Mount Saint Helens (3rd attempt) and Trout Lake Area Caving 2013-10-11

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I attempted to summit Mount Saint Helens twice this February, turning back the first time due to weather, and stopping at the crater rim the second time because of dangerous snow conditions. I was determined to make it this time and planned to bring rope, a picket and a harness if there was any chance of snow just to be sure. Ben and Colin were available to join me on one of the last few days left with permits available. Ben and I were both interested in revisiting some Trout Lake area caves and Colin was game so we left Tacoma on Thursday night ready for a long weekend of adventure.



Based on my past experience I suggested we bring snowshoes and start early to avoid the soft snow. We all felt surprisingly fresh when we pulled up to Climber's Bivouac at 11:30 and agreed that 3 hours of sleep wouldn't be worth much, so after a hour meal and gear check we were on the way up by 12:15 am. Just past the junction we excited the treeline and started up Monitor Ridge into a solid layer of clouds. Snow began to appear around 5000 feet and covered most of the rock after 6000. The seismic station and antenna were covered in several inches of rime. By 4 am we emerged above the clouds around 7000 feet, confident that we would reach the crater rim before sunrise. Even this high up patches of exposed earth, mostly in vertical strips (likely due to strong wind drifts). This was very helpful during the last few hundred feet where the snow surface turned solid and icy.



We did a good job of pacing ourselves to avoid getting sweaty, which payed off as we dug a trench on the false summit and huddled together awaiting the sun. An hour and a half later it finally rose almost directly behind Mount Adams. The true summit beckoned, but after 20 minutes of battling the stiff icy surface without crampons it became painfully obvious that I had led us up the mountain unprepared, without the proper tools to achieve the summit.






We headed down towards the rising cloud layer at 8:30. We had fun glissading for about 1000 feet of the descent before the snow faded away. We shared beta with about 50 people on their way up, most of whom were less prepared than us, without ice axes for self-arrest. We were back at the truck just after noon and quickly loaded up for a few more hours of driving to our planned camp near Trout Lake, stopping first in Cougar to sign out at the Lone Fir Resort.



We stopped at several potential cave entrances that we noticed along our route, hoping to find something worth exploring. We pulled up to camp with enough light to set up and get a fire going. The entrance to Dynamited was just a short walk from our campsite. We briefly discussed the possibility of a short exploration, but decided that after 40 hours with no sleep we would be best off getting a good nights rest and starting fresh in the morning.


We entered Dynomited at 11:45 am on Saturday. The same salamander that we had seen several months ago was hanging out on a rock near the entrance just like last time. We all down climbed the first 15 foot drop then stopped shortly at the small lava falls about 300 feet before the first big drop. This section had very little breakdown in a few isolated spots.

 

Hibox Mountain with the dogs 2013-10-16

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I was looking for a shorter hike close to home, and have had Hibox mountain in my sights for a while now. I have heard that access to the trailhead becomes difficult in early winter so now is a good time to get in before the snow stops you. I read several reports of people bringing dogs with them to the summit, so I loaded up my canine mountaineers and headed over the pass.





We left the Rachel Lake Trailhead at 7:45 and easily found the boot path after an opening with a clear view of the summit. As expected the bottom half of the route is filled with blowdowns and bushwhacking. Patches of slushy snow appeared around 5000 feet. where it was more than 2 feet deep I could kick in good steps but a lot of it was very shallow and slippery with just boots. There were two steep snowfields just below the ridge line where in ice axe would have been very helpful.






I imagine that whoever brought a dog to the summit must have done so with much more snow, unless the dogs were carried for the last several hundred feet. We attempted to find a dog friendly route around the Northwest face, but it only got steeper the farther we went. I ended up leaving them to roll around in the mellow snow banks on the north side while I quickly scrambled up to the top. I did not see a summit register but I also didn't spend much time poking around in the snow for it.









The sky was clear and the surrounding mountains were gorgeous, most of them dusted with snow. Lobox looked appealing but the dogs were pooped and the route looked a little sketchy so we headed down about 300 feet below the summit and took a short rest in a dry spot between a cliff and a small wind drift bank. Just before we got up to leave a pair of climbers past just below us on one of the large snow fields. These were the only people I saw all day.





I enjoyed the hike a lot more on the way down with better lighting. Several thick patches of maple trees have are turning brilliant yellows and oranges. Just before Trail 1313 I saw the biggest coral fungus I have ever seen, about the size of a football. I wouldn't recommend bringing a dog along on this one, unless you plan on carrying them for the final scramble to the summit.




4:30 to Summit
2:30 down
8.2 miles Round Trip
4500' gained

Lookout Mountain and Mount Clifty 9-22-2013

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The first time I made an attempt on Lookout Mountain and Mount Clifty the weather was similar to today's, and I turned back after only a few miles when my "waterproof" gear failed me. With a fresh nikwax treatment I was feeling much more confident as Colin and I left the gate below Hicks Butte under gray skies. At the junction for Trail 1334, we left road 4510 for Trail 1326.

Shortly after we passed Trail 1377.2, the rising Sun brought a deep red glow to the clouds and mist over the North Fork Taneum Valley. As we continued along the ridge top, the light pouring in from the east turned orange and then brilliant gold. A heavy wind hit us from the west and Lookout Mountain emerged from the clouds just before we left the trail for the summit.

 
At the top we found the most pristine benchmark I've ever seen. Colin dug up a small summit register

Big Snow Mountain 9-14-2013

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The drive from renton was a little rainy, but it let up the I crossed up the Middle Fork Snoqualmie road, which was riddled with potholes as usual. The dingford creek trailhead was about halfway full when I arrived at 3 a.m.

The five and a half miles to Myrtle Lake was a bit of a slog, taking me nearly 2 1/2 hours. The surprisingly high temp of over 60 before sunrise made the 2500' gain a sweaty venture. There is an amazing variety of fungi and shelf along the Dingford Creek Trail. I also encountered several large salamanders sitting in the middle of the trail, all of them seemingly indifferent to my presence.

Mount Daniel 9-8-2013

Colin and I pulled into the Tucquala Meadows Trailhead around 8:30 Saturday night with just enough light left to see a gaggle of geese in the marshy lake. A clear starry sky looked promising until light rain began to fall. After dinner and a gear check we crashed out with four hours left before the planned 2 am wakeup call, hopeful for better weather to come.



We were climbing up the Cathedral Trail by 2:45 and to Peggys Pond before sunrise. After leaving the PCT there are two short cliffy sections where the trail fades into the rock. We topped off on water while the morning light crept over Cathedral Rock.