mattsim - Jun 18, 2020 12:35 am Date Climbed: Jun 17, 2001
Mountaineer overnight outing.
Seattle Mountaineers climb. We hiked in on the 16th, camped on the glacier, and then climbed to the summit on the 17th. Conditions at the top were poor, we had to climb up a snow finger that we mostly climbed out by the time our party was up. I jumped a small crevasse and set up a hand line for our two rope teams to cross on the way down.
After hours of steep, sloggy trail up the Pyramid Lake Trail, then the Pyramid Peak Trail, and navigating across the big talus fields, we made it to the Colonial Glacier basin, and began trying to figure out a way up to Pyramid Peak.
The glacier is heavily crevassed, and the whole thing is rimmed by huge bergschrunds and moats. It was a major navigational challenge. Ended up scrambling a loose, steep gully (DO NOT RECOMMEND) onto the ridge for Paul Bunyan's Stump, Pinnacle Peak and Pyramid Peak, and then trekked across the ridge, across snowfields (some crevasses), and up onto the summit for Pyramid Peak. Watch for falling rocks and boulders on the ridge. Chunks of rock the size of pickup trucks periodically cleaved off Paul Bunyan's Stump and went crashing down to the glacier below.
Coming back down, had to find a different way down... and ended up finding a rock tongue that was close enough to the glacial margin that I could step over onto it. Built a small cairn on the rock step by the ice, for anyone trying to find my exit point to get onto the ridge. Had to navigate between crevasses right there getting onto the glacier.
Hike back down was in the dark, and navigating the talus fields was very challenging at night (and with a new moon).
Got back to the car at 2:44 am. Clockin' in at 20 hours with few, short breaks.
kronshage3 - May 6, 2019 6:45 am Date Climbed: May 5, 2019
Via North Face Direct
Did this one over two days with a camp at Neve Col. This one was quite the work out. Trail to Pyramid Lake in good shape. Climbers trail beyond the lake is much better than expected. Lost the trail around 3,700' due to snow coverage. Got pretty rough at this point which led to a snow bushwhack up until around 4,300' where we put on snow shoes. Views along the ridge were beautiful. The avy chute along the route was fairly tame. Still lots of ice and rock falling off Pyramid Peak. No need for ropes on Colonial Glacier as expected. Something rolled in around 5PM as we ended up in a white out with 30+mph winds at the col. Dug a deep shelter and built a wall which maybe helped. The wind was relentless. Long night. Woke up the next working to clear skies. Neve Glacier was easy to cross with crampons and was in good shape. Ended up shooting straight for the summit using the north face. Highly suggest an ice axe and an ice tool because it gets steep and exposed. Punching in steps in the snow really messed up my toes. We were rewarded with 360 views at the summit.
Matt Lemke - Jun 14, 2018 10:35 am Date Climbed: May 21, 2018
Two days with Neve, PBS, and Colonial
Excellent trip to a beautiful area. One of my favs in WA
Brian Jenkins - Aug 27, 2017 3:38 am Date Climbed: Jul 3, 2015
Fun
With Sue and Marty. Camped on the shores of the lake. Up standard route.
Norman - Aug 28, 2016 8:06 pm Date Climbed: Aug 23, 2016
Snowfield
Spectacular place! I was with nickmeck again, echo his words.
nickmech - Aug 26, 2016 12:31 pm Date Climbed: Aug 23, 2016
North Cascades Beauty
Weather forecast looked good but rain, wind and thick clouds forced us to camp at the moraine lake the first night. Made it to the col late on day 2 for a windy night. The large Neve glacier had 3 sections of heavily crevassed areas to make things interesting leading to the base of the ridge climb.
seano - Jun 30, 2016 9:09 am Date Climbed: Jun 27, 2016
Standard route
Not as tough a day as I had expected, with a pretty decent climbers' trail (start counterclockwise!) from Pyramid Lake. Great views of Eldorado, among other things, and some decent boot-skiing on the way home. Trip report.
Josh Lewis - Apr 24, 2015 6:40 am Date Climbed: Aug 7, 2014
Fun, Fun, Fun!
