September 1, 2024 – Mt Hood, Palmer Snowfield

Labor Day weekend in Oregon brings a pretty good likelihood that turns-all-year seekers will be heading out in search of the remaining snow patches, and this year was no exception as Dan, Joe and I made plans to head to Mt Hood to get some snow-sliding action in. As usual, I met Dan early at the Harrisburg exit at I-5 and then we headed north to pick up Joe at the cop shop in Albany, before heading to Sandy to charge up. After our stop to charge, as well as a quick additional stop at Safeway since the Fred Meyer was closed due to the Kroger strike, we made our way to the mountain by about 8:20am and literally got the last parking spot in the climber’s lot.

Mt Hood from the Climber’s Lot on September 1
A full climber’s lot on Labor Day weekend

Not only did we get the last spot there, but the entire parking lot was full. Turns out Timberline had a big all-day event going on, and people were parking down the road below the lot since everything was full. On the bright side, the snowpack was looking pretty good, and we were stoked to see snow come way down in the canyons. After gearing up, we shouldered packs and made our way up to the Mile canyon.

Heading up to the Mile Canyon
Dan skinning up the Mile Canyon

We were able to get skins on early, and were able to skin all the way to the Silcox. There was one or two spots where we had to skin over really dirty snow, but it appeared that the ski down the Mile canyon would be a nice treat on the way out.

Crossing a dirty section
Looking up from the bottom of the Palmer

At Silcox, we crossed the road with skins on to access snow in the Palmer canyon, and then it was an easy skin to the mid-station, where we took a quick break to grab a snack and re-hydrate, before continuing on to the top. Upon reaching the top of the Palmer, we put beers on ice and enjoyed the views, which included several other fellow turns-all-year enthusiasts climbing up the Palmer. My beer of choice for the day was a tasty Oregon Sunshine IPA from Silver Falls Brewery, which I’d picked up on a date night trip to their Eugene location a few weeks earlier with my wife. It didn’t disappoint!

At the mid-station
A tasty hazy IPA from Silver Falls Brewery

After hanging out up top for awhile, we readied to drop in for a first lap. I headed down from our position about 30 feet above the crowd that had gathered at the top of the Palmer and stopped to chat with a few of the folks while waiting for Dan and Joe. Turns out several of the skiers were with Nikki’s group from Washington and doing a two-fer for August and September. A few minutes later, Dan and Joe rolled up and we headed down.

Joe enjoying some turns on lap 1
Dan cranking turns on the Palmer
Enjoying September turns on Mt Hood
Joe harvesting some September corn 

At the bottom of the Palmer we regrouped to head back up for another lap. As we were donning skins and packs, Nikki and the Washington crew set off from above and began ripping some really nice turns down towards us. We watched as they enjoyed a great corn harvest. I pulled the camera out of my camera bag and fired off some shots as they skied, including the few below.

Nikki ripping the lower Palmer
Nikki and crew enjoying September turns
September corn harvest on the Palmer

After the Washington crew passed by us and headed down, we skinned back up and found our half-full beers cold and waiting above the top of the Palmer. It felt good to relax in the warm sun and enjoy the views for a bit, and then it was time to get ready to drop in for a second lap.

Back at the top relaxing before lap 2
Sponsor shot at the top of the Palmer

Dan dropped in first for lap 2, and had the camera. After he set up, I headed down and he fired off a few pictures before handing the camera back to me. After the handoff, I headed down and fired off several pictures of Joe enjoying the corn.

Matt dropping in for a second lap
Joe enjoying lap number 2
All smiles on the Palmer
Heading down the Palmer

I caught a couple pictures of Dan skiing out the mid-station road, and then we regrouped at the mid-station before heading down to enjoy turns in the Palmer canyon.

Dan exiting the Palmer
Skiing out the mid-station road

The turns in the Palmer canyon were nice. The snow on the sides of the canyon nearest the wall was pa bit dirty, but thankfully enough folks had skied the canyon over the last several days to keep a nice white path open down the center. I shot lots of pics as we descended, including several below…

Dan dropping into the Palmer canyon
Heading down to the Mile
Enjoying great snow in the canyon

Halfway down from the midway station, Dan took the camera and snapped a few shots, including the two below…

Matt riding in the Palmer canyon
September cruising

We eventually popped out at the Silcox, and after a short portage across the road, were back on the snow sliding tools and making turns in the Mile canyon. The snow here was quite a bit dirtier, but again there was cleaner snow to ride on nearer the middle which made for pretty good turns.

Skiing out the Mile canyon
Joe enjoying the Mile

We were able to ski to down below where the cats normally park, which was awesome for September — it’s been a couple of years since that was possible. It made for a short walk back to the parking lot, which both the skiers appreciated since they didn’t have to change out of ski boots!

Skiing the lower Mile
Looking back at the mountain on the hike down

Back at the lot, it was nice to change out of ski boots and into shorts and flip flops. There was still a bunch of cars in the lot, and the live music was just about ready to begin. We got the brats on the grill and enjoyed another cold beer. My second beer for the day was one I’d picked up in Sunriver with the family a few weeks earlier while vacationing, and the easy drinking King Crispy pilsner from Deschutes Brewery was just right after a day of skiing and riding.

King Crispy from Deschutes
Apres in the parking lot

A few minutes after we put them on the grill, the brats were done and they hit the spot. As we were eating them, the wind picked up substantially, especially on the upper mountain. The three of us were glad we decided against heading back up for a third lap, since it looked like a pretty dusty storm. In fact, it was so dusty that I hiked a few feet up from the lot just to snap a pic!

