June 5, 2005, Naches Peak East Bowl
6/5/05
WA Cascades East Slopes South
3310
4
Mark, Chris and I left Bellevue Saturday at 5:30 and met up with Kam and Allyson in Enumclaw. After dinner we drove 410 down to 12 and camped by Chamber's Lake under clear skies, ready to head to Old Snowy in the morning.
The stars were just a tease. We woke in the morning to rain. We dawdled around camp eating breakfast hoping things would clear. Nothing seemed to be changing so we went back into Packwood, drank bad coffee and ate another breakfast at a local diner.
After spending the rest of the morning chatting with friends in Packwood and taking pictures of squirrels infiltrating "squirrel-proof" birdfeeders, we decided we couldn't give up on skiing yet. We just didn't want to hike 7 miles in the rain to get to it. Off to Chinook Pass!
We arrived at the pass to a find a cool breeze and a little percipitation. Just a couple hundred feet up there was a little rime on the trees and while we skinned graupel and traces of flakes were falling.
The trail from the pass around to the bowl was intermittantly snow covered, but mostly passable on skins. The bowl is starting to get quite melted out, but we were able to connect it from top to bottom on the descent via a thin finger of snow only as wide as our skis at one point.
Let's hear it for June turns!
The stars were just a tease. We woke in the morning to rain. We dawdled around camp eating breakfast hoping things would clear. Nothing seemed to be changing so we went back into Packwood, drank bad coffee and ate another breakfast at a local diner.
After spending the rest of the morning chatting with friends in Packwood and taking pictures of squirrels infiltrating "squirrel-proof" birdfeeders, we decided we couldn't give up on skiing yet. We just didn't want to hike 7 miles in the rain to get to it. Off to Chinook Pass!
We arrived at the pass to a find a cool breeze and a little percipitation. Just a couple hundred feet up there was a little rime on the trees and while we skinned graupel and traces of flakes were falling.
The trail from the pass around to the bowl was intermittantly snow covered, but mostly passable on skins. The bowl is starting to get quite melted out, but we were able to connect it from top to bottom on the descent via a thin finger of snow only as wide as our skis at one point.
Let's hear it for June turns!
... pictures of squirrels infiltrating "squirrel-proof" birdfeeders...
photos
1. 7am. Allyson at camp. no Snowy this time.
2. Daniel on Naches.
ah yes, what a day. if anything, it was fun to putz around and drink coffee (even if it was bad...) and get a few turns too. thanks for the enjoyable and random day guys! it definitely was entertaining (especially that squirrel, what a champ!) :D
Sometimes the best part of backcountry skiing is the social aspects of the process, especially when plans go wrong and creativity needs to be at it's peak. That's when the folks you cavort with can be the most fun.
Good call, matey's, says I ;).
Good call, matey's, says I ;).
I quite enjoyed the entertaining, random, & somewhat lazy day 8) Old Snowy can wait, again :)
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