Announcement
I'm pleased to announce the release of Alpine Ascent 2.3. This version includes a new menu for users as well as for the sign in and registration. This release also has some bug fixes, template additions, and some rearrangements of the site.
Featured Trip Reports
Spinning our Wheels on Spinnaker Created By According to Wikipedia "A spinnaker is a special type of sail that is designed specifically for sailing off the wind from a reaching course to a downwind". This was certainly not the case for us. It was more like the opposite, but it was not the wind that was the problem, it was the snow. Litchenberg during the Morning As usual we get up at 3 a.m. and head on out to Steven's Pass. Starting out was a nice snowy road walk which did not require snowshoes. After about .75 miles we reached the end of the road which was time to put the snowshoes. We then hiked a while through the woods trying to work our way up the valley. We were making decent time until we started encountering bad snow which one would call "punchy and hard" which is terrible for traveling and a lot of effort. The Sunrise There was one spot that was worthy of mentioning which is the creek crossing, even though it is easy and we did not actually touch any water, it was a snow bridge and would recommend being careful here. Looking off to the side it was amazing to see how big the snow...
Living like Kings on Snowking Created By "And isn't sanity really just a one-trick pony anyway? I mean all you get is one trick, rational thinking, but when you're good and crazy, ooh ooh ooh, the sky is the limit!" -The Tick When: October 16-17, 2010 Who Came: Michael, Holly, Joanna, Rex and myself Elevation Gain: 7,000 feet? (Unsure, many diffrent people say diffrent hieghts) Distance: 20 Miles? Ending Elevation: 7433 feet high I had been wanting to climb Snowking for Years, I would always see it on maps as well but some how I would end up missing it, but this time I got what I want. The trip started when Joanna picked us up at 8 a.m. from my house and off to the mountains we went. After passing Marblemount I was pleased to be heading into my favorite valley on Earth... the Cascade Valley. When we got to the trail head there was only one other car which meant we pretty much had the entire place to ourselves. How lovely. White Horse Mountain from Darrington. We started out walking the road which was perhaps a few miles, but then we got to the "trail head". From here the trail got thin, steep, and very bushy....
Mount Baker White Out Created By "Adventure isn’t hanging on a rope off the side of a mountain. Adventure is an attitude that we must apply to the day to day obstacles of life -- facing new challenges, seizing new opportunities, testing our resources against the unknown and in the process, discovering our own unique potential" -John Amatt Despite getting caught in a White Out on this adventure, we all had a great time and many scenic moments along the way before the weather turned bad. It's trips like these that make climbing volcanoes exciting and not just a casual hike up to the top. After just doing a 30 mile backpacking trip, Collin invited me to go climb Mount Baker. "The fun does not stop here" I laughed as I was getting my gear ready. Michael and I checked the forecast which looked very nice making it seem as though there was little chance of getting caught in bad weather. But as usual the weather on this side of the world is hard to predict, especially in the mountains. The next morning we all practiced crevasse rescue together as a refresher. Then we went on over to the Heliotrope Trailhead of Mount Baker. Mount Baker...
Tyed up in Adventure Created By Eastking and I had been without adventure for a while, plus with my foot hurting that did not help me out. (Normally I run to make up for lack of hiking but I could not) Eastking once again picked me up from my house and we drove on over to Steven's Pass. When we got over the pass we could not park at our original trail head plan due to lots of snow and such so we decided to drive back to Stevens Pass. Mount Baring looking Great Mount Index Shining brightly The hike started out pretty nice, we were making good progress up the mountain, weather was not perfect, but what do you expect in December? At Skyline Lake we busted out the snowshoes which I was impressed that there was still some broken trail. At the lake I saw ski tracks crossing a section but I told Eastking I did not want to pull another Wright Mountain stunt so we crossed around the lake, although still on the edge of it. Eastking leading the way After the lake we went a short distance over a little...
