Hard Questions

June 30th, 2019: 

The weather forecast sucked. It was an unfortunate turn of events in an already odd summer season. During a typical year in the Cascades, you can expect generally dry conditions lasting from the beginning of July, pretty much until the end of August. Climate change? Perhaps, but whatever the reason for the warmer and wetter weather throughout the past few years in the Cascades, our plans had to change, and that sucked. 

In the summer of 2018, our group set out to climb W. McMillan Spire, and the East Ridge of Inspiration Peak in the Pickets sub-range of the North Cascades. This terrain is mega; hard to get to, challenging to climb, and absolutely beautiful!  The approach took us 2 days, and on the third day, we climbed W. McMillan as planned, and had a blast. The descent took a toll on us though, and we arrived in camp quite a bit later than we had hoped for. Decision time. The next day was meant to be spent climbing the much more challenging East Ridge, and our energy reserves were already depleted. 

The Southern Pickets, as seen from the approach

Merely meters from the summit of W. McMillan Spire

Base camp overlooking the Terror Basin

The question in my head was not “Can we climb the route?” I knew that we could. The question was, “If we climb the route, will we be able to safely hike out on day 5?” We rested, ate a delicious meal of Chana Masala over Basmati rice, and started looking at the hard questions. Obviously, as the guide and leader of the trip, I had the responsibility of making the best decision for the desired outcome. Summiting, and sending a dream route in the harsh Pickets is a tantalizing thought, but I knew in my heart that we could not climb the route and safely hike out on the rugged climbers trail in our two remaining days. After a lengthy discussion we agreed to pull the plug and hike out a day early.

July 1st, 2019:

What a disappointment. After bailing on our trip during the previous summer, we had planned to climb the East Ridge of Inspiration this year, and already had a couple of days of rock climbing training invested into the climb this season. Success was likely, as we were all physically prepared for the 3-day “light and fast” mission into the Pickets, but this damned weather forecast was unreasonable. It could go either way, but it's a LONG arduous approach to get shut down by rain. 

The night prior, I let my guests know that we would likely have to audible and spent a good while racking my brain for a route they had not climbed, that would give them the adventure they desired. The forecast left much to be desired though, and it was very likely that we would end up getting rained on. The Fisher Chimneys seemed like a good option. Technical yet fairly easy rock climbing, steep snow and glacier climbing, and just like the East Ridge of Inspiration - it’s one of the Becky classics. We got together in the morning for a gear check, and everybody was on board with the audible.

At the trailhead, there was another party gearing up to go to the same spot as us. I happened to know the guides, and we had a quick info sharing sesh, and made loose plans to avoid each other on the route. The approach was beautiful, as it always is, and the cool temps with rain threatening skies kept us comfortable. It did not rain, and we stopped at our camp, poised to tackle the chimneys in the morning.

The approach to FC is an amazing hike 

Camp on the first night watching the building storm

July 2nd, 2019

We woke early, planning to get on the route at first light, which would also (hopefully) help us avoid the incoming weather. The rock was dry and cold in the weak morning light; headlamps allowed us to see the intricacies of the rock, allowing passage. There was lingering snow, which made movement through the middle of the chimneys quite quick. I kept my eyes on the sky and did not have much hope for the dry weather to hold. 

We cranked out the final stretches of the chimneys and had a lot of fun getting up the steep snow on Winnie's Slide. We made it through high camp and started crossing the Upper Curtis glacier when we spotted the other crew, who had left camp an hour ahead of us, coming back down the glacier. Did they summit that fast? Did they turn around? How far did they get and why are they here?

We met at the middle of the Upper Curtis glacier, and had a quick chat. They had turned around, just after reaching the Sulfide glacier. It was misting heavily, and the threat of rain was now an imminent proposition. They passed, and again, we had a hard decision to make. Our options were to push on into the coming storm and try for a summit, or to turn around and hope the rain passed quickly for an attempt on day three. After some deliberation I uploaded an updated weather forecast, and it supported the second decision. We turned around, and for the second time in two trips I felt the unease of failing to reach a summit with these guests. The summit is not everything, but it sure is a lot.

The storm came. We spent the mid-morning fortifying our camp, resting and just watching the clouds roll in and out. It is amazing how the clouds mimic a river, ebbing and flowing over the terrain like the rapids of a river. Hours passed, we ate a lot of food, and finally slept through the night. 

The lower chimneys on day 1

The view from camp changed dramatically

July 3rd, 2019

It was not actively raining in the morning, but there was an intense amount of mist in the clouds surrounding us. We figured we ought to at least give it a go, as we were already there, and prepared. The chimneys were slick in the clouds but having been up and down the terrain the day prior, it was a manageable task. Things were looking quite bleak until we pulled out of the final few meters of the chimneys. The cloud layer was held in place there, and the sunrise illuminated the tops of the clouds, back lighting islands in the sky.

The task of getting up the wet chimneys was a difficult one and did not leave much room for enjoyment. However, this was quickly forgotten as the soft morning sun filled us up, and the snow and glacier climbing up to the summit pyramid went without complications. In my mind, was the upcoming hike out, which would take a long time, especially after the extra mileage and elevation accrued with the first, failed summit attempt. I did not think on it too much as it was an unpleasant thought. I let myself get carried away with the views and the climbing, working up Winnie’s Slide and Hell’s Highway, across the Sulphide glacier, and up the classically fun Southeast Ridge of the summit pyramid. It turned out to be a brilliant day in the mountains, we just had to get above the clouds to realize it.

Breaking through the cloud cover

Koma Kulshan, an island

The fun climbing on the SE Ridge

Smiles on the summit