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Topic: Taming the Whitehorse, Feb 23, 2008 (Read 3991 times)
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Jason_H.
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WHITEHORSE MOUNTAIN, February 23, 2008
~As if our birth had at first sundered things, and we had been thrust up through into nature like a wedge, and not till the wound heals and the scar disappears, do we begin to discover where we are, and that nature is one and continuous everywhere.
Henry David Thoreau
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On a Saturday morning well before light, I found myself in a dark forest. What rain was expected had fallen as drizzle and hadn't added up to much. Fog drooled through tangled tree branches laden with snow and frozen moss. The snow still lingered in Darrington from storms earlier this Winter making for a deeper low level snow pack than I've ever seen, allowing us to skin from the car at 600-700-ft elevation all the way to the base of our tormentor and soon to be mistress, Whitehorse Mountain.
With our packs on we began weaving our way up the road. It is easy to worry about the climb and what shenanigans there will be. Instead I thought about my previous weekend’s sunny turns and of the similar forests I had hiked through. What I couldn't figure out and still can't fathom is this, "Why is the forest so loud?" Animals and snow bombs began to sweep through the trees as light awakened them, serving us with hope that it would be a nice day. When Whitehorse Glacier came into full view, no clouds or fog obscuring her, our surprise couldn’t be hidden.
This was to be Sky's fourth venture up Whitehorse. After three failures, he was praying for success. After leaving the road we headed slightly down to cross the creek, which left Sky slipping off a rock, obscenities flying through the air like missiles that surely couldn't obliterate our primary opponent. Above us, covering the creek-entire was a massive pile of avalanche debris whose frozen carcass lay piled as high and as wide as an air force hanger. I felt like I was looking across dunes! Although, however bad this looked the climbing of it was easy, but thinking ahead, I could only imagine the skiing as horrendously ego-dashing.
But it is best not to think about those things.
Ahead of us was the crux of the route. Throughout the lower basin is a cliff band that wraps around its gut and this anus of places required a lot of shit-climbing before we would reach higher slopes. Sky had tried the left hand side, but Ryan thought the right-hand side looked better. We all agreed and climbed up out of the debris toward a steep wall of snow. This lead us to slopes we traversed across by climbing in and out of icy slough paths full of even more frozen debris.
By the time we had climbed above 3k the snow began to hint at improvements ahead, but I could never have imagined what lay in store for us. It was like reading the numbers for the lotto, and thinking, "Boy those are a bit like mine?" Then upon looking you discover they are! Instead of money our winnings were won in fields of powder blanketed by a halo of wild, feral light racing through a few lingering clouds. The tiny crystallized balls of snow were what I imagined a combination of warm weather followed by very cold nights could produce. Earlier in the week it was warm and then it became much chillier, sucking the moisture back out of the snow, leaving the most peculiar kind of powder.
Beyond the great snow and wondrous views were chances to capture it all with a picture. I was in heaven and couldn't help but take dozens of shots of every feature of rock, valley and mountain. When I was younger I was a decent artist, but the desire fled with age and now, with a camera, I am able to rescue those long lost feelings and this has been a great joy for me. Nature is like a great painting but unlike one made of paint; this one is made ever changing. With season and hour this tapestry continually fascinates and inspires me.
Near the col that brings us off the North Face, we feared stability, but were able to find wind-scoured slopes to bring us over it. Sky charged into the sunlight as we climbed one at a time. The temperature had risen from freezing to blazing hot and the angelic curves of light and shadow were formidable and frightening on such a white canvas. I felt immeasurable joy to be allowed to walk there and as much effort as the day had already taken, walking now was effortless. It felt akin to being in an (  ) angels world with abilities to fly and ghost through Earth's ether. Our shadows were burnt into the slopes. Every aspect of this place was without flaw except for our tracks.
Sky decided to take some turns before going to the summit. I shot several pictures of him from my resting place. His thrill could be felt vibrating through the snow. Wow, what a set of turns! As he climbed back up Ryan started for the summit and I took even more photos. Glacier Peak was preening and her scions were stretched to either side of her like a marching army.
Sky passed me as I pulled out an axe and put on crampons. The climb was steep but not terribly exposed with this amount of snow. There was a little rock at the very top that I had to pull myself over. Here the sunlit rocks warmed my freezing hands. Sights of the airy drop down to the lower slopes of Three Fingers weakened my knees, but couldn't flatten the smile on my face. I love to summit! And better yet when I get to ski all the way back down.
Ryan and Sky posed for a few summit shots where you will notice smiles. I don't think I've ever seen Sky so pleased to reach the top of a mountain?
Skiing off the top was interesting but as soon as we dropped onto the face, we cruised down wondrously inclined slopes down to soul-stroking powder. By then my mind was humming rock ballads and feasting such gluttony upon these snowy granules, I must’a been half-crazed and high from their sway.
From the pass, we dropped into the North Face where I got Sky to jump a small crevasse for me. After that photos were secondary priorities, as the powder was good and the light was behind us. I think this choice was preferred in either case, because I wanted some turns.
And TURNS I got. They were good! Great!! Spectacular!!!
And then they weren't.
