Trip Report by Leigh McClurg
http://vimeo.com/39345746
with this:
More to come.
Ok, so this hike was Adrien BC's baby. Initially I was supposed to work this weekend, but after a moment of serendipity I managed to get it off (man I would of been bummed if I'd missed this weekend). Adrien's original plan was in the Joffre group, Garibaldi was considered briefly but at around 4pm on the Friday we decided that we were going to pull the trigger on Cayoosh. Avalanche conditions were hovering around moderate to considerable so our other plans had to wait.
The plan was to drive to the TH, hike in to... eh... not Keith's Hut. Summit Cayoosh. Spend another night at the cabin then hike out.
Long story short, we were supposed to be at the TH for 7pm. We didn't get there until 11pm. C'est la vie!
Thankfully the hike in was short and before we knew it we were bedding down in an empty hut under the stars.
We started out the next morning a bit late at 9am to glorious bluebird skies. We followed a ski track for a bit but quickly realized from our GPS's it was heading in the wrong direction. We broke a new trail tending West towards a pocket glacier that is east of the summit.
1. Starting to hike with a ~43lb pack after a full day of work at 11pm. Yaay!
2. The next morning Paul doing some stretches for his upcoming summit dance
3. In the tree line. It was seriously hot.
4. Above the tree line, even hotter, but now we have views
We eventually met up with some skin tracks and followed them all the way to the South ridge crest leading to the summit. From here we switched from snowshoes to crampons and made our way along a blustery exposed ridge until we reached the summit.
1. Following ski tracks up the pocket glacier
2. Steep slopes. Even though the conditions were perfect, we were each carrying beacons, shovels and probes. We also kept some distance from each other in case anything did decide to slide.
3. Adrien above, myself below.
4. Huge crown wall from a previous avalanche. We gauged it at around 2 weeks old and released due that large cornice breaking and impacting the slope directly below it at that point release.
1. It's felt like an age since I was in the mountains like this.
2. The North Face of Slalok, which we ascended back in December. You can just about make out the ski tracks down the face in this photo.
3. Moving as quick as possible below these slopes. Not a place to linger.
4. Adrien keeping an eye on our traverse
1. Ridge top. This is where it gets fun.
2. Paul coming up behind
3. Adrien topping out on this section of the ridge in the distance. I'm getting ready to follow
4. You can just about make me out near the upper right. Loads of spin drift
1. Paul climbing the crest
2. Over the hard part
4. Coming up on the summit
1. Views
2. Summit ridge
3,4. Happy to be on top
Adrien had eye'd a possible descent route directly down the East Face on our ascent below it. He scouted it out from the summit and relayed that there was a section without a cornice that would allow us to access the face. We descended the face and then followed our tracks back to the cabin.
1. The Joffre group. Hope to spend time in there this season
2. The descent route that Adrien scouted
3. Descending back towards the trees
4. Taking in the last of the views before heading into the treeline.
From cabin to cabin was ~8hrs with around 1178m's of elevation gain to an elevation of 2561m's.
We got back to the cabin pretty early and toyed around with the idea of leaving and heading back to Vancouver. Ultimately we decided to stay for the night and enjoy the cabin for a change rather than just using it for a pit stop.
Thanks to recent advertising of this cabin, on this bluebird day with perfect snow conditions it was OVERRUN with ourselves and 3 other women skiers for the night. We got the fire stoked and enjoyed a mellow evening in the cabin.
Cabin Life timelapse: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZOobnZ0kAk
1. Ssshhh! Nothing to see here.
2. Collecting some deadfall
3. A neat spiral tunnel that somebody dug that leads down to the river flowing underneath
4. Cabin life
The next morning we woke up late, packed and headed south. Myself and Spring even managed to get some climbing in at the Smoke Bluffs in Squamish as we got back so early. All in all an excellent weekend.
1. Heading out the next morning.
http://vimeo.com/39345746
with this:
More to come.
Ok, so this hike was Adrien BC's baby. Initially I was supposed to work this weekend, but after a moment of serendipity I managed to get it off (man I would of been bummed if I'd missed this weekend). Adrien's original plan was in the Joffre group, Garibaldi was considered briefly but at around 4pm on the Friday we decided that we were going to pull the trigger on Cayoosh. Avalanche conditions were hovering around moderate to considerable so our other plans had to wait.
The plan was to drive to the TH, hike in to... eh... not Keith's Hut. Summit Cayoosh. Spend another night at the cabin then hike out.
Long story short, we were supposed to be at the TH for 7pm. We didn't get there until 11pm. C'est la vie!
Thankfully the hike in was short and before we knew it we were bedding down in an empty hut under the stars.
We started out the next morning a bit late at 9am to glorious bluebird skies. We followed a ski track for a bit but quickly realized from our GPS's it was heading in the wrong direction. We broke a new trail tending West towards a pocket glacier that is east of the summit.
1. Starting to hike with a ~43lb pack after a full day of work at 11pm. Yaay!
2. The next morning Paul doing some stretches for his upcoming summit dance
3. In the tree line. It was seriously hot.
4. Above the tree line, even hotter, but now we have views
We eventually met up with some skin tracks and followed them all the way to the South ridge crest leading to the summit. From here we switched from snowshoes to crampons and made our way along a blustery exposed ridge until we reached the summit.
1. Following ski tracks up the pocket glacier
2. Steep slopes. Even though the conditions were perfect, we were each carrying beacons, shovels and probes. We also kept some distance from each other in case anything did decide to slide.
3. Adrien above, myself below.
4. Huge crown wall from a previous avalanche. We gauged it at around 2 weeks old and released due that large cornice breaking and impacting the slope directly below it at that point release.
1. It's felt like an age since I was in the mountains like this.
2. The North Face of Slalok, which we ascended back in December. You can just about make out the ski tracks down the face in this photo.
3. Moving as quick as possible below these slopes. Not a place to linger.
4. Adrien keeping an eye on our traverse
1. Ridge top. This is where it gets fun.
2. Paul coming up behind
3. Adrien topping out on this section of the ridge in the distance. I'm getting ready to follow
4. You can just about make me out near the upper right. Loads of spin drift
1. Paul climbing the crest
2. Over the hard part
4. Coming up on the summit
1. Views
2. Summit ridge
3,4. Happy to be on top
Adrien had eye'd a possible descent route directly down the East Face on our ascent below it. He scouted it out from the summit and relayed that there was a section without a cornice that would allow us to access the face. We descended the face and then followed our tracks back to the cabin.
1. The Joffre group. Hope to spend time in there this season
2. The descent route that Adrien scouted
3. Descending back towards the trees
4. Taking in the last of the views before heading into the treeline.
From cabin to cabin was ~8hrs with around 1178m's of elevation gain to an elevation of 2561m's.
We got back to the cabin pretty early and toyed around with the idea of leaving and heading back to Vancouver. Ultimately we decided to stay for the night and enjoy the cabin for a change rather than just using it for a pit stop.
Thanks to recent advertising of this cabin, on this bluebird day with perfect snow conditions it was OVERRUN with ourselves and 3 other women skiers for the night. We got the fire stoked and enjoyed a mellow evening in the cabin.
Cabin Life timelapse: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZOobnZ0kAk
1. Ssshhh! Nothing to see here.
2. Collecting some deadfall
3. A neat spiral tunnel that somebody dug that leads down to the river flowing underneath
4. Cabin life
The next morning we woke up late, packed and headed south. Myself and Spring even managed to get some climbing in at the Smoke Bluffs in Squamish as we got back so early. All in all an excellent weekend.
1. Heading out the next morning.
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