Home > Trip Reports > July 1, 2013, Spider Meadow

July 1, 2013, Spider Meadow

7/1/13
WA Cascades East Slopes Central
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Posted by mikerolfs on 7/1/13 4:03pm
Chester Marler and I had a wonderful June 30/July 1 ski on Chiwawa Mtn.  The walk in involved several creek crossings which I tromped through in my sneakers, and Chester waded in booties.  Chester kept dry feet for the entire trip.  Along the trail we met four guys with sleds.  Believe it!

And then at Lester Creek we ran into Tom Janisch and Coron Polley who had just skied both Fortress and Chiwawa.  After leaving Tom and Coron,  Chester and I had Spider Meadow to ourselves.  Literally.  We didn't see a single person from Leroy Creek to and through the meadow, over Spider Pass, up and down Chiwawa via the Lyman Glacier, back up spider pass and up the East Peak of Chiwawa, back through the meadow, and to the car.  No One.

Here is what the parking lot looked like when we returned on Monday evening. (That is our vehicle)


We took a rope, but the only time we used it was to belay a crossing of Phelps Creek. 
Spider Meadow

The meadow was beautiful with glacier lillys in bloom.
   

We got to spider pass around 8pm and had great views and an 1100 foot ski to camp at the upper Lyman Lakes

spider pass

ski to camp


camp


The snow surface on Chiwawa was suncupped near the bottom but smooth at the top.  Chester skinned most of the way with ski crampons.  I booted the steeper sections and wore my aluminum crampons.

going up

near the summit


The skiing up high was perfect.  No-worry corn.  I skied from just below the summit and through a slightly more dicey line than I did on a previous trip because it was such easy skiing.  Here is Chester about half way down:


back at our bivy spot, a short break.


and a comparison of this year's snow to last September.  Not relevant to the photo comparison, but I noticed that the suncups below 6500' are worse this year than I remember from recent years.


On the way out I traversed around a snowy bench to reach the East Peak of Chiwawa and I got to ski the most prominent line visible from the Meadow.  Of course there was no one down there to watch since the entire Phelps Creek drainage was deserted.

Fun trail picture:

It was a great trip.
Four guys with sleds ... would not have believed you but you have photographic evidence.

Did you point out to them that they had invented these things called skis ... happened about, I dunno, a couple thousand years ago ... that could be used to ACTUALLY CONTROL what the hell was going to happen once you got going really fast on snow?

author=wolfs link=topic=28937.msg121745#msg121745 date=1372753623]
... that could be used to ACTUALLY CONTROL what the hell was going to happen once you got going really fast on snow?


You must have different skis than me then.  I've never been accused of control while on mine.

Sweet Trip Mike!

I wanna come next time  :)

Nice trip Mike (& Chester!), I'm hoping to get some more carry-able gear by next year, maybe chase you guys up there.

great TR. That is such a beautiful place. Have hiked/run it during the high hunt season so have a hard time imagining it deserted. Got to try it with skis.

Another Top Shelf report Mike! Thanks! I too had my alone time in the Lyman basin a few years ago  and value that experience highly.

Mike, so sorry to miss such a great trip, that picture of Chester walking through the Glacier lily's in the in the meadow is fantastic, I have never been anyplace that has a more spectacular show of them than Spider Meadow. Thanks for the pictures, and the post. 

Thanks for that, Mike! That picture at the pass is one of the best I have seen this year! Kudos to both of you for getting the goods!   :)

Perhaps the sleds were for the exciting new sport known a "adventure sledging", hauling loads through remote snow covered terrain while channeling the spirit of Robert Falcon Scott and his last adventure on the ice of Antarctica...

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mikerolfs
2013-07-01 23:03:38