Creek was an accomplishment. The gulley was perfectly smooth with no avy debris or old tracks. The top section was an inch of corn that eventually softened to 2-3 ski penetration. There is a consistent steep pitch with plenty of navigation room. The worst part was booting out of the Nisqually basin. Now thats where I was really practicing my rest step.
The 21st was a free day at Mt. Rainier so there was a sizable crowd in the parking lot. After skinning up about a hundred yards from the parking lot and heading climbers left, I was alone for the rest of the tour. We are chasing the sun and heading towards Mt. Hood.
I needed a short tour that was not baking in the sun. The gully has a mainly NW aspect and although it is only about 800vf down to the Nisqually, it provides excellent corn when the surrounding terrain is baking and sluffing. Im still in post-surgery mode so getting to Pebble Creek was an accomplishment. The gulley was perfectly smooth with no avy debris or old tracks. The top section was an inch of corn that eventually softened to 2-3 ski penetration. There is a consistent steep pitch with plenty of navigation room. The worst part was booting out of the Nisqually basin. Now thats where I was really practicing my rest step.
The 21st was a free day at Mt. Rainier so there was a sizable crowd in the parking lot. After skinning up about a hundred yards from the parking lot and heading climbers left, I was alone for the rest of the tour. We are chasing the sun and heading towards Mt. Hood.
Nice! So glad you guys are on the move and on the mend. Have a great trip and keep us updated.
nice Zap! glad to hear you and Jill are out road tripping again.
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