A dust storm on Mt Hood

A little later, with the beer and brats gone, we loaded up our gear and hit the road, making it home just in time for me to take care of some needed hive manipulations with my bees before it got dark. All in all it was another great September ski on Mt Hood! Here’s a parting shot of Dan from the day…

Parting shot of Dan getting some September turns on Mt Hood

August 2, 2024 – Mt Bachelor Patches

After some sweet turns on Mt Hood a week or so earlier, the calendar said it was of August and time to seek out turns again. Dan, Joe and I made plans to head over to Mt Bachelor to check out how the snow patches were holding up early in the summer, and met at Dan’s in the morning before loading gear in his Tesla and heading out. The drive up highway 58 and along the Cascade Lakes highway went smoothly, and we pulled into the parking lot a few minutes after 9:00 am.

Heading up towards Pine

It was already getting warm, and after a few minutes of organizing gear we shouldered packs and headed up towards the hill. We got hassled right out of the gate by a gestapo lift ops that informed us we would no longer be able to hike up any of the ski runs because everything was closed for biking. Instead, we could follow a 4.4 mile trail (shared with bikes) to the top of Pine. Whatever, fuck that policy, we headed out up the trail and once out of sight proceeded up the Coffee run, which provided a much more direct (and safer) route to the rope tow patch.

Joe heading up Coffee
Joe at the bottom of the first snow patch

After a bit of climbing, we made our way to mid-mountain and over to our spot where we’d head up. After a quick change out of approach shoes and into ski/snowboard boots, we proceeded up. The first patch wasn’t too long, but the main Rope Tow patch was looking pretty nice.

Headed up towards the Rope Tow patch
Joe booting up the Rope Tow patch

We set a quick boot pack to the top of the Rope Tow patch, and soon made our way to the remnants of the Rope Tow, before setting our sights on the really good looking Cirque patch. We booted up to the top of the Cirque patch, and then it was time to put a beer on ice to chill it before enjoying a couple of sips. My beer of choice was one I was really looking forward to — a Pacific Northwest IPA brewed by Talking Cedar Brewing. I’d picked this can up a few weeks earlier on a trip to Mt Rainier with the family while visiting guest shop at Sunrise, and it definitely hit the spot. After it was chilled, I enjoyed a few drinks before enjoying some turns.

The Rope Tow, Broken Top and the Sisters
Talking Cedar Northwest IPA

After stepping into our bindings, Joe and I enjoyed some quality turns down the Cirque patch. Dan, who’d been a bit behind us all day due to hiking a slightly different route up the hill, was just arriving as we headed out for a first lap.

Joe skiing the Cirque patch
Matt at the bottom of the Cirque patch

The snow in the Cirque patch went down much further in years past, although it was only August 1st and normally we’re visiting the patch in September or October. Regardless, we enjoyed the skiing although the snow was a bit bumpier than normal for Bachelor. As we set a boot pack up, Dan was skiing down, and I caught the below photo of him skiing down while Joe was climbing up.

Joe hiking and Dan skiing
Back at the top of the Cirque patch

The climb back to the top of the Cirque patch didn’t take too long, and Joe and I decided to wait for Dan so the three of us could ski together on the second lap. After a few minutes (and after enjoying the rest of my beer), Dan arrived and we headed down a little bit later. Dan took the camera and shot some photos of me as I headed down, including the two shots below.

Matt on lap 2
August turns on the Cirque patch

Partway down the patch, I stopped and took the camera back from Dan, before skiing down a ways further to setup and shoot some shots of the skiers as they came down.

Dan enjoying some August turns on Mt Bachelor
Joe cranking some Cirque patch turns

We skied down to the bottom of the patch again, and then regrouped there to discuss the plan. I shot a few more pics at the bottom of the patch, including one looking back up at our turns. After a quick conversation, we agreed that the snow wasn’t so good that we wanted another lap, so we decided to head over to the Rope Tow patch to ski that.

Joe and Broken Top
Our turns in the Cirque patch

I had another beer in my pack that needed to be drank, as well as another drink that I’d found on the way up. It seemed like a good time to bust it out, so I grabbed the smooth tasting Cold Chillin’ Vanilla Cream Ale from Wild Ride Brewing and snapped a picture of it before chilling it in the snow. I have to say, it might be one of the better tasting beers I’d had in awhile.

Cold Chillin’ Vannila Cream Ale
Joe hiking out of the Cirque
Joe and Broken Top
Joe, the Rope Tow, and the upper reaches of the Rope Tow patch

A few minutes later, we were standing at the top of the Rope Tow patch with skis and boards on, ready to rip some more turns. I dropped in first, and the snow was much better here than over in the Cirque. I caught several pics of Joe and Dan as they headed down, including the shots below. Lower down, Dan took the camera and took a few photos of me as well.

Joe enjoying the smooth snow on the Rope Tow patch
Skiing smooth August snow on Bachelor
Dan skiing some nice corn
Matt sliding the lower section of the Rope Tow snow

From the bottom of the Rope Tow patch we made the short hike over to the last snow patch above the road, and enjoyed the final turns of the afternoon. I caught a pic of Joe sliding down the final few feet, right back to where we left our approach shoes!

Heading to the final patch
Final turns of the day

At the end of the snow, we transitioned back to shoes for the hike down, and Dan and I split the drink that I’d found on the hike up, an interesting tasting Grapefruit Paloma from Craftwell Cocktails out of Corvallis. I can’t say it was my favorite drink ever, but it wasn’t terrible, and free is always nice :).

