Mt Pilchuck Excursion
Mar. 3, 2002
view from the top: Pilchuck Ridge to Glacier Peak
Ken J. McLeod ©
Again, I set out only to take more photographs of the mountains on a beautiful sunny (cloudless) day, with no real intent to climb, though I had my climbing gear in the truck. Up the Mt. Pilchuck road I went, passed the Heather Lake Trailhead where only a few vehicles were parked. In about a mile or so, I came upon a guy (Mike Rice) hiking the road with climbing gear headed for the mountain top. "Hop in," I said. And with that, we carried on conversation as I drove us up the mounatin another 5-6 miles on the nasty snow road to the old parking/ski lot. Upon arriving there, we noticed a hissing sound coming from left rear tire....."we'll fix that after we climb," I said. And Mike concured. Out came the gear to include crampons in the packs, ice axes, and my Austrian trek poles which are great for snow/glacier travel.
Up the mountain (north face route) we went with the ever impending sun beating down upon us. Soon. we had a good sweat going and were huffing and puffing our way up towards Little Pilchuck. The mountain snow was grand with about 4-6 inches of fairly fresh powder on it, though a little soft to my liking for climbing. We took a few rest stops here and there, had great conversation for having just met, but pretty much continued our climb ever upward tackling the steep portion and kicking in foot holes as we went without much hesitation. An hour passed and we stood at the saddle between Little Pilchuck and the main peak or summit where the old lookout stood.
Having been the same route in December, I thought ahead about the steep slope and what conditions might be lurking, so we opted to "fang" up with crampons. Onto the western side we traversed occasionally following a few set of tracks here and there. And within the hour, the summit and Lookout were in sight. The "fangs" weren't all that neccessary as the slope was more gentle but had huge wind-blown drifts unlike the 45 degree or so steep-iced slope of December that I remembered, but they sure do give a person added grip and more convidence!
Just before ariiving at the summit, we ran into two fellows coming back down.....two of the same three guys I had summited pretty much with in December, which was rather interesting to say the least. We bid good tidings to each other.......
On the summit, two other fellows were there, having done the same route as us. Small conversation was had. Then Mike and I kicked back a bit and had some lunch and snacks, as well as doing some photography, and signing the register at 12:52 in the afternoon. We met another fellow just below the Lookout over by Gunsight Pass and Pilchuck Point who went by the name of Gerard.....he had hiked up the road about 4 miles then climbed to the top in the early morning. Great conversation was had among three new friends. The view was spectacular!!! And Mike and I searched out the surrounding peaks by naming them and talking about past adventures upon them.
Soon, the wind picked up, near 20 mph Mike figured, and we decided to head back down the mountain with Gerard hot on our tail. Near the saddle we encountered a young couple with barely anything on as far as clothes went (at least up top). They didn't seem to sure about what they doing and the gal said she wondered how they'd get back down? They continued on, but I had my doubts as to whether they summited, as they seemed like they were prepared for summer hiking, except for the snowshoes the guy sported. Shortly after meeting the couple, we ran into three more climbers, ones prepared with proper climbing gear! They were headed to the top, too.
Note: To those who wish to go beyond while hiking.....be prepared and take some gear, gear that might prevent a fall or mishap such as an ice ax or crampons if you are going to go up, along, and down steep slopes covered with snow and or ice. Otherwise, you really don't belong there!
Below Little Pilchuck where the slope became less steep, we started glissading.....what fun! We bobbed and bounced down the mountain arriving at the parking lot in no time. There, of course, the tire had gone flat. And the experience of changing it in the snow was great fun, I think?
Down the mountain I drove, dropping Gerard off and Mike where each had parked their own trucks, but not until we had pushed a couple's Jeep out from being stuck in the snow. At one point, Mike had said, "I think we got some sun today." And I concured, for I felt a warm glow upon my face and looking in the mirror, a slight sunburn indeed. It was now about 4:15 pm. and the sun was beginning to fade. Homeward I drove.....feeling very relaxed and content having spent the day upon the mountain again, getting some much needed exercise, and indeed with good company.......
for more photos of this climb see:
KJM
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