ram
Member
- Joined
- Feb 15, 2013
- Messages
- 116
The Pacific Northwest did not have a winter this year. That was followed by perhaps the hottest June and July on record. By July, snow was mostly gone. Glaciers were icy or huge crevasses had opened as to make travel perilous or impossible. In this, my 21st, 3 week, July trip to the North Cascades, in the last 24 years, we used our knowledge of the area to find routes that worked, in spite of the challenging conditions.
We hiked up into Boston basin in the afternoon and climbed Sharkfin Tower the next day, via the relatively easy, but massively airy SE Ridge. We approached the peak from a non standard route, suspecting correctly, that the standard approaches were out of condition. The transitions from snow to rock and back required great care. But when we got onto the upper flanks of the tower, the rock quality and position made the effort worthwhile. Multiple rappels got us down to the glacier in the late afternoon and back to camp by 9 PM for a 12 hour day. Great fun
Ram
Jenny out of the brush and cloud, on approach to the Basin
The infamous Devil's club
maidenhair?
The hanging glaciers, of cloud shrouded Johanesberg
Starting to clear
dangerous stream crossing were often safe and easy this year
Forbidden peak from camp
Sun shining of polished rock, often covered by snow....but not this year. Glacier and peaks above that
telephoto of Sharkfin Tower from camp
In and out of the clouds
Sunbeams. 8:30 PM
On approach the 2nd day
Quien Sabe Glacier with Mt. Sahale above
crampon time
Giles approaches the glacier
Dodging a few crevasses
Steep snow gully
Julie with the peak in view at last
Giles
Julie
Up to the notch and the Boston Glacier on the other side
Julie in the notch above the first pitch
The route goes up the ridge
Julie
starting the 2nd pitch
Exposed
Jenny
easy and exposed climbing
Shadow of the tower on the glacier
We soloed the final low 5th class pitch. Boston Peak in the background
Cameo shot of moi
On the summit
Starting down
Rap #3
#5...last one
gynastic move over the moat required
Rap route from the glacier
sun cups
Our tower on the right via the right ridge
long day
made it down
into the forest again
Featured image for home page:
We hiked up into Boston basin in the afternoon and climbed Sharkfin Tower the next day, via the relatively easy, but massively airy SE Ridge. We approached the peak from a non standard route, suspecting correctly, that the standard approaches were out of condition. The transitions from snow to rock and back required great care. But when we got onto the upper flanks of the tower, the rock quality and position made the effort worthwhile. Multiple rappels got us down to the glacier in the late afternoon and back to camp by 9 PM for a 12 hour day. Great fun
Ram
Jenny out of the brush and cloud, on approach to the Basin
The infamous Devil's club
maidenhair?
The hanging glaciers, of cloud shrouded Johanesberg
Starting to clear
dangerous stream crossing were often safe and easy this year
Forbidden peak from camp
Sun shining of polished rock, often covered by snow....but not this year. Glacier and peaks above that
telephoto of Sharkfin Tower from camp
In and out of the clouds
Sunbeams. 8:30 PM
On approach the 2nd day
Quien Sabe Glacier with Mt. Sahale above
crampon time
Giles approaches the glacier
Dodging a few crevasses
Steep snow gully
Julie with the peak in view at last
Giles
Julie
Up to the notch and the Boston Glacier on the other side
Julie in the notch above the first pitch
The route goes up the ridge
Julie
starting the 2nd pitch
Exposed
Jenny
easy and exposed climbing
Shadow of the tower on the glacier
We soloed the final low 5th class pitch. Boston Peak in the background
Cameo shot of moi
On the summit
Starting down
Rap #3
#5...last one
gynastic move over the moat required
Rap route from the glacier
sun cups
Our tower on the right via the right ridge
long day
made it down
into the forest again
Featured image for home page:
