Home > Trip Reports > 8/3/2012, Summerland and Fryingpan Glacier

8/3/2012, Summerland and Fryingpan Glacier

8/2/12
WA Cascades West Slopes South (Mt Rainier)
3590
7
Posted by PS44 on 8/6/12 10:15am

Left the Fryingpan Creek trailhead quite late (~10:30 AM) and made my way up the trail, finally connecting with Wonderland Trail and climbing into the Goat Cirque (I am not sure it is a proper name) where clicked in my skis.  Surely enough soon I spied about 25 goats of all sizes cooling on the snow on this hot August day.

Crossed onto the Glacier after I think 2 short carries and made it almost to the top of Whitman Crest (I was too lazy to climb on the sharp summit rocks).  After a snack (supper), had a nice ski down.  Snow was suncupped a bit (size B?) and there were a few runnels, but not bad; a  bit grabby in dirtier spots.  Soon enough I was back on the trail, admiring the wildflowers of the Summerland meadows, and back at the trailhead and car at ~9 pm.

Saw only a few hikers, no skiers.

Link to my GPS

Greater perspective.

Good photos and effort.  I loved that area when we first toured there 7/28-29.  According to a PM from wolfs, you went up Goat Cirque.  He said it's an informal name too. 
We skinned your route to the S ridge of the cirque the first day, but couldn't see any way on to the Fryingpan through the clouds.  Next day we booted slopes above and R of Summerland to 9000' between Meany and Whitman Crests, which looks like right near where you got.  Which way did you ski down?

author=ps44 link=topic=25487.msg107686#msg107686 date=1344302132]
Snow was suncupped a bit (size B?)


???  can you characterize that a bit better for me, please?  I'm just not getting it..




;D

author=ps44 link=topic=25487.msg107686#msg107686 date=1344302132] Snow was suncupped a bit (size B?)


According to the Official Bra Size website you had barely any sun cups.
http://www.epicfunnypictures.com/funny/define-underwear-bra-size-bikini/

OK,
Not quite barely.  In my mind, D suncups are really big (almost mogul-sized). C are large, B are not small but not that large and won't bounce you around too much.  But it's just my personal scale so don't take it literally. 

author=telemack link=topic=25487.msg107689#msg107689 date=1344305405]
  Which way did you ski down?


I went straight up to the Whitman Crest and skied down pretty much the same way - on the third picture to the left of the frame, through the gap in the thin band of rocks.  From there I dropped down the rollover on the second pictures which leads to the eastern crest of the Goat Cirque (short skin-up required), and then down from there into the cirque on the far right (skier's) - I saw some skiing tracks there, probably from you guys. Earlier in the year, we skied directly from Meany Crest down to Fryingpan creek drainage; this is more gentle but longer route, obviously now going up directly onto Meany crest would require some booting.

First time I recall seeing the "Goat Cirque" designation was this post from 2007. It's apt. Even if you don't see the goats there you smell them. Or smell what they left atop the snow.

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8-3-2012-summerland-and-fryingpan-glacier
PS44
2012-08-06 17:15:32