Even after being spoiled from Peru, this was pretty awesome.
gimpilator - Aug 8, 2014 2:19 pm Date Climbed: Aug 7, 2014
Neve Peak, Snowfield Peak, Horsemans Pack, The Needle, Paul Bunyans Stump, Pyramid Peak
This is the best trip I've done in a long time. The scenery in this area is some of the best I have seen in Washington. Camping at Neve Col is super-cool and it looks like there is usually running water there.
Mike Lewis - Aug 8, 2014 1:30 am Date Climbed: Aug 6, 2014
Via Neve
Climbed with gimpilator, Fletcher and Josh Lewis under partly sunny skies with relatively minor crevasse activity. This was part of a 3 day peak-bagging trip that I hope will become a trip report. It was the best climbing I've done and top 5 scenery.
relic - Sep 18, 2011 1:40 pm Date Climbed: Aug 15, 2007
via standard route
Another one of my favorite areas. I am working on climbing a number of points that surround the Colonial and Neve glaciers, (a few down, many more to go!), and have recently wandered south into the Isolation area... now that's wilderness!
Route Climbed: Neve Glacier via Pyramid Lake trail Date Climbed: September, 1982
A Skagit Valley College mountaineering class outing led, no, driven by Mike Woodmansee. In one weekend, some of us bagged Pyramid, Pinnacle, Paul Bunyan's Stump, Snowfield, and Colonial.
Route Climbed: Neve Glacier Date Climbed: 7/17/04-7/18/04
8 hrs from TH to edge of colonial glacier camp. Flys and mosquitos bothersome along trail until camp. Climbers trail not as bad as guidebooks describe but still difficult. ~3.5 hrs camp to summit.
mattsim - Jun 18, 2020 12:35 am Date Climbed: Jun 17, 2001
Mountaineer overnight outing.Seattle Mountaineers climb. We hiked in on the 16th, camped on the glacier, and then climbed to the summit on the 17th. Conditions at the top were poor, we had to climb up a snow finger that we mostly climbed out by the time our party was up. I jumped a small crevasse and set up a hand line for our two rope teams to cross on the way down.
DawnchaserTheAdventurer - Aug 29, 2019 2:30 pm Date Climbed: Aug 26, 2019
Pyramid PeakAfter hours of steep, sloggy trail up the Pyramid Lake Trail, then the Pyramid Peak Trail, and navigating across the big talus fields, we made it to the Colonial Glacier basin, and began trying to figure out a way up to Pyramid Peak.
The glacier is heavily crevassed, and the whole thing is rimmed by huge bergschrunds and moats. It was a major navigational challenge. Ended up scrambling a loose, steep gully (DO NOT RECOMMEND) onto the ridge for Paul Bunyan's Stump, Pinnacle Peak and Pyramid Peak, and then trekked across the ridge, across snowfields (some crevasses), and up onto the summit for Pyramid Peak. Watch for falling rocks and boulders on the ridge. Chunks of rock the size of pickup trucks periodically cleaved off Paul Bunyan's Stump and went crashing down to the glacier below.
Coming back down, had to find a different way down... and ended up finding a rock tongue that was close enough to the glacial margin that I could step over onto it. Built a small cairn on the rock step by the ice, for anyone trying to find my exit point to get onto the ridge. Had to navigate between crevasses right there getting onto the glacier.
Hike back down was in the dark, and navigating the talus fields was very challenging at night (and with a new moon).
Got back to the car at 2:44 am. Clockin' in at 20 hours with few, short breaks.
kronshage3 - May 6, 2019 6:45 am Date Climbed: May 5, 2019
Via North Face DirectDid this one over two days with a camp at Neve Col. This one was quite the work out. Trail to Pyramid Lake in good shape. Climbers trail beyond the lake is much better than expected. Lost the trail around 3,700' due to snow coverage. Got pretty rough at this point which led to a snow bushwhack up until around 4,300' where we put on snow shoes. Views along the ridge were beautiful. The avy chute along the route was fairly tame. Still lots of ice and rock falling off Pyramid Peak. No need for ropes on Colonial Glacier as expected. Something rolled in around 5PM as we ended up in a white out with 30+mph winds at the col. Dug a deep shelter and built a wall which maybe helped. The wind was relentless. Long night. Woke up the next working to clear skies. Neve Glacier was easy to cross with crampons and was in good shape. Ended up shooting straight for the summit using the north face. Highly suggest an ice axe and an ice tool because it gets steep and exposed. Punching in steps in the snow really messed up my toes. We were rewarded with 360 views at the summit.
