North Cascades backpack, etc.

July 22-30, 2009

Wednesday: drive to Bellevue, WA. Mt. St. Helens, from the Johnston Observatory

Closeup of the dome

Spirit Lake

Usual self-portrait

Mt. Adams

Johnston Observatory

Coldwater Lake

Distractions along I-5

Thursday: Mindy & I place Lili’s car at the N. Fork Sauk River TH (no pics). Friday: We intend to hike in to Lake Sally Ann, but end up camping at saddle by jct with the PCT. Beth and Cody at the Little Wenatchee TH

Beth, Mindy, Lili, Cody and me at the TH (Neil took the pic).

From bridge across the Little Wenatchee River

Cody cools off in the Little Wenatchee

Sight along the Cady Ridge trail

View to the south, across Cady Creek

First view of Glacier Peak

Pooped pooch

Meadow on Cady Ridge

White Lupine

Another shot of Glacier Peak (and many more to come.)

Glacier & I

Continuing on Cady Ridge

View to the south

Glacier from our campsite

To the east

Dinner time

Saturday: day hikes near Lake Sally Ann. View east

Early morning Glacier

Avalanche debris on Lake Sally Ann

Penstemon

Lake Sally Ann from the PCT

Glacier, from PCT just south of JCT with Cady Ridge TR

Breakfast time

Hill to north of camp

Waterfall above Lake Sally Ann

Avy debris on the lake

Neil watches daughter Beth fish

Guru Bill (we tried climbing Skykomish Peak, but were too far north)

First view of Sloan Peak

Glacier from ridge above the lake

View south

Neil and Beth descend the ridge

Lili skis the slope above the lake

Source of the waterfall

Bill crosses snowfield below the ridge

Photo op above the waterfall

Side view of the waterfall

After sitting out T-showers in our tents, Mindy, Bill, Lili and I hike north on the PCT. Bill poses at trail JCT on the PCT

North Fork Skykomish River valley

Dinner after the storm

Sunday: Bill, Neil and Beth hike out via Cady Creek. Mindy, Lili and I head north to White Pass. Second morning at camp

On the PCT headed to White Pass

Lili and I took a small detour to climb point 6562. Blue Lake from pass below point 6562

Sloan Peak from point 6562

Glacier, again

Another self-portrait

Blue Lake and Johnson Mountain

White River Glacier

Headwaters of the North Fork of the Skykomish

Descending meadows of point 6562

Moss along the trail

Rock formations

Back at the PCT

Other side of the rock formations?

Looking back at Cady Ridge

More of Cady Ridge

Point 6562

Another way back to our starting point

New trail down to Meander Meadow. Old trail followed ridge on S. side before dropping down to meadow.

Abandoned section of Little Wenatchee River trail

Meadow below Kodak Peak

Meander Meadow

More Kodak Peak meadow

At JCT with Wenatchee Ridge trail

Plenty of water along the trail

Indian Pass

Tiger lily

Johnson Mountain

White River trail JCT

Sloan and Bedal peaks

Point 6562 and Johnson Mountain

At the Reflection Pond

Indian Head Peak

Getting closer to Glacier!

Field of glacier lilies

White Pass and White Mountain

Ridge between White Pass and the White Chuck Glacier basin

Another of the White River Glacier

Tents in the White Pass campground. (Ours are above, to the left)

Marmot on the PCT

Home, sweet home

Monkeyflower

Our campsite

Glacier Peak in the clouds

View from camp towards the White Chuck Glacier

More clouds, same direction

Sunset from camp

Deer nearby

More clouds

Still more

Crescent moon

Sloan Peak evening

Monday: Lili and I attempt Glacier Peak. Venus

Almost sunrise

On the new climbers trail into the White Chuck Glacier basin

First peek at the White Chuck Glacier basin

Marmots everywhere!

Looking back at White Mountain

This day’s self-portrait

Morning light on Glacier Peak

More of the White Chuck basin

Southern lobe of what remains of the White Chuck Glacier. We hiked on the snow at the toe to avoid numberous stream crossings

Metamorphic rock in the basin

Several of the lakes in the basin

Big glacial lake. This is shown as glacier on the topo

Sloan Peak

Twin waterfalls

We crossed the streams on snowbridges

Looking back down at the White Chuck Glacier Basin. White Mountain on the left, Portal Peak right of center

Suiattle Glacier

White Chuck Glacier basin from Glacier Gap. Remains of north lobe of White Chuck Glacier on the left

Our route up Glacier: Gerdine Ridge

More of the north remnant of the White Chuck

Disappointment Peak and the Gerdine Glaciers

NOLS group on the Gerdine

More of the NOLS group

Snow is easier than following the ridge

Back on the Gerdine ridge

NOLS group crossing over to the Cool Glacier. Said they were out for 18 days, and were moving camp to the Chocolate Glacier

Higher & rougher

Almost to the top of Disappointment Peak

Top of the Cool Glacier

Lower portion of the Cool Glacier

Looking back at the Suiattle and Honeycomb glaciers

West slope of Glacier Peak

Detail of ’schrund on the Cool

White Chuck Glacier and basin

Lili at our high point on Disappointment Peak

Me too. It was 12:30 pm—too late to summit Glacier without risking a forced bivy on the way back to camp

Rocky outcrop on Disappointment Peak

Buckwheat

Suiattle Glacier

Rockfall on the Gerdine

View east

Looking back up at Disappointment Peak

Another look east

Getting back into the White Chuck basin

Expedition geologist explains the rocks

Twin waterfalls in the pm

Most interesting rock

Big glacial lake in the pm

Clouds, but not enough. It was a hot hike out through the basin

Water-covered ice on the White Chuck

Snow pushed out by water

Small glacial lake

White Mountain on the right, our exit gap on the left

Almost to the gap

A moth poses

Out of the basin, at last

Cloud to the south

Over mosquito pond

Tuesday: we hike out the North Fork Sauk trail. Morning view of Glacier

Breaking camp

JCT of the North Fork Sauk TR and the PCT

White Mountain from camp

Point 6562 and Johnson Mountain from camp

Kodak Peak in the south

Avalanche runout across SBs on the North Fork Sauk trail

Looking back across the runout from lower down on the trail

Sloan Peak

Twinflower

Coralroot

Tree growing on rotted stump

Face-tree

Hot day: every stream was a stopping point. There weren’t enough of them!

Cody cools off

Wednesday: we try to beat the heat by returning via the coast. Evergreen floating bridge