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Few Days Around Seattle

PostPosted: Tue Sep 10, 2013 8:02 pm
by angeloks
Hi,

I'll be visiting my friend in Seattle mid October. We'll have about 4 days to go out climbing in the area. We can climb grade II and I lead ice confidently up to WI3. I checked quickly and mount Baker sounded good. But I wanted to hear your suggestions. I'm also concern about the conditions mid October.

Thanks,

Re: Few Days Around Seattle

PostPosted: Fri Sep 13, 2013 4:25 pm
by Snidely Whiplash
Yeah, mid-October is usually when it starts crapping out up here weather-wise. Another issue you'll run into is that the days are starting to get really short around here. I don't know where you're coming from, but we're pretty far north here. On the other hand, you can get some good weather in October too. Personally, I wouldn't want to be on any glacier routes in October, especially on Baker. Those are big, big glaciers, especially the Coleman, and they will very broken up. It is hard to predict what conditions will be. Any new snow that has fallen will be unconsolidated. There may be just enough new snow to conceal crevasses, but you'll easily fall through. Not to mention the avalanche danger. If it were me, I'd head east to Leavenworth and do some rock climbing in the Icicle Creek area. Hit Leavenworth during Oktoberfest. Also, some good October scrambling in The Teanaway. Check out the different scrambles on the side bar.

Re: Few Days Around Seattle

PostPosted: Fri Sep 13, 2013 5:16 pm
by ExcitableBoy
I'll just second what Snidely Whiplash said. October is the beginning of what locals refer to as the shoulder season; summer glacier routes become too broken and icy, alpine rock routes too snowy and cold, winter routes not yet formed. This year seems to be particularly bad for glaciers, they are quite broken and icy right now, much more so than in years past at this time. October can have good weather, but there is often new snow on the ground in the high country making alpine rock routes more of a question mark.

In October I always think of Leavenworth. Often too hot in the summer, Autumn brings nice temperatures and its position east of the crest usually means drier weather than the west side. The rock climbing is really excellent and has lots of moderate traditional climbs with very easy (for the Cascades) approaches. In the Icicle Canyon there has been a lot of recent sport climbing development as well.

The Teanaway is a good suggestion. Ingall's Peaks are fun alpine rock routes with less commitment and than the big routes on the nearby Enchantments. I've climbed Ingall's Peak and Mt Stuart (WR) in Octobers past and had good luck with conditions.

Re: Few Days Around Seattle

PostPosted: Tue Sep 17, 2013 1:13 pm
by angeloks
Hey thanks ! I'll be coming from Montreal, so I'll be ready for the weather...

I'll definitely check the Ingall's, that looks great !
http://www.summitpost.org/north-ingalls ... rah/820032

On the other hand, my friend wanted to do a "big" mountain. Would it still be possible to go on Rainier at that time ? I guess that the routes are now well established ? I don't think we'd aim for the summit, but just some days on the mountain would be cool. Or again, crevasses will be a big problem ?

Re: Few Days Around Seattle

PostPosted: Sat Sep 21, 2013 2:33 pm
by Snidely Whiplash
Don't be put off by the low elevation of the mountains in this area. "Big" mountains in the Cascades have a much lower elevation than places in Colorado, for example. A 14,000 foot mountain in Colorado has a base of 10,000 feet, so only 4,000 feet of relief. A 7,700 foot mountain like Ingalls has a starting point of 4,200 feet, for about 3,500 feet of relief. As Excitable Boy has suggested, if you had good weather and wanted to make an attempt on a worthier goal, Mt. Stuart (right next to Ingalls) at 9,400 feet has a vertical mile of relief, more than any 14'er in Colorado, and it's a "big" mountain. A really "big" mountain.

If you really had your heart set on Mt. Rainier and weren't too concerned about getting to the top, many people like to make the trip up to Camp Muir at 10,188 feet. This is the over night camping area on the busiest route on Mt. Rainier, and where the "climbing" part really begins. The trip from the parking lot at the Paradise Ranger Station (5,400 feet) means that you'll be gaining 4,800 feet to Camp Muir over the Muir Snowfield, a permanent snowfield. You'll likely be traveling through some fresh, unconsolidated snow also, as this week, the weather is starting to change to a wetter, cooler pattern, so you may need snowshoes or skis to go up it, but you won't need to rope up. After Muir, it's all real glaciers and roped climbing. And just because you won't need to rope up on the way to Muir, don't take this trip lightly. The weather and visibility can get bad in a real hurry. I've been up there in bad weather, and you can't see a thing. The natural fall line down the Muir Snowfield takes you down to the Nisqually Glacier, not back to the Paradise Ranger Station, so you need to be prepared with a compass or GPS. A lot of people have gotten lost in bad weather going down that snowfield, and more than a few have died.

Re: Few Days Around Seattle

PostPosted: Sat Sep 21, 2013 3:48 pm
by ExcitableBoy
angeloks wrote:On the other hand, my friend wanted to do a "big" mountain. Would it still be possible to go on Rainier at that time ? I guess that the routes are now well established ? I don't think we'd aim for the summit, but just some days on the mountain would be cool. Or again, crevasses will be a big problem ?


Crevasses will be your biggest problem - in mid October the winter snow will be as melted out as it will ever be and once the guide services pull the ladders and fixed ropes it can become a maze of icy crevasses. I closed my alpine season last week as the glaciers are in tough shape, but there is certainly no harm in taking a look for yourself as long as you mind the weather. The Mount Rainier climbing rangers post route conditions on their blog: http://mountrainierconditions.blogspot.com/