July 15, 2006, Van Trump Glacier (Mock Turtle Soup)
7/15/06
WA Cascades West Slopes South (Mt Rainier)
2506
0
I have not ever done the tour to the Turtle, and I thought I'd give it a go as a solo (via Van Trump, didn't want to solo cross Nisqually). The approach via Comet Falls trail is not at all unreasonable, it took me 1:45 to get to where I started skinning. That's very comparable to most of the other Rainier midsummer day tours I do regularly. It's only not comparable to Muir/Paradise G, but I really didn't want to go to Paradise again.
Morning had high clouds that kept the hike cool. Parking spots were available at 9:30, but the small lot is one X factor with this hike - get there too late and you are hosed. Falls running nicely, trail featured nearly every one of my favorite flowers including purple shootingstars. My skinon point was at the first rise past the "unofficial trail" sign, just over 6000, which was just about the elev. I'd predicted would find the snow. Observed band of 10-15 goats across a small valley. Just as I sat there wondering why I could not see any ski tracks, two skiers emerged out of the gully. They had been shut down on the Kautz Cleaver route by some chossy unstable rockslides (I think they just had skis to get down from camp, not to ski that route or another) and were heading down. Time for beers and steaks for them. From skinon point, sloppy snow, a short grass ski and one 50 yd carry led to a key snowfilled gully that accessed the higher snow.The tracks of the two other skiers proved useful navigational data ... sort of ...
The problem was that from where I started there was a cloud deck. Oh well I thought it'll probably rise and burn off as I climb. And for a while it did, but then got stuck at 6500. From here it was very thick fog. I followed their tracks as I found them, and or other boot tracks. I knew that I had to bear pretty far lookers right to top Cushman Crest and get onto the edge of the Wilson. The fog played strange foreshortening tricks on my eyes. At one point I saw two twin rock meatballs lying on the snow that looked like they were 4ft high and they turned out to be 1/4 that size. Somewhere in here I strayed from tracks and ran into a rock divide that I should have ducked under, rather than trying to end run up. The end result was that when I finally emerged from the deck at around 8700 I could tell I was in the wrong place. (Should have brought the GPS but was not expecting a cloud deck today.) Oh well, there was still snow above. Things got steeper, 35 degrees or so, steep enough that booting was better travel in the snow which was that tricky mixture of one inch soft slippy, hard below. While still in the fog I had noted that things were looking a little like a bombing range. One rock in fact came cruising at medium speed from out of nowhere down a moderate slope . Hmm. And unfortunately this upper mystery slope I was now heading towards proved to be pretty runneled and pitted and also had some ice chickenheads on it (it hadn't looked that bad from below).
I stopped at 10K, 6 hrs in, taking a short rest at one of the few spots that it looked like random rocks could not reach. I could see the Kautz icechute well above and a little right, the icefall above and more to the right. The ridge that had flustered me had risen into prominence, and featured numerous tottery orange fangs and foul looking gullies. I think if I had continued upwards another 200ft I could have looked onto the main body of the Kautz. My best guess was that I was close to gaining Wapowety Cleaver at a point well below where most people would cross it. Maybe what I did was an alternate approach, but it seemed unnecessarily steep and if those rocks are a regular feature, not worth it.
Edit added: here is a transfered pix from where I turned around:
The ski down was adventurous during the bombing range part, but improved considerably as I re entered the fogbank. Although the fog had spoiled my goal of the Turtle, it had helped to keep the snow in this range from oversoftening. Fun cruising with a manageable (almost enjoyable, in the fog it was like a game) smattering of obstacles to avoid. Popped out of bank just as I had left it hours before at 6500, final gully slope to the ski off still good. Whee!
The end of the line. Note oppressive fog bank.
