Greetings Fellow Members,
There’s a saying among climbers that when you dance with the mountain, the mountain always leads; and that was the case for us yesterday. Despite so much preparation trying to pick the perfect day we were greeted by obscuring clouds, noticeable wind and light snow.
Despite the conditions I believe that our group of 14 had an enjoyable time sharing the exceptionally deep powder (powder by North Cascades standards) as we all changed leads and experienced what breaking trail was like.
it was a good refresher for the experienced on avalanche avoidance and a chance to practice snowshoe techniques on steep snowy terrain. Special thanks to long time members Ed Alm who stayed near the lead to help direct our course and make the exchange of trail breakers smooth and Owen who agreed to be sweep for the entire outing making sure that we returned with the original 14 at the end of the day. Thanks to everyone who contributed questions and comments throughout the outing and shared a fun and productive day in the mountains.
As so often happens at Mt Baker (ski area), as we returned to our cars, the clouds lifted, peek-a-boos of blue sky appeared, the wind became calm, and sunbeams found their way to patches of mountain terrain.
Hopefully we’ll have the opportunity to put our avalanche avoidance training into use on more extensive trips in the near future. Of course, as the mountain and weather allow.
Photos on the MBC Flickr Page.
Bud
PS Avalanche Update
Since our outing, the Northwest Avalanche Center has raised the Avy Danger to High (Red) due to the expected storm rainfall causing an upside down effect of heavy over light snow. This is a good day to not be wandering in the mountains. B/