Friday, July 21, 2017

Mt. Maude 9040' via Carne, Glacier Peak Wilderness

It's very rare I get to take Stepdad Steve to a place I've already been that's new to him. After he first visited Spider Gap in 1967, he decided he wanted to climb Mt. Maude (duh). As we seemingly picked the one day this summer that it was going to rain in the North Cascades, we changed our plans to head to the east side and finally get him up Maude, 50 years after he first saw it.

  • Carne-Ice Lakes: normal amount of blowdown, snow remains on passes. 
  • Mt. Maude: Steep snow to south ridge; the normal summer route is much steeper and has a deep moat (10'+) climbers left just prior to the last 20 ft (see pics below). I exited way too far south on the climb up and we had class 2/3 chossy crap for 100 yards traversing north on the ridge. Descended correct area, though much steeper than our ascent route. 
  • Leroy: Snow on the southern portion through slide areas, no issues after that. 
17.1 miles, 7500' gain

Flowers on the Carne Mountain trail

Opposite side of the Wilderness from last weekend

Love this view showing the whole route, Phelps Creek and Phelps Ridge; Buck Creek fire damage came over the ridge a bit

Grazing deer on the way to Box Creek

Perfect time for Entiat flowers

One of the coolest hornblende (right?) samples I've seen 

Traverse from Chipmunk pass to Ice Lakes pass

Ice Lakes Pass and Maude's south slope

Upper Ice Lake, 7745' and North Spectacle Butte

Correct route is up right, cutting back left under that snow tear drop; I lead us up the wrong slope (easiest looking one up the left ramp). It was much easier to pick the right route last summer 😋

Did some chossy scrambling along this ridge to reach the easy notch and south slope

Flowers on Maude's south slope

Looking over at Buck and Clark

Seven-Fingered Jack, Fernow and Bonanza

Spider snowfield and gap

Our annual summit selfie

Steve finally gets his Maude

Glacier and the Dakobed range

Traversing to Leroy Basin, with Seven-Fingered Jack

Boulder larch

Leroy Creek falls


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