SummitPost.org

Thanks mountainsandsound, great!

I was aiming for this weekend to go there but the weather forecast does not really look favorable, so I may postpone it a bit.

Any close-ups, btw?

Went back to the Hotlum yesterday. Some scum on my camera lens, so only have a few pics. A lot of them are out of focus...damn!
Anyways, got bogged down in a long line of bouldering across the lower moraine. Took way too long. Should have skinned up the way I did last week. Someone's boot pack led me straight up into the rocks...
http://www.flickr.com/search/?w=1174439 ... %2C%202012

Saw these folks just beneath the Lower Headwall.

Sorry, no pics now but I'll post some when I get back home to Washington this weekend. It is overcast now in Redding by the way.

Howdy, first post, been keeping a eye on this thread.

Just talked to a ranger a few minutes ago;

Said this storm isn't moving out until Tuesday at the earliest. Snow likely for Friday and Saturday, 70mph winds on Sunday. The red banks will get iced over, temperatures well below freezing.

Maybe not the greatest weekend to go up there.

WillyTheDog wrote:Maybe not the greatest weekend to go up there.

Not a great day to summit... but could still be a fun hike above the trees.
I go to Mt Washinton almost every year specifically to experience that kind of weather.

For Sargeants, have most of you
1) parked at BF and walked everett memorial to the end, then approached the ridge
2) parked at the end, and on your return down AG walk the few miles back the car
3) or park and just cut to sargeants from BF, not using the road?

Also, if anyone has updated higher-than-webcam-quality shots of the snowpack after the storm, that'd be great to see!

Was up there Saturday 23rd to Monday 25th.

I have pictures around helen and up around the red banks but being an idiot i have no idea how to post them up here.

If i could get a quick lesson on posting pictures, ill post up a few.

Thanks! How did your trip go?

If you press the "Img" button above the reply box, you'll see something that looks like "[img ][ \img]". Put your link to the picture between the two brackets such as [img ] <link here> [ \img], and that photo should appear on the preview page when you get to it.
To put your picture up, you can use something like imageshack.us .

Any surrounding shots of ridges etc would be particularly useful, too.

To upload a picture to SP server click on "create a page" on the very top left corner after you login and select "image" and follow the other options. You will be able to upload the image from your computer.

Once the image is on the web, to link the picture do this:

pjc30943 wrote:...If you press the "Img" button above the reply box, you'll see something that looks like "[img ][ \img]". Put your link to the picture between the two brackets such as [img ] <link here> [ \img], and that photo should appear on the preview page when you get to it...

More info: http://www.summitpost.org/faq

i think i did this right? Thought i had more pictures than this but i guess i took more detailed pics on my camera instead of my phone.

BTW, windy as all hell all through the weekend and monday, Sunday was probably the nicest day. Windy but sunny. Friday, Saturday, and Monday was cloudy and cold. On (failed) summit day (Monday) i guess there was a area on my tent that i didnt close, come morning my shoes were filled to the brim with windswept snow; kinda like a snowcone. Not being able to feel my feet got me scampering down the mountain in a hurry.

Ok, i think i got it this time.

http://www.snowcrest.net/camera/

Looking atthat and wondering what conditions will be like on the West Face Gully next week. Has anyone here been up there in those snow conditions?

I had a ride to Bunny Flat so I did Whitney Glacier from Hidden Valley and descended West Face on Sunday, July 15, 2012. The weather over that weekend was great (very hot afternoons). Hidden Valley and Avalanche Gulch routes were very busy. I saw some parties coming to the top from North Side as well.

The trail to Hidden Valley is completely clear of snow and so is most of the valley. A lot of running water flows in many places, several streams. The surrounding snow is red, however. At the entrance I was welcomed by a violin player. That person established a very nice camp there with a huge water stream just below.

The cascade Gulch up to the Shastina saddle may have continuous snow filed all the way. However, I did it at dark and had to cross rocks a few times.

Upper part of Whitney Glacier is in a great shape. I went through ice falls and they were easy to traverse. The snow was very solid. The watered ice started forming around Misery Hill but not worth to challenge yet. Watch for new crevasse openings and rock falls, though.(see pics).

The West Face looses snow coverage but still the snow leads all the way from the valley to the top. Great glissading conditions existed as of that weekend.

Casaval Ridge, the snow level low but saw the foot prints along it from the valley, so people still do it.

Whitney Glacier


Whitney Glacier ice fall


Whitney Glacier newly opening crevasse

Got to Bunny Flat at about 9am on Tuesday and saw about half a dozen cars. I opted to take Avalanche Gulch since a crowd didn't seem likely. I was right, I was alone at Helen Lake for most of the day, one fella showed up a bit later for a 3 day stay. I was alone up the route the next day, too, though I passed one guy on my way down.

Summited at 9:30, didn't get down to Helen Lake until 1 due to an injury; came off at the top of the route and tumbled about 300ft of steep, icy snow before I arrested with a badly sprained ankle. It still took weight, so I traversed to red banks and proceeded down.

After about 11, the snow to the right of the heart was softened. Around the top and left of the heart was still hard, icy, and rimed up a bit when I came down. Plenty of snow left to ascend. Not much snow elsewhere, lots of scree and rocks to deal with on the hike and up Misery Hill.

http://images.summitpost.org/original/801729.JPG

http://images.summitpost.org/original/801728.JPG

http://images.summitpost.org/original/801726.JPG

http://images.summitpost.org/original/801727.JPG