August 16, 2016, Cowlitz

     Rusty Knees and I got August turns today.  The snow cover now is getting sparse, with hiking all the way to the top of the Stash.  Accessing this is best up high on Cowlitz Rock, and has a thin traverse that might not last the next heat spell.  We skinned part of the Cowlitz, then skied down to the crevasses on the Cowlitz and Ingraham (?).  New terrain for us, and it is impressive to imagine how full this valley was in the times before it melted away.
      The bootpack was steep at the top to the saddle.  We summited Cowlitz for grins, and scratched out turns to the basin above Sluiskin Memorial.  The streams coming off the Paradise cliffs make the final traverse pretty ugly.  We went for some exploration, but the upper Paradise looked really good with a long crevasse still
    Mr. Rusty Don is now at 118 months total   8)