Grapefruit Paloma wine cocktail

The hike down to the base was mostly uneventful, with a couple of exceptions. As we neared the bottom, we took extra care not to be noticed by the gestapo and made sure to hop back on the trail and hike the final few hundred yards across the hill to avoid getting yelled at. Everything went well and we made it to the car without getting hassled.

Joe with a flag found in the middle of the run
Walking the “official” hiking trail back to the base

At the car, it felt nice to get out of ski boots and enjoy some fresh garden salsa as well as as a tasty garden salad I’d made the day prior for each of us. Enjoying fresh food from the garden after earning turns is one of the things I look forward to most about this time of year.

Apres’ at the charging station

After enjoying our fill of chips and salsa, as well as the salads, it was time to call it a day and hit the road home. All in all, it was a pretty great way to kick off August, and I’m looking forward to getting out again soon.

July 22, 2024 – Mt Hood, Snowdome

Could it really have been 13 years since I last visited the Snowdome and Mt Hood’s northside? Seems really hard to believe. Looking back at my trip reports and records however validated that was the case, so I was pretty excited when Joe and Dan were game to head up and try to score some late July turns. Dan met me at my house in the mid-afternoon on Sunday, and after loading gear into my truck we headed up I5, picking up Joe at the cop shop in Albany. Our drive went smoothly until we got to just past Sandy. A bad wreck on Highway 26 closed down all four lanes of the highway about 10 miles past Sandy, and we had to backtrack and take a long detour around which cost us about an hour and a half.

Heading to Cloud Cap on Sunday evening

After the very slow detour with everyone else that wanted to get through on the highway, we eventually popped back out to 26 and made our way to Government Camp. After a quick stop in Govy, we headed east and then north, finally making our way towards Cloud Cap. The road wasn’t in the worst shape, but we were glad to have the four-wheel drive. It was slow going, but eventually we made our way to Cloud Cap.

Cloud Cap on Sunday evening
Sunset from Cloud Cap

Given our later than expected arrival, the campsites at Cloud Cap were all taken by through-hikers, but we managed to snag a parking place near the shitter that afforded a level place for Dan and I to sleep in the back of the truck and for Joe to pitch his bivy not too far away. After getting our gear somewhat in order, I headed out with my camera and made the short walk up the road to snap some pictures, something I used to do on previous trips so many years ago when frequenting the area with my old ski partner Todd.

Cloud Cap, July 21, 2022
The sun setting over a July sky

After snapping several pictures of the sunset and Cloud Cap Inn itself, I walked back down the road to get my sleeping bag and bed situation setup in the back of the truck, which required unloading most of our gear we’d stowed in the back for the drive up. Once everything was nice and cozy, all three of us headed back up to Cloud Cap to enjoy the views one more time before the sun went down for the evening.

An iconic view of Mt Hood
Cloud Cap Inn & Mt Hood

A couple of things struck me while shooting photos and taking in the sights – one was the reaffirmation of how beautiful this side of the mountain is, and two was how much snow and ice had melted off the Eliot Glacier since my last visit in 2011. After 20 minutes of so of enjoying the view, the sun began to set below the cloud deck on the horizon, and it was time to get a bite to eat and hit the sleeping bag, so we headed back to the truck to settle in for the evening.

Evening view from Cloud Cap
Looking back at the Inn

We donned headlamps eating dinner, and just before we got done a large van pulled and parked next to us. Three very fit ultra runners stepped out, and we chatted with them a bit. Their plan was to run to Timberline in the morning, and then stay the night at the lodge before coming back to Cloud Cap the next day. One of the ladies had an injury she was coming back from, otherwise they said they would normally run the whole 41 mile loop in a day no problem! And I though I was in shape haha!

Timberline Trail to Elk Cove sign

A bit later we crawled into sleeping bags, and slept really well through the night, with the exception of being woken up once by a loud deer wandering through camp. The next morning, we were up early to enjoy some fresh coffee and breakfast before shouldering packs and heading out. One of the thru-hikers (who also happened to be a skier) at Cloud Cap snapped the below picture of the three of us as we were about to leave the truck.

Ready to head out in the morning
Mt Hood Wilderness sign

After a few minutes on the trail, we gained the ridge above Cloud Cap and got our first good views of the mountain, the Eliot and the Snowdome, all basking in the morning sunlight. The mountain, as well as the surrounding vistas were slightly obscured by a large wildfire to the east of Mt Hood, and Mt St Helens, Adams and Rainier, usually visible to the north, were not.

Headed up the ridge above Cloud Cap
Mt Hood’s northside

Nevertheless, it was still a beautiful morning on the mountain’s northside, and soon we made our way up the ridge to the cairn marking the trail leading down to the Eliot. After a bit of a scramble to get down to the canyon, we found a suitable crossing through snow and scree to approach the lower lobe of Eliot Glacier.

Heading up towards the Eliot
Joe and Dan on the approach to Snowdome

We worked our way onto the snow covering some of the remaining glacial ice, and started up. The snow surface was in good condition, with enough purchase to not need crampons, although I was glad to have ’em in my pack if needed.

Joe on the lower Eliot
Joe and Dan on the Eliot

As we continued up, I had to marvel at the beauty of the Eliot Glacier. Even in it’s much reduced capacity from 15 years ago (and certainly 25 to 40 years ago), it’s still the biggest glacier in Oregon. I snapped a few pictures as we crossed, and then continued on up to catch up with Joe and Dan.

The Eliot Glacier on Mt Hood
A crevasse on the Eliot

We were careful as we crossed the last section to head over and make the climb up towards Snowdome, but overall the crossing was quite straight forward as it usually is. A few more pictures later, and we were ready to exit off the Eliot and head up towards the ‘Dome.

