April 6-9, 2007, White Pass to Stevens Pass
4/6/07
WA Stevens Pass
3577
6
Paul Ekman traverses toward White Pass on the first day. Indian Head Peak rises in the background.
After skiing from , Paul Ekman and I turned our attention to the longest segment on my
Clockwise from upper left: Johnson Mountain from White Pass at sunrise. Lowell on the Cascade crest south of Saddle Gap. Glacier Peak from near Kodak Peak. Paul on Grizzly Peak, above Glasses Lake.
Saturday was predicted to be partly sunny, with a chance of mountain showers. We awoke to a red dawn and advancing clouds. We some trepidation, we broke camp after sunrise and set out along the crest, knowing there were no good bailouts for thirty miles. Light rain started falling around 9 a.m., but fortunately it didn't last. We slowly ticked off the landmarks--Indian Pass, Kodak Peak, Dishpan Gap, Wards Pass, Skykomish Peak, and finally Cady Pass. The new snow from April 2 was wet and rather sticky, but trail-breaking was reasonable and the only hazard was minor sloughing in places. We originally planned to camp at Cady Pass, but decided to push a few more miles over Saddle Gap to a camp near Fortune Ponds, completing another 10-1/2 hour day.
Clouds engulfed our camp overnight and light rain fell. On Easter morning we awoke to fog and light mist. We skied to Pear Lake and Wenatchee Pass and were encouraged by breaks in the clouds as we traversed over Grizzly Peak to Lake Janus. With little faith that the good weather would last, we decided to push beyond our planned campsite once again. In mid-afternoon, we stopped within a mile of Union Gap as it began to rain. The rain continued through the night, finally changing to snow around 4 a.m.
Monday, our last day, was again blessed with weather that was reasonably pleasant. It snowed continuously but not too hard as we skied to Lake Valhalla. A few inches of cold, new snow over a rain-soaked base produced the most extreme icing conditions I've ever seen. Glop stopper rubbed on the tops, sides and edges of the skis was a life-saver. I left a strip down the middle of my base unwaxed and never needed to put on skins during the day. Around 12:30 p.m. we skied up the Great Northern railroad grade to the Stevens Pass parking lot. I loved the idea of completing the trip at an operating ski area, and I relished a hot lunch (no trail food!) from the Granite Peaks lodge. At 1:55 p.m., we caught the daily Trailways bus to Seattle, neatly solving our transportation problem. Paul's wife picked us up at the bus terminal, and we spent the evening retrieving my car (in a snow storm) at the North Fork Sauk River.
With the completion of this trip, all that remains of my Cascade Crest ski project is a five-mile section from White Pass to the Suiattle Glacier. After the road and trail melt out (probably in June), I'll head back to White Pass for a ski ascent of Glacier Peak--the "Golden Spike". Unfortunately, Paul is scheduled to be out of town then, but I can't imagine a better companion than he has been on the past three trips. Thanks Paul!
Lowell raises a fork and Paul, right, raises a cup at the end of the White Pass to Stevens Pass traverse.
Way cool. Indian Head Peak looks fun.
Congrats on successful trip Lowell! Thanks for the great report.
great TR Lowell...i love reading about the less travelled regions of the cascades.
and nice job pulling off a big multi-day tour during less than ideal weather!
and nice job pulling off a big multi-day tour during less than ideal weather!
Awesome. Glacier Peak looks great.
Lowell--what a great trip. Thanks for sharing the photos. It's been on my list for decades. As a high-schooler in the 60s I did the southern portion on snowshoes, before I skied. A week-long good weather forecast would be tempting next spring. Being an east-sider, I would approach via the White R. A snowmobile tow to the trailhead would be helpful!
Chester
Chester
Looks like Paul is still using those narrow fish scale touring skis, eh. Makes it even more impressive. Well done chaps and thanks for the inspiring reports.
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