I'd call this a reasonable midsummer ski option. Snow quality comparable to what I've seen at places like Russell and Inter both on basis of general characteristics and time of year. More gain on trail than some approaches but actually a better deproach than say Spray Pk or Glacier B. Gravity takes you, only 1:15 trailhike for me after packing the skis. I'm sure it would be an even better option in say May, the rolling terrain in the Park itself looks fun, but it's perhaps worth waiting until you can use the trailbed to get up the very steep slope E of Comet Falls, that would seem problematic in fullon snow.
Morning had high clouds that kept the hike cool. Parking spots were available at 9:30, but the small lot is one X factor with this hike - get there too late and you are hosed. Falls running nicely, trail featured nearly every one of my favorite flowers including purple shootingstars. My skinon point was at the first rise past the "unofficial trail" sign, just over 6000, which was just about the elev. I'd predicted would find the snow. Observed band of 10-15 goats across a small valley. Just as I sat there wondering why I could not see any ski tracks, two skiers emerged out of the gully. They had been shut down on the Kautz Cleaver route by some chossy unstable rockslides (I think they just had skis to get down from camp, not to ski that route or another) and were heading down. Time for beers and steaks for them. From skinon point, sloppy snow, a short grass ski and one 50 yd carry led to a key snowfilled gully that accessed the higher snow.The tracks of the two other skiers proved useful navigational data ... sort of ...
The problem was that from where I started there was a cloud deck. Oh well I thought it'll probably rise and burn off as I climb. And for a while it did, but then got stuck at 6500. From here it was very thick fog. I followed their tracks as I found them, and or other boot tracks. I knew that I had to bear pretty far lookers right to top Cushman Crest and get onto the edge of the Wilson. The fog played strange foreshortening tricks on my eyes. At one point I saw two twin rock meatballs lying on the snow that looked like they were 4ft high and they turned out to be 1/4 that size. Somewhere in here I strayed from tracks and ran into a rock divide that I should have ducked under, rather than trying to end run up. The end result was that when I finally emerged from the deck at around 8700 I could tell I was in the wrong place. (Should have brought the GPS but was not expecting a cloud deck today.) Oh well, there was still snow above. Things got steeper, 35 degrees or so, steep enough that booting was better travel in the snow which was that tricky mixture of one inch soft slippy, hard below. While still in the fog I had noted that things were looking a little like a bombing range. One rock in fact came cruising at medium speed from out of nowhere down a moderate slope . Hmm. And unfortunately this upper mystery slope I was now heading towards proved to be pretty runneled and pitted and also had some ice chickenheads on it (it hadn't looked that bad from below).
I stopped at 10K, 6 hrs in, taking a short rest at one of the few spots that it looked like random rocks could not reach. I could see the Kautz icechute well above and a little right, the icefall above and more to the right. The ridge that had flustered me had risen into prominence, and featured numerous tottery orange fangs and foul looking gullies. I think if I had continued upwards another 200ft I could have looked onto the main body of the Kautz. My best guess was that I was close to gaining Wapowety Cleaver at a point well below where most people would cross it. Maybe what I did was an alternate approach, but it seemed unnecessarily steep and if those rocks are a regular feature, not worth it.
Edit added: here is a transfered pix from where I turned around:
The ski down was adventurous during the bombing range part, but improved considerably as I re entered the fogbank. Although the fog had spoiled my goal of the Turtle, it had helped to keep the snow in this range from oversoftening. Fun cruising with a manageable (almost enjoyable, in the fog it was like a game) smattering of obstacles to avoid. Popped out of bank just as I had left it hours before at 6500, final gully slope to the ski off still good. Whee!
The end of the line. Note oppressive fog bank.
I'd call this a reasonable midsummer ski option. Snow quality comparable to what I've seen at places like Russell and Inter both on basis of general characteristics and time of year. More gain on trail than some approaches but actually a better deproach than say Spray Pk or Glacier B. Gravity takes you, only 1:15 trailhike for me after packing the skis. I'm sure it would be an even better option in say May, the rolling terrain in the Park itself looks fun, but it's perhaps worth waiting until you can use the trailbed to get up the very steep slope E of Comet Falls, that would seem problematic in fullon snow.
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