Fall Influenza
Here it is: The Sickness. Behold the glory. The North Cascades, specifically the Southern Picket Range, after a one-day wintry blast in late October.
It requires a bit of audacity just to contemplate skiing the fence. This view, courtesy of the webcam found here, is from a paltry 800' above sea level in Newhalem, Washington. Mt Degenhardt, the highest peak in the picture, looks almost skiable from its 8,000' summit. But let's try to fathom the depths of depravity required to deflower this descent.
From Highway 20, go left near Newhalem and follow the little road to its end. Erstwhile, there was a logging road heading further up Goodell Creek, but now you will be allowed the pleasure nonpareil of hiking its overgrown remnant over and under innumerable fallen trees for three miles, until the old road abruptly ends.
There is a nice little campsite at the trail's terminus, below 2,000' in a veritable rain forest. To get to the objective, take the climber's trail to the right.
The faint tramplings through the fecund foliage on the left would be suitable for other objectives, such as the Degenhardt Glacier, and it might be quicker - if you were savvy enough to cling to the climber's trail. Former forays have seen ski mountaineers with decades of experience inextricably entwined in devil's club, heather, and broken branches, cying, "I'm fucking dead, man!"
Forget the path on the left. Head right and keep your eyes on the prize. The only problem is, you'll need to hike more than 2,000' up a very steep trail before you hit the ridge, from which you'll need to traverse a lot of high country before you actually get that vaunted view.
What were we thinking? Let's forget the whole thing. Nobody wants to do all that, then cross a glacier, struggle up rotten snow above large cliffs to an airy summit perch, and finally ski from a summit in a range that hasn't seen a summit descent. Let's just go get a beer; we can get a good night's sleep and easily ski from Camp Muir.
But there's that stupid picture, available to anyone in the world browsing the internet. One little click of a mouse away, ski this.
It requires a bit of audacity just to contemplate skiing the fence. This view, courtesy of the webcam found here, is from a paltry 800' above sea level in Newhalem, Washington. Mt Degenhardt, the highest peak in the picture, looks almost skiable from its 8,000' summit. But let's try to fathom the depths of depravity required to deflower this descent.
From Highway 20, go left near Newhalem and follow the little road to its end. Erstwhile, there was a logging road heading further up Goodell Creek, but now you will be allowed the pleasure nonpareil of hiking its overgrown remnant over and under innumerable fallen trees for three miles, until the old road abruptly ends.
There is a nice little campsite at the trail's terminus, below 2,000' in a veritable rain forest. To get to the objective, take the climber's trail to the right.
The faint tramplings through the fecund foliage on the left would be suitable for other objectives, such as the Degenhardt Glacier, and it might be quicker - if you were savvy enough to cling to the climber's trail. Former forays have seen ski mountaineers with decades of experience inextricably entwined in devil's club, heather, and broken branches, cying, "I'm fucking dead, man!"
Forget the path on the left. Head right and keep your eyes on the prize. The only problem is, you'll need to hike more than 2,000' up a very steep trail before you hit the ridge, from which you'll need to traverse a lot of high country before you actually get that vaunted view.
What were we thinking? Let's forget the whole thing. Nobody wants to do all that, then cross a glacier, struggle up rotten snow above large cliffs to an airy summit perch, and finally ski from a summit in a range that hasn't seen a summit descent. Let's just go get a beer; we can get a good night's sleep and easily ski from Camp Muir.
But there's that stupid picture, available to anyone in the world browsing the internet. One little click of a mouse away, ski this.
posted by SkiSickness at 10:03 AM
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