Joe booting up the lower Eliot
Matt and the Eliot Glacier

Once we left the Eliot and began climbing, the views of the glacier and Hood really start to open up, offering an excellent vantage point to take some nice photos. I snapped a few of the mountain, as well as Joe and Dan as they climbed up ahead of me, then continued on to link back up with them.

The Eliot Glacier and Mt Hood
Heading up to the Snowdome
The ‘Dome on Mt Hood
Matt and Mt Hood’s northside

We climbed up to just a bit below the Snowdome proper, which made for a good place to enjoy a break, refuel and re-hydrate, and soak in the views. It definitely was smokey to the north and east and had been getting smokier as the morning progressed, but was starting to act like it might clear up just a bit with a shift in the wind direction, especially as we climbed higher.

Dan enjoying a break below the ‘Dome
Joe booting up Hood’s northside

Eventually we booted our way up to the Snowdome proper. The temps were just right, and the snow was in near perfect condition as we made the final approach towards the top, and the three of us were pretty excited about the conditions.

Dan on the lower lobe of the Dome
Nearing our high point.

A few minutes later we arrived at the high point of our climb, and it was a great place to enjoy a break with a view. We ate lunch and settled in a the base of a big rock that was protected by a large moat. In past trips I hadn’t remembered seeing this big exposed rock before, but it was a great place for lunch. Later at home, I confirmed when looking at old pictures that the rock wasn’t exposed, and estimated that nearly 50 feet of ice must have melted since I was there last.

Dan topping out on the Snowdome
The Eliot from the top of the ‘Dome
Crevasses on the upper Eliot
Lunchtime at the top of the ‘Dome

It was a good time as well to get our beers on ice, which I did after snapping a photo of my offering for the day – a super refreshing Fluffy India Pale Ale from Claim 52 Brewing.

Fluffy IPA from Claim 52

Once my beer was cold, I enjoyed half of it while we listed to Bob Marley on my phone. Inspired by his “Jamming” song, we adopted it as our own but with “Doming.” We Doming would become the mantra for the rest of the trip! A bit later, we stuck our beers in the snow to stay cold while we skied a lap, and readied to make our first turns of the day. Dan (or Joe, I can’t remember, ha!) took a “sponsor” shot of me, and then we dropped in for some of the best July corn I’ve had in quite awhile.

Looking off towards the Coe
Sponsor shot from the top of the ‘Dome

I headed down first, and setup at a suitable place to shoot some shots of Joe and Dan as they came down, and watched them enjoy some super sweet corn. Below is a three-shot sequence of Joe…

Joe ripping on the Dome
July turns on Mt Hood’s Snowdome
Joe enjoying first lap turns on the Dome

Joe ripped turns all the way down to near where we’d taken a break earlier in the day, and then it was Dan’s turn to ski. He shucked the perfect corn as I snapped pics, and skied down to Joe. A four-shot sequence of Dan is below…

Dan dropping in on the Dome
Harvesting some sweet corn
Dan shredding on Snowdome
Headed down to Joe on lap 1

Once the skiers were down, I put my camera in the bag and made big, sweeping, fun turns down to Joe and Dan, and at the bottom we were all smiles. The harvest was as good as we could have hoped for, and we headed back up for another lap, happy to reuse our existing bootpack.

Booting back up
Joe nearing the top

The hike up went much quicker on our second lap with an established bootpack, and it felt good to bet back to the top for a second time. This time the views had improved as well, with most of the smoke being blown out to the east. Mt Adams was visible to the north, and we could just make out Mt Rainier as well.

Looking out over the ‘Dome

We spent a few more minutes at the top enjoying the views for a second time, and then it was time to head down again to enjoy a second lap, as well as begin to make our way back towards Cloud Cap. This time, we headed skier’s left, and enjoyed some really sweet corn. Dan grabbed the camera and headed down, and then shot a bunch of pictures of me as I descended. Below is a 6-shot sequence he took of me…

Dropping in for lap 2
Carving a toeside turn on the Dome
July turns on Snowdome
Matt heading down
Ripping turns down the Snowdome
Matt cranking turns on Mt Hood’s north side

The turns on skiers left were steep, smooth and exhilarating. It’s hard to describe, but there’s nothing else quite like the feeling of sliding down perfect corn high on a pacific northwest volcano in the summer. After making my way back down to Dan, I took the camera back from him, headed further down the Dome to where Joe was waiting, and snapped several photos as Dan skied down.

Dan enjoying a second lap
Ripping turns on lap 2
Turns in front of Mt Adams and Rainier
Heading down the lower Dome

After we regrouped on the lower section of the Snowdome, we set off again, working our way back towards the Eliot Glacier. I fired off several shots of the skiers as we headed down, including the four below…

Joe with Mt Adams
Skiing down towards the Eliot
Resting the legs below the Snowdome
Skiing above the Eliot

We followed our up track back down to a small rock band that required booting across, enjoying nice turns and good views along the way.

Looking back at the ‘Dome
Ready to access the Eliot
A picture perfect view of the Eliot, upper Snowdome and Mt Hood

Once back on the Eliot, we kept the skis on and carefully negotiated our way around several crevasses, as well as rocks and other glacial debris, before getting to some really nice snow on the lower glacier.

Dan enjoying a break on the Eliot
Traversing across the Eliot to do an end-run around crevasses
Looking out across the lower Eliot

The lower Eliot skied really well, and was pretty much crevasse-free. I headed down first and then setup to shoot Dan and Joe as they skied by me. A few of the shots came out quite nicely.

