Granite Mountain

It was raining hard in Seattle but yesterday was a perfect sunny day, so I looked for the sun towards the summit on Granite Mountain this morning. Funny thing was it rained harder and harder the farther East on 90 I went and the temperature was dropping from 45 in Seattle to 36 at the trailhead. Rain - who ever ran away from rain when they can climb a mountain, not today...I pushed hard up the trail to the turn to Granite and met two guys planning to try Granite today as well. The switchbacks were tough, just a hard day to get into the route, kept getting wet and colder. The avalanche chutes remain full but no movement since a week ago when I was here. I rapidly moved through the three chutes and to the tough pitch. That's where the other two guys saw me working hard on the slope and decided that was a good turn around point...not me, I kept at it :).

Last week the snow was firm and it was very challenging to get to the top. Today, it was snowing lightly and the snow was sloppy and I kept postholing and pulling myself out, time after time. That was more than challenging and the route was completely wiped away...glad I know the way - UP. I stayed at that slope for an hour and a half and was wet and cold and added a jacket and warm dry gloves (3rd pair today) and stayed at it. The clouds were down within a few feet from the ground and it was tough to see anything...where I should have seen the goal, there was only white today. I continued up the spine and continued postholing and wearing the slope. Good day for my ice axe (saved me a number of times). I finally saw the lookout tower and stayed with it. 4 hours up and almost 3 down. This was a workout and then some. MicroSpikes, Ice Axe and warm socks...a good day.