Gene's Peak 6.15.10

With the less than stellar forecast I was hoping that the Teanaway effect would be in full force. I was lucky enough to have Blane one of my co-workers sign on. True to form as we crested Snoqualmie Pass the weather cleared and the sun broke through. I did have some concern because I saw a few large thunderheads further East. I was dismayed by the condition of the North Fork Teanaway Road, it was a pot holed mess. I have been on this road many times and I have never seen it anywhere close to this poor of condition. Thankfully we finally reached the Iron Peak Trail. I wanted to use this trail to avoid any creek crossings. I have some not so fond memories of crossing both Bean Creek and Beverly Creek and wanted to avoid any chance of a repeat. We decided to pass on taking the snowshoes but I did stow my crampons just in case. The trail was in good shape as we made our way up the easy grade. We reached snow around 5200' and it soon became consistent. The snow slowed our pace along with my taking 6 weeks off from climbing. Soon we were at the saddle between Iron-Gene saddle. There was some sign of recent passage so I followed. We quickly left snow for some loose rock scrambling. I decided on the way up that I would prefer to find a different line for our descent. I found it interesting while I was doing my best to avoid rock, Blane clearly was steering towards it. Finally I dropped a small ways to allow me to access the snow field that lead all the way to the summit. Thankfully on snow again the pace again quickened and we were both on the summit. The views were great for what we could see. It appeared that we were in the only sun filled spot for some distance. I watched cloud bursts pound all the nearby peaks for the time we were on the summit and yet none were able to burst throught the Teanaway effect and we managed to be in full sun the entire day. After lounging for some time we decided to make our way down. I led us further East and soon we were cliffed out. Unwilling to admit defeat I climbed back up a short ways until I found a snowy ramp that led to a very glissadable gulley. After reaching the bottom we wove our way through some gulleys and loose scree. Finally we reached the bottom only to realize that we had to climb 500' back to the saddle. Now we were in full sun and it was getting warm. I couldn't help but think Blane was thinking why didn't we just come down the way we had come. To his credit when I broached the subject he just replied, that we both probably could use some extra conditioning. Once at the saddle we stopped for a short snack before the short descent to the car. I was surprised to see some fresh prints going down and in short order we crossed paths with those who had made them. A nice older couple out for a nice hike. A truly beautiful day to be out among some great company. On a curious side note, there seems to be some conjecture about Sherpa's Peak balanced rock in relation to the height of the true summit. Gene's Peak has a great view of it. I am mostly positive that the balanced rock is higher. I am not sure if this picture does a good job of showing it but it does seem apparent from the field.

Approx 9 miles 3500' of climb 5:30 car to car

Mariner's Peak 6.8.10

With the sun finally coming out on a day I didn't have to work I was anxious to get out. My wife's busy season is finally coming to an end, but I still had the kids so something I could drive the Audi to and was easy for the kids was in order. I want to get them used to the longer drives to some of the areas I love so I thought something in the Salmon La Sac area would be good practice. I gave the kids some options and the river walk won out. I was able to coax the Audi to the trailhead for Cooper River/Waptus lake and parked. The intial portion winds next to the Cooper River and it is enough of a drop to the river to give me some concern for the kids. Once the trail reaches the junction to Polallie ridge it breaks away from the river and is a nice trail for my little hikers. After stopping for a short time a couple with a dog passed us on their way to Waptus Lake. As I was looking around I noticed a small slabby area above us that might provide some views. Soon we were on our way for the girl's first official "scramble". After reaching the top of the slabs there was a perfect rock bench to have lunch. It really looked as if someone had chisled the perfect place to sit and eat. It was a very special moment for me watching the kids eat their lunches, I have to admit I was teary eyed. The slabs kept going up so after lunch we followed a short ways until we crested a small point. I told my oldest since she was the first to ascend this mighty peak she had earned the right to name it. She was quick to name it Mariner's Peak. While most of the peaks were not visible I found an interesting perspective on The Lourve and what I think was Teanaway Peak. I cautioned the oldest to be very careful on the descent and with some advice on how to fall, if you are going to fall. I carried the little one on my shoulders which made some interesting balancing for me. The way back was a quick jaunt with a short tense moment passing near the river again.




Approx 2 miles 600' of climb 1:30 car to car

Squak Mt. 6.1.10

with the combination of work, my wife's work and the inlaws in town getting out hasn't been an option. For me not to get out tends to make me more than a bit edgy. Since the rain finally let up for a day I thought it would be a good time to get the kids back into the swing of things. Since I am putting up the baby backpack on the auction block I thought it time to wean the littlest one. I didn't have much expectations for much of a walk but I thought you have to start somewhere. Much to my surprise the little one far out did my hopes. While she has been to the summit with her older sister, I had carried her. I was so proud of my little two year old when a single hiker passed us and was shocked that she had walked so far. To add to her proud papa's glow she walked another half mile before deciding she had enough. As is the family tradition we planted a stick that we had found on the ascent. This both marks our highpoint and provides inspiration for the next jaunt. Hopefully the stick will soon be planted firmly on the summit. On the descent we were treated to two beautifully fit horses running up the road. I marvelled at the sheer size of both of them. It was interesting to see the veins pumped full of blood just sticking out, certainly a memorable sight. It was nice to finally getting my legs stretched some even if it was just for a short time.




Approx 3 miles 800' of climb 1:30 car to car

Teanaway Road 5.4.10

With the elevated avy forecast I wasn't too enthused with climbing anything. I still wanted to at least get out and check out the conditions. I thought I might have a shot at some sun in Teanaway and with the roads opening up I thought I might give the Beverly Creek Trail a go. I also had hope that the Eastern Crest would have been spared the brunt of the previous day's heavy snow making the conditions markedly safer. I stopped at my usual tanking up spot and once again won $50 on a scratch ticket. With the day off to a good start I made my way over snowy Snoqulamie Pass. True to form the weather was partly sunny East of the crest. The fresh snow started just before the 29 Pines campground and covered the road shortly thereafter. The snow was rutted from previous traffic so there were not issues. When I reached the road that branches off to the Beverly Creek Trail it hadn't been driven on and looked as I was going by that it wasn't passable. My next thought was to see how far I could drive. After another mile I was stopped by snow too deep to proceed. I found a nice spot to park and suited up. Even though the sky was mostly cloudy the sun was unbroken on me for the entire trip. The road appears some time away from being drivable. There are three trees over the road, the first is very large and may be able to be winched out but more than likely it will have to be cut by a very large saw. I plodded on hoping to reach the trail that climbs to the saddle between Gene's Peak( Teanaway Peak ) and Iron Peak. It appears that I misjudged the distance I had to walk to reach this trail sapping my desire to continue on. I could see the ridge above me heavily corniced in full sunlight. Truthfully this time of year it doesn't take much to convince me to come home early. I always have in the back of my mind that the fish could be biting at home. I start to think of how much fun it would be to be tooling around the lake with the family in the boat. I retraced my steps marvelling how much of the road was reclaimed by the warm sun. As I past the Beverly Creek turnoff I was dismayed to see the road completely melted out as far as I could see, making me wish I would have given it a go.






Approx 5 miles 400' of climb 2 hours car to car