Church Mountain
Mar 06, 2010
by
David Ryeburn
—
last modified
Mar 07, 2010 04:00 PM
- Type of Outing
- Day hike
- Read More in our Hiking Guide
- Hike: Church Mountain
- Region: North Cascades -- Mount Baker Highway
- Agency: Mount Baker Snoqualmie National Forest, Mount Baker Ranger District
- Trails: Church Mountain (#671)
- Avg Rating: 3.73
- Be Aware Of
- Snow on trail
With the high snow level, attempting to get to the meadow at about the 5000 ft level on the Church Mountain trail seemed like a good idea. This trail is so good that in the summer, running shoes are adequate. But today I thought my heavy-duty Galibier mountaineering boots might be a better choice. They weren't enough -- I should have brought crampons.
The trail was bare and dry to about 4500 ft. There was a small, avoidable patch of ice at that altitude. About 100 ft higher altitude, just before the last switchback before the meadow, more serious ice began. This too was avoidable at first, but not for long. Soon I was very carefully proceeding, ice axe ready. I spent about 45 minutes gaining about 200 ft altitude. Just past the big creek which is right below the meadow, the trail got steeper and icier. I turned back, and re-discovered that what is hard to go up is harder to come down. It took an hour to undo what 45 minutes up had done.
On the way up, I took two photographs of the trail from Switchback 10, about 3600 ft altitude. No beautiful pictures from the (snow-covered) meadows today. Two other hikers passed me, going back down just before I turned around. They had managed to get to the meadow, using boots that looked far less mean than my Galibiers, and no ice axes. But in the meadow they found they badly needed snowshoes, and turned around. Their car was gone when I returned to the parking area, so they must have gotten past the icy section without tumbling down the hillside.
If this warm non-winter keeps up, in a few weeks perhaps the ice will have disappeared. I wonder how long snowshoes will still be needed in the meadow? Seven years ago I went there in early June. No ice then, but I post-holed halfway across the lower meadow and gave up. Maybe going to Church before August is a bad idea.
The trail was bare and dry to about 4500 ft. There was a small, avoidable patch of ice at that altitude. About 100 ft higher altitude, just before the last switchback before the meadow, more serious ice began. This too was avoidable at first, but not for long. Soon I was very carefully proceeding, ice axe ready. I spent about 45 minutes gaining about 200 ft altitude. Just past the big creek which is right below the meadow, the trail got steeper and icier. I turned back, and re-discovered that what is hard to go up is harder to come down. It took an hour to undo what 45 minutes up had done.
On the way up, I took two photographs of the trail from Switchback 10, about 3600 ft altitude. No beautiful pictures from the (snow-covered) meadows today. Two other hikers passed me, going back down just before I turned around. They had managed to get to the meadow, using boots that looked far less mean than my Galibiers, and no ice axes. But in the meadow they found they badly needed snowshoes, and turned around. Their car was gone when I returned to the parking area, so they must have gotten past the icy section without tumbling down the hillside.
If this warm non-winter keeps up, in a few weeks perhaps the ice will have disappeared. I wonder how long snowshoes will still be needed in the meadow? Seven years ago I went there in early June. No ice then, but I post-holed halfway across the lower meadow and gave up. Maybe going to Church before August is a bad idea.
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