Matt Lemke - Jun 14, 2018 10:35 am Date Climbed: May 21, 2018
Two days with Neve, PBS, and ColonialExcellent trip to a beautiful area. One of my favs in WA
Brian Jenkins - Aug 27, 2017 3:38 am Date Climbed: Jul 3, 2015
FunWith Sue and Marty. Camped on the shores of the lake. Up standard route.
Norman - Aug 28, 2016 8:06 pm Date Climbed: Aug 23, 2016
SnowfieldSpectacular place! I was with nickmeck again, echo his words.
nickmech - Aug 26, 2016 12:31 pm Date Climbed: Aug 23, 2016
North Cascades BeautyWeather forecast looked good but rain, wind and thick clouds forced us to camp at the moraine lake the first night. Made it to the col late on day 2 for a windy night. The large Neve glacier had 3 sections of heavily crevassed areas to make things interesting leading to the base of the ridge climb.
seano - Jun 30, 2016 9:09 am Date Climbed: Jun 27, 2016
Standard routeNot as tough a day as I had expected, with a pretty decent climbers' trail (start counterclockwise!) from Pyramid Lake. Great views of Eldorado, among other things, and some decent boot-skiing on the way home. Trip report.
Josh Lewis - Apr 24, 2015 6:40 am Date Climbed: Aug 7, 2014
Fun, Fun, Fun!Even after being spoiled from Peru, this was pretty awesome.
gimpilator - Aug 8, 2014 2:19 pm Date Climbed: Aug 7, 2014
Neve Peak, Snowfield Peak, Horsemans Pack, The Needle, Paul Bunyans Stump, Pyramid PeakThis is the best trip I've done in a long time. The scenery in this area is some of the best I have seen in Washington. Camping at Neve Col is super-cool and it looks like there is usually running water there.
Mike Lewis - Aug 8, 2014 1:30 am Date Climbed: Aug 6, 2014
Via NeveClimbed with gimpilator, Fletcher and Josh Lewis under partly sunny skies with relatively minor crevasse activity. This was part of a 3 day peak-bagging trip that I hope will become a trip report. It was the best climbing I've done and top 5 scenery.
relic - Sep 18, 2011 1:40 pm Date Climbed: Aug 15, 2007
via standard routeAnother one of my favorite areas. I am working on climbing a number of points that surround the Colonial and Neve glaciers, (a few down, many more to go!), and have recently wandered south into the Isolation area... now that's wilderness!
Outdoorgrrl - Sep 7, 2007 9:57 pm Date Climbed: Sep 2, 2007
Solitary fall climbA fantastic late-season glacier climb. Rivers on the Colonial Glacier are unusual for WA and fun to see.
jordansahls - Jul 16, 2007 7:23 pm Date Climbed: Jul 7, 2007
NeveLong approach, fun climb.
bacrossman - Jul 12, 2007 11:22 am Date Climbed: Jul 7, 2007
Neve Glaacier via Pyramid lake trailNice climb. Approach is a bit rough, but manageable.
Pantilat - Jun 20, 2007 2:24 am
Neve GlacierClimbed this mountain twice (2000 and 2005)
Eric Sandbo - Feb 14, 2005 1:42 am
Route Climbed: Neve Glacier via Pyramid Lake trail Date Climbed: September, 1982A Skagit Valley College mountaineering class outing led, no, driven by Mike Woodmansee. In one weekend, some of us bagged Pyramid, Pinnacle, Paul Bunyan's Stump, Snowfield, and Colonial.
jamminjman - Jul 23, 2004 10:25 am
Route Climbed: Neve Glacier Date Climbed: 7/17/04-7/18/048 hrs from TH to edge of colonial glacier camp. Flys and mosquitos bothersome along trail until camp. Climbers trail not as bad as guidebooks describe but still difficult. ~3.5 hrs camp to summit.