Over five thousand feet of goodness left at least fifteen hundred feet of hell. Icy slopes led to icier slopes ridden with avalanche paths that were even harder still. I felt like a teenager groping my way into a girlfriends skirt and being slapped hard for my miscreant ways. Copious sidestepping and dripping sweat caught me up to Sky and Ryan after as much as half an hour. Some softer turns led us to the steep chute through the cliffs. More side-stepping and tree-rappelling led from the slip-and-slay slopes above to flatter land, happily in one piece. I was very relieved, but much too early. The avalanche debris was frozen like bowling balls by the thousands. Not to forget of course the interspersed slip and slays. I definitely can't dance, but this surely showed I can't ski worth a damn either. "Why you ask, am I skiing?" Well, because I could and the challenge is mine to meet. But god damn, I was getting my ass handed to me.
And then there was relief again. Sky had a cheat route that would avoid further avi debris. Unfortunately, no glory or easy-skating for the non-initiated, we flailed along more slip and slays until the snow softened to rotten mush full of logs and moats. Nearly cliffed out we took our skis off and climbed down through moss and mud to put our skis on in deeper muck and make our way down to the valley with a hoot and holler.
After crossing the creek, we continued along the up and down road to the car. Along the way Sky threw obscenities like tinsel at a party. The forest echoed with all our screams and the loudness of it all made us yell all the more louder. We were thrilled and looks later from the gas station just down from where we parked, made us feel like we were in Europe. Now when we drove along the Mountain Loop Highway through Darrington, we could tell ourselves, "Look at that! I’ve been there, done that." This mistress and tormentor was just what I needed.
......if you read this far, you deserve to see more photos!
Here are more photos and they certainly aren't all of them, I'll get more up later:
http://www.cascadecrusades.org/SkiMountaineering/whitehorse/whitehorseglcier2008/wh2008.htm It is 2am and I'm still so excited.
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« Last Edit: 03/02/08, 09:20 AM by Jason_H. »
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SkierDan
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AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Scotsman
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Congratulations. Mind blowing adventure and and inspiration to the rest of us.
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mtj
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Great work! I drove by there on Sunday, and was eyeing just about the exact line you took, wondering if it might go, especially with the lowland coverage. Wondered especially about getting around the lower cliff band on the right. Figured it would be an adventure. Great to wake up Monday and read about someone getting it done! Excellent pics!
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Charlie Hagedorn
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Huzzah! Sky was right about your photos. (Go click on Jason's link, if you haven't already.)
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skykilo
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"In a world of angles," our direction cosines worked well.
Awesome that you were dripping sweet, too.
I ARE SO STOKED.
I don't think Whitehorse can be tamed. We just managed to not get bucked.
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gregL
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Great trip and incredible pictures, Jason!
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Lisa
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WOW! Jason, you take phenomenal photos and your writing lures me beyond my fascination for the next photo.
Thanks for sharing.
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Jason_H.
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Wow all, I'm glad you liked. It was fun writing, picturing, and skiing. The light up there was just plain out of this world. I've been thinking back on it all day and I can't wait to leave work to edit more pictures and see what else I have.
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hedonaut
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holy moly. great work fellas, such a scenic area, can't believe i opted (?) to work instead.
spectacular pics and prose, J.
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jd
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Great shots Jason, esp. Cliffs-Shrunds-etc.
I did that route in the spring some years ago and found challenging bushwhacking on the climber's L route on the way up - it was almost fun if I thought of it as dancing with alder. This video of my partner Eric sums it up. We found fun skiing, and came down the other side, but didn't have a rope, so carefully downclimbed some tricky brushy cliffs. I've always wanted go go back in the winter when it was snow covered enough to make the climb trivial, but don't know if that ever happens any more.
Here are a few shots from the valley of that area:
 
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« Last Edit: 02/26/08, 09:14 AM by jd »
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Jason_H.
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jd
love the 2nd pic. The slopes up there were so awesome for us, almost surreal. I like tagging these big, little summits. They are fun challenges. Yeah, those cliffs are interesting. Not a prob really right now, cept for the ice. If it were powder or anything other than rock hard concrete at the bottom, they wouldn't be bad at all. It's just a crap-fest place to be if something decides to come down. Lots of cliffs looming over you.
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Snow Bell
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“Now climbing the highest mountains, now descending into the lowest vales. From the summits we see the heavens and the horizon, from the vales we look up to the heights again.”
Thoreau
Way to get after it guys. That is an impressive looking peak with a dramatic rise above the valley. The next time that am in Darrington I will likely think of your efforts, faithful and true.
But really, can the Whitehorse be tamed or has it effectively tamed your ambition to mount it?
“And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness doth judge and make war.”
REV 19:11
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Life is going to slide by you one way or another
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Daniel_G
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That is an unbelievable adventure and a fantastic report with pictures. Thank you.
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Jason_H.
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That's a good quote for this story Snowbell. More appropriate I think. And yeah, you can't really tame the whitehorse. It was just tame from the shock of all the sun we got that day. 
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Gary_Yngve
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AWESOME PHOTOS!!!
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Robyn
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Amazing photography...inspirational adventure...I'm at a loss for words otherwise!
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"We don't stop playing because we grow older. We grow older because we stop playing."
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samoon
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This is the best trip report that I've read on TAY......that's really I have to say on the subject.......and that I wish I could have shared in the trip.......the report was good enough for me.
Thanks
Stacy
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snowseeker
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hey jason...what a great adventure
nice shots what kind of camera are you using?
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Jason_H.
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hey jason...what a great adventure
nice shots what kind of camera are you using?
nikon d200 with a 2.8 17-55 lens. It's big and heavy. There are probably other ways to go now that would be better and lighter. A nice lens is going to always be heavy though. Nikon seems to get really good color and works good on days like we had on Whitehorse. In fog or clouds I have less success it seems than other cameras have.
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