Ruth Mountain Annual Ski Trip
There are many ski tours I do once and while I enjoy them I do not have the desire to repeat them. There are also a small handful of tours that I could do again and again, year after year. Ruth Mountain is one of the latter. The view from the summit is one of my favorite views in all of Washington and the ~3,000’ ski down Ruth’s face is one of the most enjoyable lines I’ve experienced in the backcountry. So last weekend, Alex, Sander, and I set out to ski Ruth in a day. I already had two successful ski summits under my belt, one time in a whiteout with Alex that I am reluctant to even count, and a second time last year with my friend Andrew. I was excited for Sander and Alex to ski Ruth for the first time in—fingers crossed—good conditions.
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A Gold Star for Silver Star
In early 2018, just after completing my AIARE 1 course I bought the “Backcountry Ski & Snowboard Washington” book and began leafing through the pages and dog-earring tours that looked like fun and adventurous objectives. One tour that immediately stood out to me was Silver Star. It looked wildly scenic and it seemed fun to be able to ski a prominent peak of Washington Pass, but I knew it would take awhile for me to gain the skills and practice necessary to successfully ski it. Plus the timing and conditions would need to align. It was a tall order, but this past weekend everything fell into place and Alex, our friend Sander, and I skied 1,500’+ of spring powder from the Silver Star Col!
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Skiing Ruth Mountain 2.0
This past weekend I finally got to properly ski a mountain that I have been dreaming of skiing for over two years. Ruth Mountain. If you’ve been around here for awhile you’ll know that technically I already have skied Ruth Mountain in May 2021, but unfortunately, it was in a whiteout so it was more survival skiing than anything. Since that trip I have been dreaming of returning in better conditions, but I’ve also been a little apprehensive since our first trip to the mountain really pushed Alex and I out of our comfort zones and pushed our limits physically.
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It's a Party: Skiing the Birthday Tour
On May 10, Highway 20 opened for the season and along with it a slew of ski touring possibilities near Washington Pass became more accessible. There’s a small window each year after the road opens when the snow line still allows for spring ski tours that don’t require carrying skis on one’s back so I wanted to get out there as soon as I could and take advantage of that window.
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Inspired in the North Cascades: Completing the Inspiration Traverse
Over Labor Day weekend of 2022, Alex and I experienced the highlight of our summer. We went on a guided mountaineering expedition with Pro Guiding and completed the Inspiration Traverse in the North Cascades. The route connects the Eldorado Trailhead on Cascade River Road with the Thunder Creek Trailhead off Highway 20. It traverses six glaciers, presents opportunities to summit multiple peaks along the way, and offers an intimate look at some of the most rugged and beautiful terrain in Washington.
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Photo Diary: Fall in Washington
I know, I know. It’s nearly Spring 2023 and I’m finally getting around to uploading some photos from trips I went on in September and October. In my defense, work happened to get extra busy at the same time a summer’s worth of backcountry trips left me physically exhausted and mentally drained so I went on a little hiatus. But, I’m back and ready to fully throw myself back into the backcountry while I endlessly search for that perfect balance of going on soul-filling trips without completely depleting myself.
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A Failed Objective in the North Cascades
A season spent hiking and backpacking in the North Cascades wouldn’t be complete without at least one failed objective. After a pretty successful summer run, Alex and I experienced that failure on an attempt to make it to a pair of pretty alpine lakes nestled under Mt. Arriva and Fisher Peak. The final approach to the lakes is known to be pretty sketchy, with multiple route descriptions mentioning a “gully of death” and cautioning hikers to be careful about their route selection. Alex and I had a big traverse planned in the North Cascades over Labor Day weekend so we were looking for a route that would test us—a route that required boulder hopping, route-finding, and scrambling with a heavy overnight pack.
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Photo Diary: Experiencing Summer at Hannegan Peak
Hannegan Peak is a destination that I’ve walked past multiple times now without truly considering visiting. Hannegan Peak is just one mile and 1,000 vertical feet from Hannegan Pass, a junction I have stood in four times. The first time was when Alex and I were hiking the Copper Ridge Loop in 2019. The second, third, and fourth times were all in 2021 when I was attempting to summit Ruth Mountain (we were successful on attempts one and three). So, for awhile it just seemed that other hikes in that area took precedence.
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