Dan ripping turns on the lower Eliot
Dan skiing the lower Eliot
Joe with Hood and the Dome in the background
Afternoon corn harvest on the Eliot

The skiing was so good we milked the turns all the way down skier’s left of the Eliot until the snow ran out, which put us a hundred feet or so below the trail that leads out of the canyon. It was definitely worth it, as the pictures below show…

Skiing out on the lower Eliot
Matt enjoying a quick break
Turns down to the very bottom
Ready to head back to Cloud Cap

The hike out to the canyon trail took a bit of time to negotiate through the rocks and glacial debris, but eventually we made our way to the trail and then back up to the ridge. The views along the way were pretty excellent…

Mt Adams looming to the north
Mt Hood looming large while Joe crosses debris on the lower glacier
Looking down the Eliot canyon from the ridge

Once we gained the ridge, it was an easy hike down the train to Cloud Cap, where cold beer was waiting in the cooler. It felt great to change into flip flops and shorts, and we put some brats on the grill for some apres action. A few minutes later they were ready to go and they really hit the spot after a pretty epic day.

Hiking the trail out to Cloud Cap
Apres at the trailhead

A bit later, with both the food and beer consumed, it was time to hit the road, so we loaded up the gear and piled in the truck. As expected, it was a slow drive down the rough road from Cloud Cap, but soon we made it out to highway 26 and it was smooth sailing home. All in all, it was an awesome trip to the north side of the mountain, and I know one thing — it definitely won’t be 13 years before I visit the Eliot and Snowdome again!

June 23-25, 2024 – Mt Rainier, Fryingpan Glacier Environs

After much anticipation associated with securing a spot in the early lottery process and then scoring a reservation for the group shelter at Summerland on the Wonderland Trail, our group of Brian, Dan, Joe, John, Mark and I headed out in anticipation of three fun days of skiing and riding in the Fryingpan Glacier area of Mt Rainier. Brian and I got picked up at the Harrisburg exit early in the am by Mark, Dan & John, and we made the trek up to Albany where Dan hopped into Joe’s truck and we caravanned the rest of the way to the park. After a brief stop at the exit on highway 12 for some coffee and supplies, and another in Packwood, we made our way into the park to pick up our permit at the White River Ranger station around 10:45 am. A few minutes later, we found ourselves with the last two parking spots at the Fryingpan Creek trailhead, and set about getting our packs and gear ready for the hike into Summerland.  

Brian looking up Fryingpan Creek from the trailhead
Brian on the trail in

The weather was overcast and cool, which was actually quite welcome from the heat we’d been having during the past week, and made for a pretty leisurely and non-sweaty approach as we hiked up the trail. The first miles passed quickly, and soon we found ourselves at the bridge crossing, which ironically was washed out again just as it was 2-years ago during our last visit. As we started to don packs and get ready to cross, I caught some movement out of the corner of my eye and noticed a big black bear with two cubs rambling down the trail across the creek. Definitely not wanting to get into the middle of that, we retreated from the creek a bit and yelled towards the bears to let them know we were there. The bears definitely wanted to cross, but finally decided to head down the creek and gave us passage to cross without incident.  

Contemplating the best crossing of the Fryingpan
Mark and Joe fording the creek

After crossing, we followed the trail for a half mile or so and then began the switchbacks up the steep canyon wall towards Summerland. On the hike up the trail, I looked back across the canyon and we spotted another black bear, this one a big male, feeding in a meadow. Seems like the bears were definitely out and about with the cool weather. A bit later, we were able to don skins and get the skis and boots off our backs, and soon we arrived in Summerland, happy to have the shelter as a place to stay for the next two nights.

Brian hiking up the trail towards Summerland
Dan & John at camp

After getting the packs off our backs, we began to get our camp in order in anticipation of heading out to make some afternoon turns. The bear pole was up (thanks to the rangers for getting that installed a few days earlier), and after hanging our food out of the reach of any hungry bears, we donned skins and headed out towards Goat Cirque. The fog and clouds were still holding on and didn’t show any signs of loosening their grasp at our elevation, but it was still great to get out on the skins to make some turns.

Hanging food at the bear pole
Taking a break at Goat Cirque

As we worked our way up the snowfields of the Goat Cirque, we didn’t see any goats, but did see quite a few tracks in the snow. Visibility was anywhere from 100 feet to 100 yards, so I’m not sure if we would have seen them even if they were right on top of us. Regardless, we continued up and followed some smooth looking snow up to climber’s right of the bowl.

Brian heading up
Skinning up the Goat Cirque

We worked our way up to where the slope steepened and the visibility worsened and decided that was high enough for our first lap. A few of the skiers headed down, and after I pulled my skins, I dropped in and snapped a few shots of Dan coming down. 

Dan getting the first turns of the trip
Harvesting some afternoon corn

The snow was a bit on the sticky side which was surprising given it’s smooth and firm consistency, but we figured it had to do with all the moisture in the air from the fog. Nevertheless, it wasn’t enough to keep us from heading up for another lap, although this time we elected to climb a slightly steeper pitch a littler lower down the bowl that was closer to our exit to camp.

Heading up for a second lap
Matt enjoying some steep turns in the fog

Dan grabbed the camera through the steep rollover and shot a few pictures of me, and then I took it back and returned the favor as he  headed down. The snow here was quite a bit better than on our first lap, and gave us good hope for conditions the following day up high. After exiting the bowl, we traversed back towards camp, making some fun turns along the way before arriving back at Summerland a few feet from our camp site.

