July 4, 2006, Muir snowfield

I had a date on Tuesday to ski the Muir snowfield. The victim, Kris, had never gone ski touring before but she liked to ski and she seemed genuinely interested. I borrowed gear, and did my best to convince her this is one the best ways to see Mt Rainier. We arrived to the Pdsie lot just after 8; there were plenty of spaces left. From the lot to Glacier Vista the snow is pretty patch. Once in Glacier Vista, though, you can skin all the way to where the trail ascends up to Pebble Creek. Kris near Glacier Vista:


We didn't start skinning though until we got above Pebble Creek. This was Kris's first time on skins and she did excellent. Kris skinning up the snowfield:


We rested at Camp Muir, then headed down. The snow was mildly cupped and bumpy and a bit sticky, but it wasn't too bad and it was more consolidated than we had in the SW Chutes. Kris at Camp Muir preparing for her first backcountry ski run:


We skied all the way to Pebble Creek, hiked below Pebble Creek, then skied all the way to Glacier Vista. It was a fun way to spend the 4th.