Shootin' Blanks in the North Cascades

Frequently, weather is the difference between a wildly successful trip, and one where you don't do much of anything at all. I just returned from two weeks in the North Cascades. The first week, with Mark and Dan, was a great success while the second week climbing with an old friend was tarnished by inconsistent rain that made committing to alpine objectives difficult and left us feeling a bit dejected. Nonetheless, the Cascades are a wild and beautiful place to spend some time. Here are my better images from the trip.

En route to the Fisher Chimneys

Mark, Dan and me.

South Arete, SEWS. Wildfire smoke in background

Exposed, mellow climbing on the South Arete

The White Camel

Mark on Springboard

Week 2's activities

Prime Rib on the Goat Wall was a good "bad" weather
diversion

Lawrence means business

Early Winters Creek

MF Overhang, Castle Rock

West Face, Colchuck Balanced Rock - Pitch 2, just before I accidentally
launched a small frisbee of rock onto Lawrence. The rock in the Cascades is loose!

Photos From August 2013 in the North Cascades

I never posted a trip report from my trips in the North Cascades this summer. After a month of being away from home I guess this is something I neglected in favor of more pressing tasks close to home.

Fischer Chimneys, Mt. Shuksan, Aug 4-5

This is an awesome and classic route. A fast party could do the route in a really long day. There is an amazing campsite on a rock rib between the Upper Curtis Glacier and the White Salmon Glacier. This spectacular camp makes it worth carrying your camping kit to the top of the chimneys. We climbed the NE ridge of the summit pyramid which adds some nice rock climbing and allows you to tour the entire upper mountain, instead of doing an out-and-back summit trip.

Prime Rib of Goat, Beckey Route on Liberty Bell, and Sulphide Glacier, Aug 12-15

Mazama has great weather and really good access to climbing. Over the past few seasons I've begun spending more time there. People love the pleasant weather, the quaint high desert towns and the amazing variety of alpine and rock objectives within an hour's drive of Mazama. We climbed Prime Rib of Goat on The Goat Wall, a 1000' tall crag just outside Mazama first. We also climbed the Beckey Route, on the Liberty Bell, and attempted the Sulphide Glacier on Mt. Shuksan. There we were thwarted by wet weather.

Thanks to North Cascades Mountain Guides for allowing me to guest guide again there this summer, and to Bryan, Mark and Paul for making the trip happen!

Alpine Climbing in the North Cascades

The North Cascades are unlike any other mountain region in the lower 48 United States. The climbing there involves bushwhacking, glacier travel and rock climbing to reach the craggy 8000-foot summits. The region is rugged, and feels remote despite it's proximity to large cities like Seattle and Vancouver only a short drive away.

Climbers on the Northeast Ridge of Mt. Triumph

Climbers of all abilities will enjoy summer alpine climbing in the North Cascades, but the climbing is best suited to those that have some mountain experience. The average trip length for a summer North Cascades outing is 6-9 days. Contact us for more information or to set up your private trips. Rates vary based on the objective and the length of your stay.

Some great North Cascades objectives are:

• Mt. Shuksan - Sulphide Glacier, Fisher Chimney or North Face
• Boston Basin - Forbidden Peak and Sharkfin Tower
• Mt. Triumph - Northeast Ridge/South Ridge traverse
• Eldorado Basin - Dorado Needle and Eldorado Peak
• Washington Pass - Liberty Bell, the Wine Spires, Early Winters Spires