Dan heading back to camp

Back at camp, it was time to cook up some dinner and enjoy some leisure time hanging out. It stayed a bit on the cold side, so everyone had their winter coats on, but the relaxation was taken to the next level when Brian pulled out his cot that also doubled as a bench for sitting! 

Hanging at camp

A bit later, I cooked up what was quite possibly one of the worst freeze dried meals I’ve ever had (never again will I buy the Green Curry from Backpacker’s Pantry haha. It literally tasted like vomit but I had to eat it since I didn’t have a surplus of meals on hand having packed in a full 6-pack for the crew plus an extra beer for me. Even Fischer tasted my food and said it was really, really bad, which if you know John is really saying something! I managed to stomach the food eventually and then washed it down with a backcountry margarita made from an airplane shot of tequila, some crystal light lemonade and some corn snow. That took the bile/vomit taste out of my mouth and put me in a better mood for the rest of the evening, which was capped off by taking a few more photos around the shelter before we all hit the sack in anticipation of the following day. 

The group shelter with our skis and skins

After a cool, foggy (and even misty at times) night, we woke to cloudy skies that we could tell were going to succumb to the sun. I’d been telling Brian for the past 24 hours about the glorious views of Mt Rainier from Summerland, but we had yet to see the mountain. Finally, after breakfast, we were ready to head out around 8:00 am when the sun finally beat the clouds down enough for the mountain to pop out just as we donned skins and left camp.

Brian ready to head out on Monday morning
Brian and Mark at Summerland

As we started skinning higher and made our way towards Goat Cirque, the views improved and what a contrast it was to the previous day. I followed Mark who was out in front, and eventually we all grouped up in the cirque to continue our ascent.

Heading towards the cirque
Mark enjoying a quick break
Skinning up the bowl
The rest of the crew making the transition

Partway up the bowl, Mark and I donned ski crampons while the rest of the crew donned regular crampons. A bit later we all arrived at the top of the ridge, and the views to the south and west opened up nicely with Mt Adams looming large. Looking back towards the southeast, it always feels like I’m looking at something out of a Lord of the Rings movie – the scenery from this side of the mountain is just superb.

The view west southwest from the ridge
Looking back to the southeast
Another view towards Mt Adams
Mark on the ridge

We enjoyed a quick break at the ridge, and then continued our approach up to a high point before having to drop down before more climbing. I took several shots as we headed out, including the ones below of Brian and Joe.

Brian arriving at the ridge
Joe getting ready to head out

As we climbed, the snow was quite smooth and it looked like we were going to get not only a long ride on the way out, but a good ride on our way back down. A few more minutes of climbing and a few more pictures brought us to a point where it was time for a brief descent…

Skinning up towards the Fryingpan
Dan high above Summerland

After putting the board halves together and removing skins, I motioned for Mark and Dan to drop in while I shot a few photos. The turns looked great the corn was ripe, and the two shots below show their signatures on the snow.

Turns in the bowl
Dan and Mark ready for some more climbing

After shooting a few pictures, I dropped in next and harvested the perfectly ripe corn. At the bottom, it was time to don the skins again for my favorite part of the climb up to the Fryingpan and on to Whitman Crest. A couple of shots below include John threading the needle between a couple of patches of snow in the bowl and then a couple of the skiers looking pretty small below on the climb up to the Fryingpan proper.

Fischer enjoying some corn turns
The skiers looking small in the distance

Mark and I headed out ahead of the rest of the group and set the skin track up towards the Fryingpan, and partway up the snow was looking really good. With a few of the others still well below us, Mark couldn’t take it and decided he needed to get a few more turns in, so he pulled skins quickly and enjoyed some quality corn while I shot a few pictures. It was really tempting to pull skins and follow him, but I decided to to continue on up.

Mark enjoying some nice corn
Joe working up the skin track

I headed up the slope and eventually worked my way out onto the Fryingpan, which was looking really nice, and found a good spot to take a break and refuel. A bit later the rest of the crew came up, and soon everyone was enjoying a break with a view.

Brian and a great backdrop
Enjoying a break on the Fryingpan

Our break wasn’t too long — just enough to lower the heart rate, rehydrate and enjoy a snack — and then it was time for the push to the Whitman Crest. The views from this high on the Fryingpan are quite incredible, and looking across the glacier to Mt Rainier proper gives a commanding view of the Emmons Glacier.

Looking off to the Emmons from the Fryingpan
John nearing the Whitman Crest

We worked our way up the slope and were able to skin the entire way to the high point on the crest. My first order of business was to put my beer on ice, which I did. A few minutes later it was cold and ready to drink, and I’m not sure I’ve ever had a better beer than the cold Alpenhaze Hazy IPA from Icicle Brewing Company. Life doesn’t get much better than enjoying a cold beverage high on a volcano in the pacific northwest in late June with several of your best ski buds!

A super tasty Hazy IPA from Icicle Brewing
Mt Adams from Whitman Crest

As usual, the views from the crest didn’t disappoint. Looking off into the Whitman Glacier to the west and up to the Little Tahoma, I didn’t even feel the urge to head off in that direction. It was just great to enjoy the view and get ready to harvest some of the best corn around. 

Looking out over the Whitman Glacier and beyond

While we enjoyed the views and our beverages, Brian and I hiked the ridge to the high point to get a commanding view of the mountain and the Fryingpan. Standing on the rocks high on the ridge and looking down at the valley carved by massive glaciers is a sight that I will never tire of.

