February 19-21, 2005, Hagan Peaks and Mt Blum

The Baker River Smorgasbord

The Hummels, Casey Ruff and I toted big packs with skis up to 5,600 feet in the Blum Lakes
area early Saturday.  We made camp and took a rest, then headed toward the picturesque rabbit-eared
peak at the north tip of the big Hagan Glacier, the most northerly of what I'd call the Hagan Peaks.  
I'll call them Hagan Peaks even if it's technically 'Hagan Mountain', because it's really a little range of
peaks with an icecap, and Hagan Mountain is a heinous misnomer.

We got to the top of the 6,800+ foot peak and enjoyed incredible views. Then we skied from a notch
just about 20 feet below the summit on a beautiful north face that eased from 50 to 40 degrees in
a couple hundred feet.  We descended about 1,000 vertical feet total, ranging from wind-blown
powder in the shade near the top, to sun-baked corn where we hit the relatively flat shelf of the
cirque.  We were ecstatic with our descent.  We made the traverse to the lowest of the Blum Lakes
(~4,900'), and then Josh and I kicked some tired steps up to our 5,600' camp to arrive about half
an hour after dark.  The peak had two very small summits above the notch from which we skied, and
our line split them perfectly.  It was so sweet we decided to call it the 'Banana Split'.

It was a very windy night.  It was quite miserable for Casey and me; we hadn't made any shelter to
go with our bivy during the hectic day and it was hard enough to muster food and drink when we
returned after dark.  The wind didn't subside until after dawn the next morning.  I didn't bother
to crawl out of my cocoon until I noticed it was calm, and we got moving well after 9 in the morning.

We made the descent and traverse to the Hagan Glacier, looking for more fun.  First we skied all the
way to the southern end of the glacier and the top of a rounded, 6,700' bump we called the 'Ice Cream
Cone'.  It afforded a nice mellow descent with some week-old powder.  One of our reasons for bagging it
first was to get a vantage of what would be the best descent to attempt next.  We saw that we could ski
off the true summit of the highest of the Hagan Peaks.  We dropped through a saddle just to the west of
the Ice Cream Cone, then we went up a southwest-facing bowl.  We climbed a 50 degree, northwest-facing
chute for a couple hundred feet to hit the ridge and boot to the ~7,100' summit.  From the summit we
could see the steep gully and bowl we had climbed, which made for an incredible photographic perspective.  
Casey bombed it with great style, cranking five or six fast, rounded turns down the chute while the
Hummels and I played paparazzi.  Maybe this one should be 'Summit Sugar'.  Casey, Hummels, what say you?

We were very tired but at least this time we made it to camp before dark.  We just missed the sun.  Casey
and I fortified the bastion around the Hummels' tent to ensure an enjoyable bivy.  Sunday night was
perfectly calm, so it was unnecessary, but better safe than sorry.  We got started early Sunday to climb the
glacier-cloaked NE Rib of Mt Blum.  

We traversed around Mt Blum and its impressive North Ridge.  The route we skied three weeks ago was
mind-boggling from this myopic perspective.  The upper snowfield had turned into a wind-loaded death
trap.  The north-facing glacier featured packed powder and a few creepy windslabs.  We made it to the
NE Rib without incident.  Every route to the summit was in winter condition, but with very thin snow
cover.  Interesting climbing conditions to say the least.  

We managed to gain the southern ridge to the summit of Mt Blum by climbing a 60 degree chute onto a
steep snow- and ice-field perched above big cliffs.  We made a rising traverse to the south until we
reached a spot on the ridge without a cornice.  The snow was perfect  styrofoam for kicking a boot and
placing the shaft of an ax.  Sixty degree styrofoam lead to the ridge, requiring vigilance in a few spots
where the snowpack hollowed over rocks.  I was relieved to get over the ridge so that the three fellows
trailing on the rope no longer had an opportunity to take me for a ride over the cliffs and down the east
glacier, not that they'd ever do that.  

We were all elated to make the summit of Blum and enjoy the overwhelming views.  We had abandoned the idea
of skiing what we climbed because a few of the steep, icy spots above big cliffs on the final slope just
seemed a little too risky.  The South Bowl was full of corn baked almost to perfection.  Next came the biggest
surprise of the trip.

From the western edge of the south bowl on Blum there is a couloir that is unbelievably aesthetic.  We had
seen it from the Hagan Peaks, but it seemed like it might be too narrow.  It drops about 800 vertical feet
to the shelf above Blum Lakes.  It ranges between 40 and 50 degrees, and from ski width to 20 feet wide in
spots.  Somehow we stumbled upon it on the descent as an afterthought, and none of us could believe it.  We
descended it in a euphoric crescendo.  It's a thin white line that got me really high, so I think we should
call it 'Cocaine Couloir'.  I didn't check this name with Casey or the Hummels, hopefully it'll be OK with them.

We were all really exhausted.  We skied some northwest-facing chutes from the shelf down to the 5,000' Blum Lake,
then booted to the 5,600' camp for the last time.  It was a small skin to the ridge, then we skied 1,000' of
packed powder down the ridge into the woods.  We ALMOST made it to the Baker River flats before dark, but not
quite.

It was fun to ski with Casey; hopefully this trip compensated him somewhat for having to suffer through one
of my lab sections a couple years ago.  He was able to feast with us on the smorgasbord that included the Banana
Split, the Ice Cream Cone, Summit Sugar, and the Cocaine Couloir.  

Note: I dropped six rolls of slide film to send to the lab this morning, so hopefully I'll have some good pictures in the
near future.