TR Replies
Nice to meet you as well, Andy. Thanks for taking another look!
Sorry Neil, I didn't snap any photos of the glacier. But it looked great, no signs of any cracks that I saw.
Nice to meet you at the top. I looked for your helmet on my second lap and saw no sign of it. Nonetheless, a superb day putting fresh tracks on a blank canvas.
This is a common problem descending from Muir, and people have gone missing following the fall line in bad visibility. You should be able to find a simple map of the area with compass readings back to the parking lot--it's been posted here and elsewhere, but I forget where it originated (possibly the Park Service, who doesn't like running body recovery searches). The fact that you were up there alone and didn't already know this suggests poor preparation.
A similar thing happens...
re: whiteouts on Muir snowfield... I also learned that fall line actually takes you into the Nisqually Glacier... so don't do that!
We ended up going a couple days ago, was surprised how good coverage was! Had a couple great runs off the Naches peak false summit and also the short couloir off the back side of Yakima Pk. Might have to make one more trip up there.
Coverage is pretty good right now. First time I went to the 'false summit' with skis. Definitively time to grab it!
Speedy!
Whiteouts up there are no joke! My first experience with an absolute pure whiteout was a few years ago in Edith Basin when skiing back to Paradise. Low angle, so we were skiing slow and at points you couldn't even tell if you were moving or not. Or up from down. So trippy. At one point, after regrouping to get our bearings, my partner set off in the complete opposite direction that we were originally heading. I was doing the navigating so had to correct him, but he had no clue...
Nice fast time to Muir, dang! I hate schmoo. This helps my FOMO
Nice! You made lemonade out of lemons!
Impressive outing - great contender for the next cover image.
Well said. Fun day laying tracks down Ruth with amazing views and opportunity to scheme future trips/traverses. Grateful for the weather window (seem few and far between this past month). Thanks for the good company + beer!
Here's some more eye candy
I posted some more photos of the McAllister Glacier in Random Tracks here:
The link to "skisickness" is GREAT. Alisson was 3 "guys" at home. 😉
"Not sure why you'd go to Silver really, same driving time and fewer potholes."
Ah cmon, you're just trolling. Silver's a good deal less commitment than skiing Vesper, is my main reason.
Looks fun.
Thanks for sharing your multi-sport adventure - cool site and pix.
Toes locked and ice ax in hand. Looks like tricky conditions throughout, pre- and post-ski.
Glad to see you harvesting the corn, Zap and Jill!
Yeah buddies. You and Mike getting along these days?
Quick update on conditions. Two friends and I skied this South to North 6/6. Hiked to the upper basin above Chatter Creek at 5800' before switching to skins. A couple short carries between there and the Swath but overall route was still in decent condition. We were able to ski to about 5000' down the Swath and then struggled the final few miles in at times serious bushwhacking. I'd give it another week, maybe two before it's probably not worthwhile. Took us 15.5 hours with a few minor r...
Baller! Nice work Lane! I love the idea of long solo traverses but significant glacier crossings make me gun shy. Did you have any kind of contingency plan aside from the inReach?
BTW if you're interested in some Baker or other long tour shenanigans yet this year, shoot me a message!
I first skied that line 24 years ago -- but not that steep headwall. In my mid-60s now and haven't done it for 8 years or so - my crew and I generally just tag the summit, have lunch, and take skiers left line to the lake. That's enough these days. Nice photos and video on the blog page.
Oh man this is so inspiring, but the weather is rain as far as the report extends. BOO rain!
Strong work and beautiful photos. Bummer the weather didn't hold out, but never is a bad on the Isolation!
Wow. Let's hope this was a perfect storm and not the new normal.
Some other valley-like glaciers that have diminished a lot in my memory:
Silver Glacier on Mt Spickard
Banded Glacier on Mt Logan
South Cascade Glacier below Sentinel Peak
Lyman Glacier on Chiwawa Mtn
Honeycomb Glacier near Glacier Peak
yes, that was our bikes! We had 2 boot-packing to manage in order to get to Meany Crest, it is steep but the snow was in good conditions.
Definitively enjoyed the day!
Nice report! Did you used the “Coop” series to carve the hard snow? I’ve always wondered how those feather-like skis handle PNW snow. Still mystery to me.🤔
Fun vibe up there - always a good place to have a couple beers and chat. Impressive with the low clearance!
Bummer! We had it almost all to ourselves Tuesday (maybe a dozen hikers, and 1 solo skier). Booted to the top without ‘pons, and had nice, creamy top to (almost) bottom corn. Only some small sun cups at the bottom, which were a minor annoyance. Mid-week is the way to go!
That will be a sad day. I had no idea that the east side was continuous so recently. Do you know of other glaciers in the Cascades that flow into the valley below like this one? Maybe the Chickamin and Middle Cascade? Those are the only ones I can think of outside of the volcanoes.
Some nice moody shots there.
I'm interested to see the continued decline of the McAllister Glacier. The east side of the glacier flowed continuously to the valley below 5200ft in 2005, when I walked the Isolation Traverse. By 2012, the glacier was discontinuous, with a big ice cliff and an avalanche fan below. The gap between the ice cliff and fan has grown since my 2012 ski trip through the area.
When the western side becomes discontinuous it will be a sad day.
...
Thanks Mike, another good, entertaining and informative report! Re the ridiculous crowds, I'd guess there was a large amount of overflow from the Teanaway - Blewett Pass shut down due to the ongoing manhunt underway. Check out the Kittitas County Sheriff's website, they've posted a map of the search/closed area.
Maybe it was you guys were passed booting up when we skied the west face that day? It was late, like 7:30 pm however. Fun turns
Rad! We must have just missed you, last week.
@ CarbonJ "More beer, less avy gear!" - ZJ (Summer 2015) 😂
I dig the fanny skimo pack carry !,I generally need a sixer in mine to balance out the light skis.