Home > Trip Reports > June 2, 2007; Ruth Mountain birthday tour

June 2, 2007; Ruth Mountain birthday tour

6/15/07
WA Cascades West Slopes North (Mt Baker)
3881
5
Posted by Marcus on 6/3/07 7:50am
Having an early June birthday in the PNW is great -- an easy excuse to cherry-pick a prime spring ski tour and get your friends to carry beer and sing to you all day.

Nate, Kirsten, Anastasia and I rolled out from the trailhead at twenty after six, after driving out Friday night so we could sleep in a little more.  The trail is melted out until near Hannegan Meadows except for the (many) slide paths, but the brush has yet to grow in so it made for fast hiking while we watched the morning light pile up on Nooksack Ridge.  We switched to boots below Hannegan pass and cruised up and around to the saddle below Ruth and on to the top in soft, wet snow.  Amazing views.  We lay around and soaked up sun while sharing a beer, then harvested 5-6 inches of overcooked, pollen dusted wet corn to the valley floor, dodging a few glide-cracks in the gullies at the bottom.  A short skin back to the meadows and we racked our skis for the four mile hike to the car, where we celebrated with beer and watermelon.  We continued the celebration with sausage sandwiches and more beer in our backyard, in the waning light of summer.  I love June.

Thanks for taking me on my birthday ski y'all!
It was a pleasure celebrating your birthday with you too!  From sunrise to sunset -- it was a perfect day (aside from the pollen, of course). 

Q  :)


Aaaaah, Ruth.  Looks like it was an amazing day.  Sorry I couldn't make it on the birthday tour this year Marcus.  Next year I'll sing extra loud and carry TWO beers up for you! :) 

No worries!  As hot as it was, two more beers and I would've been sliding down the hill on my face... 

Marcus, it was great sharing the summit panorama with your group. If someone had mentioned it was your birthday we would have at least made you a GU spiked snow cone.

The pollen made for easy travel on the valley floor. Better glide than skins & without carrying grip wax.

Hey, nice to meet you!  Should have guessed you'd be on TAY.  Thanks for poking a track down through the glide cracks and for all the peak identification -- excellent day all around.  I'll take a rain check on the gu-cone...

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june-2-2007-ruth-mountain-birthday-tour
Marcus
2007-06-03 14:50:03