October 14 - Ruth Mountain, North Cascades

After the recent early October snow the fine weekend seemed a good time to combine a fall hike, climb and ski in the North Cascades. After a quiet night at the trailhead Avril and I hit the path just after first light. The early going was enlivened by watching a large bear browsing on the far side of Ruth creek. Blue skies, fall colors and new snow made for a scenic wonderland. After a depot stop at Hannegan pass to change into ski boots, we booted and cramponed up the rest of the route. Summit views were fabulous, with a cool breeze reminding us that summer was over. The ski down was a joy; about 2,000 plus feet of windblown powder, hard pack and mush providing the usual Cascades variety! On the trudge out the bear was still grazing at the all-you-can-eat salad bar, fattening up for winter no doubt. October turns in the bag we made the car at 4:20pm. Didn€™t calculate to JoM factor, but it was certainly a joyful day!