May 13, 2005, Muir Snowfield
5/13/05
WA Cascades West Slopes South (Mt Rainier)
2749
2
This week found me feeling like a caged animal. Despite the forecast of rain, which kept some at home, I made the trip south for some leisurely turns on the snowfield. Rather than rain, however, I found the mountain out and bright.
Starting up at 9:15, the sun was already high and cooking the slopes. With a fortunate freeze last night, it was doing both me and the snow some good. While nice, it didn't last; Wi ducked behind the incoming clouds around 10:30, though not before thawing the surface just how I like it. I found this pleasing.
Pan Point has lost a lot of snow, and the traditional route looked as though it would involve a series of carry-overs. Hoping to avoid this fate, I decided to skirt around the western flank, skinning up a lone boarder's tracks. It went. This option, at least for today, required only 1 carry-over in the Pebble Creek area, otherwise offering continuous snow all the way up - it comes recommended, as the typical Pan Point route proved to require several carry-overs from the looks of things.
My only problem today was forgetting to buy supplementary food, leaving me with but one sad and lonely sandwich. As he didn't make it past 6500', I found myself bonking around 8400' for a lack of fuel in the system. It actually seemed a good time to turnaround anyway for, although the snow had set up nicely all the way to Muir (according to the ranger I talked to that was walking down), the clouds coming in from the southeast were starting to look a little dark and hang a little lower in the sky.
The ski down was brilliant from 8400' all the way to the parking lot. The cloudcover had kept down the glop factor, leaving nothing but beautiful, beautiful corn. Admittedly, the snow below Pan Point was a bit dirty, but a person complaining about that after this winter has deeper issues than can here addressed. I cared not.
About 30 seconds from the car, it started to sprinkle. I felt as though I had won a race or something. It was a fine ending.
Last note is that the chutes were looking mighty tempting today, despite the debris that had come off the rocks recently
Starting up at 9:15, the sun was already high and cooking the slopes. With a fortunate freeze last night, it was doing both me and the snow some good. While nice, it didn't last; Wi ducked behind the incoming clouds around 10:30, though not before thawing the surface just how I like it. I found this pleasing.
Pan Point has lost a lot of snow, and the traditional route looked as though it would involve a series of carry-overs. Hoping to avoid this fate, I decided to skirt around the western flank, skinning up a lone boarder's tracks. It went. This option, at least for today, required only 1 carry-over in the Pebble Creek area, otherwise offering continuous snow all the way up - it comes recommended, as the typical Pan Point route proved to require several carry-overs from the looks of things.
My only problem today was forgetting to buy supplementary food, leaving me with but one sad and lonely sandwich. As he didn't make it past 6500', I found myself bonking around 8400' for a lack of fuel in the system. It actually seemed a good time to turnaround anyway for, although the snow had set up nicely all the way to Muir (according to the ranger I talked to that was walking down), the clouds coming in from the southeast were starting to look a little dark and hang a little lower in the sky.
The ski down was brilliant from 8400' all the way to the parking lot. The cloudcover had kept down the glop factor, leaving nothing but beautiful, beautiful corn. Admittedly, the snow below Pan Point was a bit dirty, but a person complaining about that after this winter has deeper issues than can here addressed. I cared not.
About 30 seconds from the car, it started to sprinkle. I felt as though I had won a race or something. It was a fine ending.
Last note is that the chutes were looking mighty tempting today, despite the debris that had come off the rocks recently
Skip: nice report. i'm glad you got out. :)
yes, skip. glad you got yourself away from the books and confining office space and out into the open. meanwhile, defeating the weather reports once again (as you seem to have a habit of doing...) ;)
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