Brian at the Crest
A beautiful view down to the Fryingpan

A few minutes later we scrambled back down to the rest of the crew, and after getting the obligatory “sponsor shot,” it was time to step into the bindings and get ready to shred. As usual, Fischer took off first, and was so fast I couldn’t even get my camera out quick enough to snap pictures of him — all I got was his tracks heading way the eff down skier’s right of the Fryingpan with him as a small dot in the picture. Typical Fish!

“Sponsor shot” at the Whitman Crest
Fischer’s tracks on the Fryingpan

Joe launched next, and I followed after he headed down. Brian elected to stay up at the crest (we’d all agreed to come back up for a second lap), and I stopped briefly to shoot a shot looking back up the crest before heading down toward John.  

Joe dropping in
Looking back at the Crest

Partway down my run, I pulled over at a suitable spot for shooting some action shots, and waited until Dan and Mark came down from the crest. A few moments later, they dropped in and skied by me while I fired off several pictures of them enjoying a quality corn harvest.

Dan enjoying turns in from of Mt Adams
Turns on the Fryingpan
Mark harvesting some corn on the upper Fryingpan
Corn turns on the glacier

The corn on the Fryingpan was definitely some of the best corn of the year, if not the season. I headed all the way down to John (as did Mark), and everyone was stoked on the snow quality. The climb back up to the Crest wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be with a slight breeze that kept us cool, and before long we were teamed back up with Brian and ready to drop in again for a second lap.

Mark & Brian back at the Crest
Looking down the Fryingpan

Mark, Brian and I watched as Dan, Joe and John dropped in and made nice turns down the creamy corn of the upper Fryingpan, and then clicked into our bindings to follow. I dropped in next and enjoyed the perfect corn before setting up to snap a few shots of Brian enjoying his first lap on the glacier as well as Mark’s second. Brian caught a little air right off the top and then ripped the snow down towards the rest of our crew.

Brian airing it on on the upper Fryingpan
Slashing a turn on Mt Rainier

The scenery for shooting photos was about as good as it gets, and I caught some shots of the guys cruising with Mt Adams in the background..

Summer shredding on the Fryingpan
Mark enjoying the quality corn

We rode down to Dan, Joe and John, and regrouped as we worked our way down the glacier. The shot below of John skiing on the upper Fryingpan with Whitman Crest in the background provides some visual evidence that we really enjoyed the upper reaches of the Fryingpan — lots of tracks were laid down!

John enjoying quality corn turns

We enjoyed turns on down the glacier before stopping to regroup at the headwall of the steep bowl on skier’s right of the lower Fryingpan. We wanted to head back down along our climbing route, and talked over what migh be the best way down.

June turns on the Fryingpan
Joe & Dan enjoying a break on the descent

After assessing it, Joe, Mark and John headed skier’s left while Dan, Brian and I went skier’s right. I did a ski cut across the slope and got a good release of some wet, newer snow that was clinging to the steep headwall, and after it slid safely down to the bottom we dropped in one by one. Brian dropped in first and made a few nice turns in front of the Goat Rocks, and then charged to the bottom.

Brian dropping into the bowl

Dan dropped next and I followed after him. I snapped a few pictures before putting my camera away and heading down, including the two below. I really like the second shot, where Dan is dropping over the steep headwall — it looks like he’s ready to drop off the face of the earth! 

Approaching the headwall in the bowl
Dan dropping off the edge of the world

At the bottom, we regrouped with Mark, Joe and John, and linked turns down to where we’d stopped earlier in the day. At this point, the skins went back on our skis and a short climb was required to get back to the Goat Cirque bowl. Brian and I did our best to look for an entrance into the Goat Cirque on a line that a few of us have skied over the years, but the entrance wasn’t obvious and it was definitely a safer choice to ski out our climbing route.

Donning skins for a short climb

After the short climb out of the bowl, we ran the ridge down for a quarter mile or so and dropped into the Goat Cirque. This time, Brian offered to shoot a few shots of me, so he grabbed the camera and setup below. The turns in the cirque were smooth and nice, and definitely worth the effort.

Matt hign on Goat Cirque
Cranking turns in the Cirque

The ski out of the lower cirque was pleasant, and then it was the long traverse back to Summerland. My calves were burning by the time we finally stepped out of the board near camp.

Joe & Mark back at Summerland

I pulled out my camera and threw the wide angle lens on to grab a couple of sunburst shots of Brian and Dan (below), but forgot to take the filter off so the photos ended up with quite a few hexagon prisms. Nevertheless, they still looked decent…

Brian just outside of camp
Dan at Summerland

That evening at camp everyone kicked back and relaxed after a long, fun day. I had another freeze dried dinner, this time it was much better (a Pad Thai meal from Backpacker’s Pantry) and it hit the spot, along with another corn snow margarita. The rest of the crew also cooked up some food, and we enjoyed the evening.

Camp on day 2 at the Summerland shelter

Brian and I spent some time talking about cameras, lenses and photography, since he had just pulled the trigger on a new Olympus camera a month earlier. We started talking about intentional movement and blur when taking photos, so I did a couple of quick experiments with a little longer shutter speed and rotated the camera 180 degrees (or as best I could) over about a half second. The resulting images are below…. 

A blurry photos of the trees at camp
Brian at camp

It wasn’t too much longer before the evening wore on, the sun set behind Rainer and the light started to fade. Eventually, everyone crawled into sleeping bags and day number two was in the books.

