June 18, 2005, Mt. Daniel

Another forecast for a rainy weekend was proven incorrect as drizzle turned towards sunny skies for a trip to Mount Daniel Saturday.  A group of six met at the trailhead, Phil, Jason R., Josh & Jason, Sam and I. During the gear rummaging and rearranging prior to departure, Phil earned his new nickname, "Lefty", as he pulled two left boots out of his bag.  After a few choice words, he figured out that his liners were at least a left and right and might work out if there wasn't too much skinning.  Off we went.  An easy, snow-free trail through a slight drizzle...to keep us cool, led us to Peggy's Pond.  There we met up with Hummel Sr. (Kurt) and his buddy Steve.  It became readily apparent that we were going to be able to ski all the way to and from the pond.   We switched over to skinning mode and crossed the snowfield gully through the slabs and headed up to the Daniel Glacier Divide, eyeing an easy couloir ski to our left.  Once to the basin beneath the East Peak, I was met with a challenge.  I was going to have to break rule #1...Never follow a Hummel. ;D  Kurt and Steve started booting up toward the East Summit.  Sam, Josh and Jason R. headed up the basin to underneath the Spire, and Jason H. and Phil decided to check out the route to the right of the ridge.  I originally headed to the ridge with Jason and Phil, to find the snow on the east facing slopes prone to slow loose snow slides, I turned and joined Sam at the Spire.  We traversed the Daniel Glacier up to the ridge, where after a quick boot pack from there to the Main Summit, the group rejoined.  

The ski began with some sloppy spring snow.  Phil's boots turned out OK, with some difficult turns to his left.  We suggested that he should just ski in circles. ;)   A traverse around the back side of the east summit led up to a great ski down the face to the top of the Couloir.  One by one, we gleefully took our turns and met Kurt and Steve in the Basin.  A geschmozzel type rush to the bottom, we met at Kurt and Steve's camp where Josh presented his Dad with a Fathers day gift, a highly pressurized Guinness!

Skiing on Daniel should remain good for at least another month or so, although skiing continuous snow all the way back down to Peggy's Pond may only be doable for another week.  Go get it!
~Lori