So there’s a couple of trip reports to catch up on… Lots of them, actually. Photos from various trips, including my latest hike up below Mount Daniel are out on Flickr. Mark wrote up a good report over here, so that will help out in the meantime…
Also – go get lost reading the lastest issue of the Northwest Mountaineering Journal. They’re up to issue 4 now and it’s chock full of good reads and some slick pics of the area. Super inspiring.
Dean and I slogged up Guye Peak this morning. What was usually a 3 hour round trip turned into a humbling 3 hour ascent, 30 minute break, and 45 minute descent. The weather was good, the snow was in fair shape for most of the trail, but we weren’t. The last time we’d done anything was last Thanksgiving morning, so to say we were hurting by the time we reached the summit would be an understatement.
Typical early start, and a bit of routefinding to get moving… just kept heading uphill. Reaching the snow-covered talus field, we turned to watch the progress of the sunrise across the valley on the slopes of Alpental and Chair Peak. Simply gorgeous. Keep on truckin’ – don’t waste time… Reaching the saddle, we turned south and hit the frozen pond. That’s one of the benefits of winter excursions in the Cascades, the whole no-bugs thing…
Up over a few more ridges, and then finally – on top. We were just about bonking, so we took our time up there and then hustled down with crampons in place and poles at the ready. There was a lot to get done today, but it was nice to start out the holiday with a little mileage behind us on Christmas Eve.
(I know, I need to fix the date on that movie intro…)
Dean and I picked off Kaleetan Peak this last weekend – along with about five million mosquitos and approximately 164 people, who were up on their way to the lake as we were on our way out.
Will we ever go back? You bet.
On a weekend? Not on your life.