May 22, 2005, Yakima Peak (Chinook Pass)

After reading TAY trip reports on Chinook and the Inter Glacier, we decided it was time to head up to Chinook to have a look ourselves.  After a somewhat leisurely departure around 8, we arrived at Cayuse pass at 9:30 with broken clouds and very little snow.  It looked grim until very near the summit of Chinook where there was enough snow for possibilities.  The lot on the east side of Chinook was nearly full.  Looks like everyone else had the same idea!  There was no one about, but a well worn boot pack up to the east saddle indicated that everyone had headed to the N side of Yakima peak, our objective as well.  Despite the possibility of a totally tracked out area, we pressed on up to the saddle.

Once on the saddle and approaching the shady north bowl, we discovered the source of the cars and boot pack when we sighted that cascade species known as Mountaineerous Gaggleous Groupus.  There were 20-30 of the beasts, foraging for self arrest practice on a pitch with soft snow.  We carefully traversed above them so as not to disturb their normal clumping behavior and headed for the coldest side of the bowl.

To our delight the Gaggleous Groupus were the only other occupants of the area besides us and none of them were bearing skis.  We proceeded to carve up some delightfully soft 4-6 inches of new on a nicely consolidated base.    The sun peaked out just in time for a nicely backlit set of turns.  

The first run worked so well that we had to repeat.  After another round we skinned up and over the saddle and back to the car, the south facing slope above the parking lot becoming very sloppy and thin in places (will not last long unless it cools off).  Overall conditions were very good with a consolidated base on the north aspects.  There was no evidence of any movement, settling, or fractures but we did manage to generate some large snow wheels while traversing a warm sun exposed slope.  Once at the car it started to snow hard, our queue to call it a day.