 www.turns-all-year.com | Images of Mt. Rainier: Sunrise, 3rd Burroughs Mountain, Emmons Glacier Turns All Year: Previous Home Page Galleries |
| This is a gallery of images which appeared on the Turns All Year home page in the past. Thumbnail images on this page can be clicked to view the full-sized photos, and lead into a slide show sequence for the gallery. The photos are from a backcountry skiing trip to the northeast side of Mt. Rainier National Park, with great views of the Emmons Glacier, Interglacier, and Steamboat Prow from Sunrise and 3rd Burroughs Mountain. | |
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| from July 21, 2003: Sunrise to 3rd Burroughs Mountain, Mt. Rainier, Washington, June 17, 2003
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Associated trip report: I try to do this trip once every June, but was concerned that I had waited too long to do it my preferred way in this less than optimal snow year. I biked up the gated Sunrise Road to the crossing of Yakima Creek at 4800', and found much less snow than hoped for in the draw leading up toward Sunrise. There were just patches of snow hanging around near the creek, but I had done this trip before with similar snow, so I started hiking up the draw. After 200', the snow became more reliable on the shady side, and after another 200' I was able to escape from the draw up onto the bench, which had OK coverage, if somewhat dirty. The next 1200' to Sunrise provided good conditions for my waxless skis as the forest underwent the transition to meadows. The meadows were moderately runneled, as were pretty much all of the gentler slopes on this trip, and many steeper non-north facing slopes. I skied to Frozen Lake saddle, then up onto 1st Burroughs Mountain (one short carry - the only one of the day), down to 1st-2nd saddle, up to 2nd, down to 2nd-3rd saddle, and up to 3rd. It was a warm sunny day with a nice cool east breeze, so after lunch I took what has become my traditional 3rd Burroughs Mountain nap. Ê Wanting to have north-facing snow for my runs, I skied very nice snow from 3rd Burroughs Mountain down into Granite Creek Park (Bergdorfer's "small pocket glacier"), skied up onto 2nd Burroughs Mountain, then skied another north-facing run on nice snow into Berkeley Park. The snow in the north side chutes on 2nd Burroughs Mountain is holding out pretty well, but there was chunky avalanche debris marring a lot of them. Then over Frozen Lake saddle, across the Sunrise Meadows, and down into the Yakima Creek drainage. I had picked up some gunk on my fishscales near the Sunrise buildings, but rather than the typical pollen problem, I think this may have simply come from skiing across so many needles and branches, because after I cleaned it off I didn't pick up any more, despite the shady snow. I found enough snow on the shady bank of the developing draw to ski right down it until the last 200', although there were some exciting moments traversing narrow snowbanks above the rushing creek. The return back to the car is the most enjoyable I know of - hop on the bike and coast! I decompressed by the charging White River, which was clearly rolling a lot of large boulders on its bed, as evidenced by the deep "thunks" continually emanating from the water and vibrating the banks. Charles |
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