April 15, 2001, Silver Star Mountain

I BLEW IT! WE STARTED ON THE WRONG VALLEY - WE HIKED UP VALDZ CREEK INSTEAD OF SILVER STAR CREEK. I DIDN'T REALIZE THIS UNTIL THINGS DIDN'T LOOK SIMIAR THE LAST TIME I WAS HERE. BUT WE HAD A GOOD PACE AND IT WAS EARLY IN THE DAY. WE GOT TO THE END OF VALTZ CREEK BASIN AND CLIMB WEST ON STEEP WOODED SLOPE TO GAIN THE RIDGE TO SILVER STAR GLACIER. IT WAS A LONGER WAY IN AND LITTLE BIT MORE BRUSHER BUT WE MADE IT TO THE GLACIER. SAW ONE SOLO TRACK ON THE GLACIER (SEE MARK'S APRIL 14TH REPORT) SO WE FOLLOW IT UP TO WHERE IT ENDS JUST FEW HUNDRED FEET FROM THE COL. WE DIG A PIT TO CHECK THE SNOW CONDITIONS AND IT APPEARED FINE. THE BASE LAYER DIDN'T RELEASE UNTIL 4 HARD JUMPS. WE GAIN THE SADDLE AND AWARD WITH VIEWS AND LITTLE WIND. WE CLIMBED TO THE SUMMIT WITH SOME 3RD CLASS MOVE AND REWARDED WITH MORE VIEWS. SKIING DOWN WAS NICE BUT I FELL ON MY FACE TOO MANY TIMES NOT FROM BAD SNOW BUT EXHAUSTION AND POOR TECHIQUE. WE WENT DOWN SILVER STAR CREEK AND ! SKIIED ALL THE WAY TO THE HIGHWAY. HITCHHIKING THE 2 MILES BACK TO VALTZ CREEK AND INTO MY VEHICLE AT 6:00 PM SHARP. I ACTUALLY WAS GLAD THAT WE DID THIS INTERESTED LOOP. IT MADE THE WHOLE DAY LONGER AND HARDER.

JERRY