Pushing the Limits on Arrowhead Created By "Failure is not an option. Everyone has to succeed." -Arnold Schwarzenegger "Damn! I climbed that... Looks fricken hard." -Vern Clevenger "A fight is not won by one punch or kick. Either learn to endure or hire a bodyguard." -Bruce Lee Who Came: Joanna, Matt Lemke, Michael Lewis, Rex, Holly, and myself Time: 6 and 1/2 Hours Elevation Gain: 3,300 Feet Distance: 8 miles Round Trip This was the hardest trip I have done in a long time, even more so than Snowking or Mount Maude. In today's adventure I pushed myself to the limits. The idea came about on Bullion Peak and was said to be a low avalanche danger mountain. Glad that part was true. Before I went to bed on December 26 I saw Matt wanted to join on a trip so I invited him along. In the morning we piled up at our house into the car which was now crowded with people and dogs. As I went to drink my hot chocolate the dogs bumped me which slightly spilled. Joanna looks over at me and says "If you spill one drop of that drink your going to be toast!". Woops, well what she doesn't know saves me trouble. I silently clean it up. As we drove towards Steven's...
Featured Mountains
Kyes Peak Started By Kyes peak is the highest summit in the Monte Cristo Group and is very isolated from civilization. When the weather is good this peak offers views of the many famous peaks in Washington including Sloan Peak, Mount Pugh, Baker, Rainier, Glacier Peak and many more. This peak is pretty much in the middle of the Cascade Range. This peak gets much of its fame from the well known Blanca Lake which may be considered by some folks to be one of the most bluish green lakes in the state of Washington. Just getting to the lake along by many is worth the visit to this mountain. This takes most people at least most of a day and is not very often climbed. But considering that it is considered a challenge, it makes sense. But for the die hard fans, its no problem. There is a register on the summit which was...
Ski Heil Peak Started By Need a Peak that is near Mount Lassen to help make coming here worth your while and at the same time without too much effort? Ski Heil may be a good choice for you, especially considering that it is neighbors with Eagle Peak which is a easy walk from here for another summit. Although I must admit, it is perhaps the easiest eight thousand foot peaks I've ever been up. This peak like many in the area are far away from any towns which help give the place a more natural feeling unlike it's neighbor Lassen Peak which has well established trails and crowds of people. It is considered the 741st highest mountain in the state of California and is located in the Lassen Volcanic National Park. Views from the summit of Ski Heil Peak are pretty good. Brokeoff Mountain and Mount Diller...
Ruth Mountain Started By Ruth Mountain at Night Ruth Mountain is located in the North Cascades near the Mount Baker Ski Area. It is often viewed from it's more popular neighbor Hannegan Peak and Hannegan Pass. Ruth Mountain is mostly a hike up but does involve some glacier travel near it's summit making a rope recommended. Most people go up this peak in a day, while the more ambitious people do the Icy Peak traverse that goes up both summits. Round trip it is around 12 miles in distance and a little over 4,000 feet of elevation gain car to car. The standard route has a decent slope to ski down. A bonus to this moral building climb is the unique view of Mount Shuksan. Shuksan is most recognizable and photographed from the northwest around the Baker ski area, but the...
Sherman Peak Started By North West Face Sherman Peak is located on the southern edge of Mount Baker, North Cascades and is on the Washington Top 100 List. It has 4 main glaciers that cover most of the mountain. The Easton and Squak Glacier cover the West and Southern end of the mountain while the Boulder and Talum Glaciers cover it's East-South and Eastern slopes. The North side is covered by an ice cap along the Summit Crater also known as the "Sherman Crater". Considering that it's a part of Mount Baker it's an andesitic stratovolcano which is still active. According to the official Bulger List because it is considered a "Volcanic Feature" it is not officially on the Bulger list even though it fits the 400 feet prominence rule. This peak offers...
Han Peak Started By Han Peak is located in the North Cascades between Mount Baker and Mount Shuksan which this peak is not very well known. Next to it is it's much more famous neighbor Mount Ann which I believe had an influence on the name of this peak (Peak Baggers some times Run out of ideas) but then again it could be Han Peak. According to peakbagger it's Mount Annette, but Klenke calls it Mount Han as well as a few others. Like Mount Ann, Han Peak has amazing views that make the long drive here worth while. This is usually done as a single day trip (although also good for overnight). The Mountain it self has a decent slope for skiing as well as the mountains near by. Also this mountain offers stupendous views of Mount Shuksan which if you catch it on a day like I did, you will glaze up at it's...