Mt Baker TR - Mid winter in May?

Spent the weekend in a blizzard on the Coleman glacier on Mt Baker. We turned away from the summit at 9500ft due to worsening(!) weather and increasing navigation difficulties.

A fun time and certainly more memorable than if it had been blue bird


Dividing gear at Glacier ranger station

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e3...s/IMG_0837.jpg

skis on 20 feet from the car for a couple of miles of forest road

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e3...s/IMG_0839.jpg


through the forest and several creek crossings - this was by far the most civilised

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e3...s/IMG_0840.jpg

out of the trees and into this

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e3...s/IMG_0846.jpg

but I don't want to get out of the tent!

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e3...s/IMG_0849.jpg

This is what we woke up to

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e3...s/IMG_0853.jpg

gearing up

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e3...s/IMG_0856.jpg

we did catch some glimpses of glacier

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e3...s/IMG_0850.jpg

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e3...s/IMG_0851.jpg

but mostly it was a white out

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e3...s/IMG_0848.jpg

We bailed at 9500ft the last hour had been pure misery, some roped skiing, logging GPS way points - further progress required leaving the skis and donning crampons - it jut wasn't worth it.

a few turns had on the way back to camp

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e3...s/IMG_0876.jpg

which now looked like this

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e3...s/IMG_0865.jpg

after breaking camp we hauled ass back down to forest for some more bush wacking (in the rain :cussing: ) and the road back to the car

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e3...s/IMG_0883.jpg

Yeah, trips like that are always more memorable than the easy bluebird days. As a bonus, success on another day and time is always better after being unsucesssfull. Thanks for the pics, it almost makes me want to get tentbound in a storm.

Nice PNWBrit. We got stormbound at Joffre at "only" 9,000 ft and summitted in 100kmh gusts - had to tie into a picket so we could take off our skins. I won't forget that day in a hurry

Quote:

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Originally Posted by goldenboy

Yeah, trips like that are always more memorable than the easy bluebird days. As a bonus, success on another day and time is always better after being unsucesssfull. Thanks for the pics, it almost makes me want to get tentbound in a storm.

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Does it???.....then write back to my hotmail Dude! :fm:


Fun pictures.......thanks for sharing.....looks fun.

Harsh! But it still looks like ya had fun :)

Looks like it was fun despite the conditions. Way to get after it!

Nice. Always fun to embark on an adventure.

Nice TR.

nice action!
we all pray for snow and forget to add when!

Nice TR. So... how was the snow - looked like pretty nice pow in that one pic after you bailed, like maybe 6 inches?
Thanks for the expedition stoke!

About 6 to 8 inches of graupel. Skiing back down to camp at 7000ft was more a matter of navigation than making turns.

Below camp we got about 3000ft of gradually heavier snow - enough for good turns despite shredded legs and overnight packs.

Nice TR, nothing like a little character building in the spring!

Great TR! I love tent shots- they're great. As mentioned above-

Quote:

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Originally Posted by goldenboy

Yeah, trips like that are always more memorable than the easy bluebird days.

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PNWBrit - Baker by Easton - Demming or Coleman - Demming/Roman headwall? Sometime over your Memorial Day?

Or you could just come up here

I'm doin' the C-D + Roman Wall this Saturday. Memorial weekend is for Adams. PM if interested.

Would love to T but Im committed to helping out at a bike race this w/e. Last week of June Im windsurfing in Hood River. Could i talk either of you into an attempt on Hood?

looks like a lot of fun
I want to do that in the next couple years