Bearhead Mountain: The return of aDam 2014-12-28

aDam is back! He joined me and a few friends on a trip up Bearhead Mountain last weekend. Snow levels were similar to my first attempt on this peak, but this time it was a few feet of fresh powder all the way to the top rather than the springtime snow we experienced in March. Nellie's car stopped around 3500' on the road just after light rain turned to snow. Colin dropped me off with Maverick and some gear near the trailhead and ferried the rest of the group back in his jeep.
I started slowly up the trail to stay warm, sinking at least 6 inches with each step. Everyone else caught up below Twin Lake and we took turns breaking trail for the mile-long traverse. Much of the bear grass and branches were covered in newly-formed hoar frost. As we reached the SE ridge, the slope mellowed and the trail disappeared into smooth powder.





The snowfall stopped around halfway up the ridge, and we got a few brief glimpses of blue sky. Breaking trail uphill became more challenging with every step. The final 400 feet took us an hour to climb. We experienced some "whoomping" and found a few fractures in the snowpack, and had a quick safety meeting to insure that everyone felt comfortable continuing. We plotted a route through the trees, keeping a safe distance from the steeper slopes to the east.



There was very little wind at the top, but it was still pretty cold. Maverick was not happy to be stopped, so we built him a dog cave out of emergency blankets. We ate lunch on the summit, looking down at the spot where Colin and I turned back with our Mountaineers group in March.





I cannot describe how great it felt to fly down at high speed after such a brutally slow ascent. We cut most of our switchbacks, alternating between plunge-stepping and a standing glissade back to the traverse. Colin and I reached the trailhead quite a bit before the rest of the group so I continued on with Maverick towards Nellie's car, accompanied by the sound of gunshots and occasional sunshine.






9 miles round trip 1800' gain

2014-12-14 Pinnacle Peak

We hoped to make an earlier start than last week to allow plenty of daylight for The Castle and maybe a few minor peaks, but alas, the gate at Longmire was to remain locked until 9 am. We left the Narada Falls lot 9:45 and climbed icy talus up to Stevens Canyon Road with a pair who said they were heading for Unicorn Peak. Tahoma was fully lit up by late morning sun when we reached Reflection Lakes and began up the trail. Near the saddle we crossed a few short-but-steep snowfields with substantial exposure. About a foot of workable snow obscured most of the trail on the shady side of the ridge.






As indicated by fast-moving clouds above, the wind was pretty intense at the saddle and for most of our stay on the sunny south face. Trekking poles were exchanged for ice axes as we began the mixed scramble above the saddle. Closer to the top most of the rock was poking out of the snow, but there was still enough ice for crampons to remain necessary. For the second time in as many weeks I was in position to view Mount Hood sitting in the distance between Adams and St Helens. I would say that our route was always within class 3 territory, however a fall could have potentially resulted in a 2000' tumble into the valley below.





Near the top we reached a small pillar at the edge of an overhang to the north, a potential BASE exit point? From there the going only got easier. The summit had plenty of room for the group, but heavy wind pushed us down a few feet to a sunny spot for lunch. The Castle and Unicorn Peak emerged from the clouds as we ate.




Time was getting short, so we canceled plans for the traverse to The Castle and began our descent, hoping to be able to hit Plumber Peak on the way out. We rappelled from near the pillar and made it back to the saddle with an hour and a half left until the park gate would be closed. As much as I would have loved to get in another summit, the wise choice was to play it safe. We followed Paradise Road back to the cars to avoid the still icy talus above Narada Falls.








5.5 miles 2200' gain

2014-10-7 Wahpenayo Peak

We started out from the Eagle Peak trailhead behind Longmire at 7:30. Both vehicles managed to miss the small sign on the way in, which is less than 100 yards West of the bridge. The trail was in great shape with only one downed tree just before the meadow. Snow appeared on the trail around 4500', and ranged from 6 inches deep in the meadow to a few feet near the top. We left the trail at the right spot but ascended too early through steep terrain and often thick vegetation, emerging from the trees in the upper meadow below the south face of Eagle and Chutlah.



We donned crampons and made a high traverse to the saddle across bear grass and scree covered with a few inches of snow. From the saddle the mostly open north slopes looked navigable but we opted to travel via ridge-top. There was just enough snow cover to provide a route-finding challenge, but a few more feet would have been nice. Tahoma dominated the sky to the north while the southern horizon provided a rare view of both Mount Adams, Hood and St. Helens. Dozens of people could be seen working their way up (or down) the Muir snowfield in the distance.






A short exposed scramble over icy rock brought us to the false summit. Cliffs on the north side dropped quickly off to the slopes below. Getting to the true summit required crawling under and around a few burly trees and dropping down to the right (south), followed by a couple of exposed moves. At this point I was glad that James had suggested we bring rope, as we likely would have turned back without it. I made a quick search for a register with no luck, and looked around for a less exposed descent route. Lenticular clouds descended onto Tahoma as we lunched.





After a snack and pictures we decided to rappel down a tight gully to the west with a BFT for an anchor. We made it quickly back to the saddle, but without enough daylight left to attempt Eagle Peak or Chutlah. We dropped further down into the meadow before heading back into the trees, which made for a much easier return to the trail. We just barely made it back to the cars without headlamps. Despite perfect climbing weather, we did not see another soul all day.








~4500' elevation gain 7 miles round trip