Skis and skins outside the shelter

The next morning dawned clear and sunny, and we enjoyed a leisurely freeze dried breakfast and some good coffee before heading out for some turns outside of camp. The goal for the morning was to ski the lower slopes below Meany Crest and the Fryingpan glacier, and then to get back to camp at a reasonable hour to pack up and hit the trail. We headed out somewhere around 8:00am or so, and after a short carry right outside of camp were able to skin the rest of the way. On our approach out to the slopes below Meany Crest, we ran into several Hoary marmots.

A Hoary marmot at Summerland
Marmots sparring on Mt Rainier

The sun was shining brightly, and our fears that the snow might not soften in time to corn for us before we had to leave were relieved pretty quickly after we set out. Mark set a nice skin track for us to follow, and soon we started gaining elevation and the views opened up nicely.

Brian looking on
A quick morning break
Joe heading up
The Fish arriving at our high point

We worked our way up to our high point for the day, and as usual the views were excellent. The view of the Emmons glacier and Mt Rainier proper from this side of Meany Crest are incredible. The Emmons is quite a bit smaller than when I first laid eyes on it 15 years ago, but still the biggest glacier in the lower 48 and super impressive.

Joe enjoying a break and the view
The crew enjoying a rest break
Brian looking out over the Fryingpan valleyxfvc
Mark & Brian with Goat Island behind

A few minutes later, after enjoying the views and a snack, Dan arrived (he’d left camp after us and skied a short line before catching up with us). I snapped a picture of him as he arrived, as well as a picture of Fischer before he stepped into his skis and headed down.

Dan arriving at our high point
Fischer with Little and Big Tahoma in the background

After watching Mark, Joe and John drop in and harvest some pretty tasty looking corn, Dan, Brian and I readied to enjoy some turns. We had a question as to whether or not our line went all the way to the bottom, but not seeing the others skinning back up was a pretty tell-tale sign that it went, so we dropped in.

Brian dropping in on day 3
Summer turns below Meany Crest

We enjoyed good snow right from the top, and then worked our way down the wide open snowfields. There were a couple of spots that necked down and made for some spicy turns, but it was mostly just plain good skiing. I shot several shots of Brian and Dan as we descended.

Brian looking small in a big landscape
Dan pausing on the way down below Meany Crest
Brian heading to the lower snow slopes
Harvesting some smooth June corn

We worked on down and made turns for quite a long ways. It felt like we were going to ski clear to Fryingpan creek before we finally rounded the corner and started traversing back towards Summerland. A few more photos from the action are below.

Brian continuing on down
Dan & Brian with Rainier towering in the background
Turns below Little Tahoma
A few final turns before beginning the skin back to camp

On the skin back to camp, we looked up and noticed that Joe and Mark were headed back up for another partial lap, and that Fischer was climbing a wild looking snow patch above us.

Brian ready to transition to skins

Although the snow that John was climbing up looked pretty hairy and not that good, none of us were surprised to see him booting up the couloir. A few minutes later after we had made the transition to skins, he clicked into his skis and began descending. The snow looked terrible, and for a minute we thought he might fall to his death, but he managed to ski down. When he got to us, we all laughed when asked him how the snow was. His reply: “not very good.”

Fischer climbing a spicy chute
The Fish negotiating some challenging snow

A 20 minute skin and boot later, we were back at camp and it was time to get ready to break camp and hike out. I was looking forward to drinking my other beer that I’d packed in, a Tropic Haze IPA from Silver City Brewery. I’d strategically left it in a snow patch just behind the shelter, along with one for Dan and John as well, and the beers were ice cold when I pulled them out. They definitely hit the spot after a fun morning of turns.

Tropic Haze IPA

After enjoying our beverages, it didn’t take long to break camp, load our packs and head out. The goal was to see if we could ski down a ways from Summerland, with the goal of descending as far as possible before having to put the sticks on our backs. None of us knew how far we’d be able to descend, but we headed out with hopes of reaching the creek.

Brian shoving off from Summerland
Making turns down to the trail

To my amazement, we found a great line that went all the way to Fryingpan creek. The final stretch to the creek was in a small draw with shade that kept the snow protected and it worked out perfect. I caught a few pictures of Joe coming down with a loaded pack enjoying the final turns of the trip.

Joe on the descent to the trail
Turns in the draw

Once down to the creek, Fischer, Dan and Mark kept going, but it was kind of a skis on, skis off kind of thing, along with a bit of uphill shuffling. Joe, Brian and I elected to put the skis on the packs and walk the quarter mile or so down to the crossing, where we all met up, this time with no bears in sight. This time we were able to cross the creek without removing shoes, so it was a bit faster than when we came in a few days earlier.

Crossing the Fryingpan on the trail out

After crossing the Fryingpan, the rest of the hike out went smoothly, and a few miles later we were back at the trailhead enjoying a cold drink and changing out of trail clothes and into flip flops and shorts. A few minutes later, everyone strolled in (Dan was last to the truck in typical Dan fashion because he had to stop and enjoy a beer on the way out — definitely didn’t want to pack that out), and we were all in the mood to grill up some brats.

Mark and Brian enjoying some shade after the hike out

The brats cooked up nicely on the grill, but our bread options were limited due to a mouse getting into the loaf of bread we had in the back of the truck, so in a pinch we used tortillas, which actually worked out quite nicely. I pulled out my tripod and got a shot of our whole group enjoying the grub after an epic trip, and that capped off a great three days on Mt Rainier.

Group shot at the trailhead after a great trip

A bit later, with the food gone, we loaded the trucks and made the long drive back down I-5 to the valley, fully satisfied with another good trip to the Fryingpan. I don’t know how soon it will happen, but I know it won’t be too long and I’ll be ready to head back for another trip to such a special place!