At the end of August, Alex and I headed to South America to chase winter in the depths of the US summer and had a blast skiing a couple Chile volcanoes in spring-like conditions. However, this was not our Plan A. (I really need to start keeping track of how often my Plan As fall through because I feel like I write this sentence nearly every other post!) Our Plan A was a hut-to-hut backcountry ski trip outside of Bariloche, specifically this trip from Powder Quest: https://powderquest.com/trips/patagonia-hut-to-hut/. We booked the trip at the end of 2024 and kept our fingers crossed for good conditions. Unfortunately, the region experienced its worst snowpack since 1996.

In 2021, Alex and I set out to climb Snowking Mountain, a regal peak nestled in the depths of the North Cascades during an intense heat wave. We underestimated the amount of water sources along the route and ended up dangerously dehydrated on the most exposed section of the approach. By pure luck, we stumbled upon a tiny snow patch melting in the heat and were able to filter a couple liters of water that saved us. By the time we made it to camp at Cyclone Lake, we were exhausted, dehydrated, and mentally fried from the entire experience. Instead of attempting the summit the next morning, we packed up camp and headed back to the trailhead, tail between our legs. Once safely home, we wrote this one off for good.

Over the Fourth of July weekend, my friend Kara and I climbed Snowfield Peak, a mountain that we have been wanting to climb since 2023. Each year, some weather-related event prevented us from even stepping foot on the trail. In 2023, just two days before our planned trip, the Pyramid Area wildfire sparked and the entire area was closed. We decided to find a different objective since we already had the time set aside and climbed Chiwawa Mountain in the Glacier Peak Wilderness instead. In 2024, the weekend we scheduled our Snowfield climb coincided with an oppressive heat wave that swept into the region and, not wanting to haul our overnight gear and glacier gear up in the heat, we pivoted to doing Sloan car to car instead. This year, we decided to plan the trip at the beginning of the season to try to avoid the wildfires and heat waves that can afflict the North Cascades later in the season. The strategy paid off. Finally we got our Snowfield summit!