Ptarmigan Traverse - via Stehekin
June 29 - July 5, 2008

>>>PART II

Photos and story by Jason

DAY THREE: Yang Yang Lakes to White Rock Lakes with ski descent of Hoch Joch Spitz

The weather woke to a gentle breeze and perfect skies. It was our plan this day to climb another steep chute to access the ridge above the lakes. Kicking steps was brutal in the heat which was fantastic even in the early morning. Once on the mellow ridgeline that traverses to steeper slopes above Le Conte Lakes, we rested next to wonderful tarns which float seemingly above everything else, with long views down deep valleys stretching toward Eastern Washington. Le Conte Glacier and Peak appears larger than life and as such, more difficult than it really is. With large cliffs looming above us and melt water dripping off of them, we kept a high ski traverse all the way to a rock nose and a large moat where it created a flat place to load our skis and don crampons.

Snow was quickly softening making the climb easier the higher we went. Josh was far ahead as he took a more direct route. Jessy and I managed to put skis on and skin a fair amount of the glacier above the initial steepness above the traverse. I really wanted to ski Sentinel, but there really wasn’t a lot of snow on it. Once we arrived at the pass above the South Cascade Glacier, we saw Hoch Joch Spitz. It stole our love and we were set on going there.

Leaving the pass behind, we took a high traverse above the glacier and were able to ski without skins all the way to the next pass above White Rock Lakes. We left our packs there and took up some water and a little food for the ski and climb ahead. The glacier wasn’t much of a ski by looks. It is very flat, but just being there and skiing, so far from everywhere was an awesome feeling. When we arrived below the route, Josh and I booted very, very fast, almost running. Josh finally took over for me and finished the final steep climb to a ridge, whereby he continued up easy/exposed rock to the summit. Jessy and I took a different route via snow and rock. What a satisfying summit!!!

The ski down was beyond words. Better snow would be hard to imagine and flying down the slope was magical. Not knowing what this peaks name is for, I would like to think there is some fantasy-based reason for it. If so, it is very much deserved. Soon, much too soon, we landed on the South Cascade Glacier with a round of smiles and joy that would be among our most memorable moments on this trip. Climbing back toward the pass through long shadows seemed marred by our presence. Josh and Jessy cut a track right on the shadows margin and I stood back with my mouth open. 

The ski down to White Rock Lakes continued on great snow and each of us milked tracks to the bottom. We found a nice camp among a group of camps found there, taking up a few of them, one for napping under a tree, another for the tent. It was great, as no one was there or had been seen since our first day. In fact, we would see no one until we arrived at trips end.

The lakes here are carved in rock and the better of the two lakes is away from the camps, set above the first lake and carved out of bedrock. The most spectacular view is seen from the first lake at its outlet. Here a stream courses perfectly toward the edge and the glaciers beyond can be seen staring back, so very prominent.

That night we glared at the maps and wondered if bad weather would finally eke its way toward us, overwhelming and blinding everything. This was a day I didn’t want that to happen.

DAY FOUR: White Rock lakes to Dome Col with a summit of Dome Peak

The ski down was scouted the day before. We found that it was best to climb to the upper lake and descend from there. Our descent was great and the traverse perfect. We climbed slightly different ways up the Dana Glacier, but our routes merged and we decided to climb up until we were beneath Bulls Horns. I had thought this would make a great descent, but it appeared a bit much and terribly exposed. Maybe I would’ve thought differently had I tried for it? Our plan was to traverse off the standard Ptarmigan Traverse here and continue to the southern lobe of the Dana Glacier. In this way, it was my hope to bypass Itswoot Ridge and its traverse back toward Dome Peak, thus saving several hours of effort. Maps can be tricky and they don’t always tell the truth. That and eyes can lie to. It was my hope they weren’t and it went. The climb was easy once we finished traversing. It was steep in a few places, and with such heavy packs, an error was not a good idea. In fact on many places on this trip it was best to keep the waist belt unbuckled. Once on the glacier we were able to ski up and eventually made our way all the way to another pass. Josh was already there with a smile on his face. We were on the Dome Glacier!!!

To get to Dome Col was just a matter of time. It was so hot and Josh really wanted to go ski something fun, as we had tons of time to do so. It had only taken 4 hours or so to get here. Unfortunately we put off our plans and instead expanded an established campsite there, making it friendlier to climbers who managed to get there. This took a few hours. By then it was later than we expected! And storms were coming in. They looked daunting and we were afraid we were in for a zinger. Josh and Jessy managed to get calls out, but this took time and effort scrambling for service. We managed to get a forecast after several attempts. Along the entire traverse this was the only time we got service and it pretty much sapped the phones batteries. The weather wasn’t going to improve for a long time. This was a huge disappointment for me. So much work to get here. Everything was perfect, but now it wasn’t. Again, like every time before, Dome Peak was sending me home. Nearly dark, I tell Jessy and Josh we should climb Dome Peak that night. The weather was already getting colder, but to give you an idea about how warm it was, my brother’s skins had rubber bungees on the top to hold his skins on. Temps had been so warm that the metal melted through both of them!!! These things weren’t flimsy either.

Climbing to the top was a wonderful feeling for me. Finally after 7 years I would get there. Looking down the south face lovingly, I thought of other reasons to come back to this place and looking at everything in every direction, there were so many more excuses. The summit ridge is sharp and with snow and rock abutted to each other, we climbed mostly between them. We left our skis on the ridge and once reaching as near the end as I was comfortable with, we climbed back to our skis and skied the narrow ridge back down. Sunset blazed on the horizon and the shafts of light and dark on the hills were like mosaics or a painting. Surreal. It was hard to comprehend the storm that was coming and what it would bring. Like the others, we were hoping it would miss us. If we were only so lucky. After skiing back down toward the tents, Jessy and I yo-yoed a few more turns before going to camp. By then we felt a drop, then more. It was soon drizzling. And the grumbles in the sky felt like they came from the very Earth I was standing on.

That night was the most fearful I've ever had. I didn't expect the fury that had come with this storm. Lightening and thunder played tag, but they weren’t as fair as two children perhaps. Maybe lightening peaked? But it was common for one to be on top of the other, so much so it was difficult to figure which had come first. As a kid I remember being told every second meant the lightening was a mile away, another second meant two miles, so forth. Flashes above my head didn't need any rough mathematical calculation to know how close the lightening was. Everything metal that we had was piled on the snow far away from camp. Whether or not that had helped is lost to me, but soon between storms the rage had let up. No sleep had been had. I went outside to see what was to come and what had gone past. In the sky, brighter than it should've been, I could see flashes every few seconds. I could feel the thunder. Nowhere in all my climbing days had I felt so much power as this. Could I stay here forever? Would the lightening snuff me out where I stood? I could lie and not saw I was scared, but I don't give a damn. I was scared as hell and it was awesome. Everything, all I could see appearing like a planetary battle where bombs lit up the night with me high above, a spectator to it all. I felt like I was in the atmosphere, out there on curve of planet, not tied to the earth, nearsighted in low places, but free to witness a Nature's wrath.

Little did I know, or my brothers, the next day would be one of the most difficult we've ever had. Our lack of restful sleep surely didn't help.

PART I - Day 1-2 Summit and ski of Spider Mountains South Face

PART II - Day 3-4 Roasting in the sun and summit of Hop Joch Spitz and Dome (you're on this page)

PART III - Day 5-7 Bushwacking hell out the Blue Glacier and Gunsight to Stehekin