July 16, 2007, Goat Cirque Redux, Frypan/Summerland
7/16/07
3711
1
With my true weekend spent on wholesome all american family summertime activities like beaches and fairs, I felt under-recreated for the week, and Monday looked like it might be the last decent summer ski day for this week at least. I've been up to Fryingpan for the last 4 years now and it is a consistently good July & August destination, hadn't been this year, so the destination choice was obvious enough.
Weather partly cloudy in the morning, somewhat humid, high clouds that crossed the sky very quickly told of winds aloft. Bugs in the woods not too bad if you kept moving. Flower show started after the creek crossing. Mostly lupine, valerian, bluebell, spiraea, then thick avalanche lily on the shady hillclimb. Phlox, various louseworts and paintbrush in Summerland proper (less bugs here too hoo-ah), then low fireweed and skypilot in the rock gardens of Goat Cirque and beyond.
Flower show
The more direct way would go, with a couple of rock band crossings, but I went the Goat Cirque way anyways so that I could see it, anyways it is scenic. While it was Summery in the so-named Land, a chill breeze started to be felt once off the trail, and this kept the snow surface fairly hard, had to kick steps hard and not workable for skinning all day. I took the indirect less steep way up to far left and traversed as much snow as possible near ridge to the shallow pools below the lower glacier, climbed first steep part of glacier roll to where it flattens out for a ways. At that point the wind was gusty and cold, the snow surface even harder, and Whitman Crest not well visible through haze and scudding cumulus, so I decided not to continue to Crest top and just start down from there.
First steep run OK but would certainly have been more fun on some balmier day. Skis off to round pool area. Next pitch down Goat Cirque was softer though still not summer corn, nevertheless the well-over 40 degree angle made it a fun, spicy slope. Saw some of the locals on my way down, only about 6 or 7 as opposed to the 20+ Andrew saw. I'm pretty sure I put tracks down right next to Andrew's weekold tracks too. The Cirque had at least a dozen older tracks. I guess the cirque des chèvres de montagne is becoming tres chic. Various lines in the Cirque will still go for the way down, and just possible to ride a magic carpet of dubious snow atop the unseen hollow tunnel of the raging creek until nearly the trail.
The good stuff
Hike out was pretty plodding. Of course it seemed like the weather had improved after my weather induced turnaround, and it was mostly sunny and warm into the evening. Bugs were out more too despite my attempts at a quick retreat. Fair amount of hikers for a Monday but no other skiers.
Summerland is Snaffle Shangrila
Weather partly cloudy in the morning, somewhat humid, high clouds that crossed the sky very quickly told of winds aloft. Bugs in the woods not too bad if you kept moving. Flower show started after the creek crossing. Mostly lupine, valerian, bluebell, spiraea, then thick avalanche lily on the shady hillclimb. Phlox, various louseworts and paintbrush in Summerland proper (less bugs here too hoo-ah), then low fireweed and skypilot in the rock gardens of Goat Cirque and beyond.
Flower show
The more direct way would go, with a couple of rock band crossings, but I went the Goat Cirque way anyways so that I could see it, anyways it is scenic. While it was Summery in the so-named Land, a chill breeze started to be felt once off the trail, and this kept the snow surface fairly hard, had to kick steps hard and not workable for skinning all day. I took the indirect less steep way up to far left and traversed as much snow as possible near ridge to the shallow pools below the lower glacier, climbed first steep part of glacier roll to where it flattens out for a ways. At that point the wind was gusty and cold, the snow surface even harder, and Whitman Crest not well visible through haze and scudding cumulus, so I decided not to continue to Crest top and just start down from there.
First steep run OK but would certainly have been more fun on some balmier day. Skis off to round pool area. Next pitch down Goat Cirque was softer though still not summer corn, nevertheless the well-over 40 degree angle made it a fun, spicy slope. Saw some of the locals on my way down, only about 6 or 7 as opposed to the 20+ Andrew saw. I'm pretty sure I put tracks down right next to Andrew's weekold tracks too. The Cirque had at least a dozen older tracks. I guess the cirque des chèvres de montagne is becoming tres chic. Various lines in the Cirque will still go for the way down, and just possible to ride a magic carpet of dubious snow atop the unseen hollow tunnel of the raging creek until nearly the trail.
The good stuff
Hike out was pretty plodding. Of course it seemed like the weather had improved after my weather induced turnaround, and it was mostly sunny and warm into the evening. Bugs were out more too despite my attempts at a quick retreat. Fair amount of hikers for a Monday but no other skiers.
Summerland is Snaffle Shangrila