NW Adventures,  Maps & GPS Tracks

Glacier Peak 8-21-16

Glacier Peak… Deb and I have had this trip on the schedule for a while now. Day one, trailhead to Camp 1…White Pass. Very hot and buggy. Beautiful forest though. Day 2, camp 1 to High Camp…Glacier Gap. Very warn, but the scenic aspect kept the mind from the misery . Very scenic. Day 3…High Camp to Summit back to Camp 1. Long day, no bugs, windy near and at the summit. By the time we got back to Camp 1, clouds rolled in and it cooled way down, with a stiff cool breeze at camp…no rain though. Day 4…short pleasant walk out and a long tiring drive home.
A very scenic straight forward climb.

After the long drive we lodged in Darrington, this was our view from the hotel…Whitehorse Mountain…
Panorama 23

Paperwork…BAH!
P1010589

Sloan Peak, from the trail…
P1010593

Long log foot bridge across an unnamed creek…
Panorama 1

Cut log…Aug 2016…and Deb…9-years later
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Cut log…Aug 2007…and the two guys that just spent a week cutting the log. I was there to help push the cut section down the hill 🙂
P1010898

Above tree line, traversing to White Pass…
P1010604

After setting up camp at White Pass we scrambled up a hill to enjoy the sunset…Looking east and down into the White River drainage…
Panorama 3

Panorama 4

Panorama 6

Next morning, leaving camp, looking west, at the sun rising on Sloan Peak (right), Cadet Pk, Monte Cristo Pk, Kyes Pk, and others….
Panorama 7

Looking back at White Pass as we are traversing the green slopes above the White River drainage…
P1010697

This young marmot popped out of its hole as we were passing by….
P1010696

Our first view of Glacier Peak (far distance) and the pass we’ll take to drop into the Whitechuck Glacier area…
P1010710

Glacier Peak and its reflection in a tarn on the ground that was recently under the Whitechuck Glacier….
P1010730

If you zoom in you can see our route we took to reach our high camp (Glacier Gap), and the green line is the way we came back…
Panorama 12

Beautiful…Deb…
Panorama 14

My personal favorite part of this climb is hiking over this section of earth just recently uncovered…incredibly beautiful!
Panorama 15

Panorama 17

Our High Camp at Glacier Gap….
P1010852

We have several hours of full sun, before sunset. In an area that offered no shade, we searched and found this rock to hide from the sun….
P1010800

Exploring the western edge of the Suiattle Glacier…
Panorama 21

Summit day…first light to the east and smoke from the Buck Creek fire…13-miles away…
Panorama 25

First sun, as we are on the Gerdine Glacier…
Panorama 29

Panorama 28

Roped up now crossing just below Disappointment Peak…
P1010911

…up and over the ice field….
P1010920

…onto the Cool Glacier…
P1010929

Panorama 32

Panorama 53

The final push to the summit…very windy!
P1010938

At the summit of Glacier Peak 10,570′ +/-
Panorama 34

🙂
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Back through the ice field…
Panorama 52

If you zoom in you’ll see our route back over the Gerdine Glacier…
Panorama 37

Nearing our High Camp, looking back at our route up, and down Glacier Peak…
Panorama 39

After packing up camp, looking at our route back out and over the lower Glacier Gap and the Whitechuck Glacier…
Panorama 41

Panorama 43

Panorama 44

Looking out over the earth that was once covered by the Whitechuck Glacier…
Panorama 45

Now at the bottom of the remaining Whitechuck Glacier…
Panorama 46

Back up and over the pass…
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Tough guy…defending his hole..
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Back at camp 1 for a final night under the stars…
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

…well, maybe no stars tonight, weather’s moving in…
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Next morning leaving White Pass…cool temps…
Panorama 49

…and more beautiful scenery for the hike back to the trailhead…
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

No, we didn’t gorge on blueberrys…not at all… 🙂
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

We passed three spots where the trail, and forest, were washed out by massive rock and debris flows.
Panorama 51

35-miles x 11,600′ gain…
Glacier Peak 8-21-16

4 thoughts on “Glacier Peak 8-21-16

    1. Karl Helser Post author

      Thanks Brent! Yeah, second time up there…still one of my favorites… Even though I don’t like to see the glaciers recede, what is uncovered is so amazing, and beautiful.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *