Heliotrope Ridge — Thursday, Aug. 5, 2021

Tl;dr: As a short, lightweight woman I absolutely wouldn't recommend trying to cross Heliotrope Creek if you have any doubts about the current or depth; if you are alone; if you don't have hiking poles; or if you have never forded a river before. I didn't see what the Climber's Route looked like but anything is better than thinking you're about to be whisked downstream in glacier water through a boulder field and over a waterfall. 

Hiked Heliotrope Ridge on Thursday morning with a friend. We left Seattle at 6:30AM and were at the trailhead by 9:30AM. Plenty of parking on a Thursday morning and bathrooms were some of the cleanest portos I've ever seen!

Hit the first "creek" crossing around 10:00AM and it was barely a trickle. Hit the second creek crossing shortly afterward and could easily cross without getting our feet wet - the water wasn't more than ankle deep in any spot and there were plenty of dry rocks to jump between. We got to the Heliotrope Creek crossing around 10:30AM and it was a VERY different story - the water was deep and FAST. 

As others have suggested, we hiked up a bit from the trail crossing to find a better spot to ford - it is very easy to see where other people have done this. We came to a spot maybe 100 feet up where the water was calmer but a quick test with the trekking poles indicated that it was deeper than we thought. After several minutes of contemplation, another duo of two women came by and showed us a second spot another 100 feet or so up the trail (right near the base of the second waterfall) where the water was less deep and the crossing was a little less wide. This is the route we ended up taking BUT as a 5'2'', 115lb woman the current here was very nearly too much for me, even with trekking poles. 

Seeing the glacier on the other side of the creek was incredible, and there were several other people that had clearly done the ford as well. Crossing Heliotrope Creek a second time at 12:30PM felt significantly harder. My friend who is taller and heavier than me was able to cross right where the trail intercepts the river but it was clear that her footing was unsteady. I tried following after her but got about two steps before I realized it wasn't going to work. I then tried the slower-moving spot just up the trail only to find it was hip deep and still a strong current. I still thought it might work, so while I still had a good grip on the shoreline I attempted one step only to feel the current immediately push my leg out from underneath me - definitely not going to work. I ended up crossing back in the same spot where I had originally crossed, but it didn't feel great or particularly safe. The water was noticeably stronger and splashing in my face as I crossed. 

All in all, I'm glad I got to see the glacier but I absolutely would not try crossing that creek again in those conditions, and probably shouldn't have even tried crossing yesterday. The fact that I made it across okay was probably just as much luck as skill. Make smart decisions folks, and don't invite bad luck! 

One final thought - we encountered many other hikers on the trail who wanted to talk about the fording conditions and whether or not it was safe. In these situations, please be cautious about giving potentially dangerous advice to inexperienced hikers. We met a (very nice) family on our way back for the second crossing who were trying to be helpful and assured us that by facing upstream and keeping three points of contact we would be fine. However, river fording is absolutely something where height, weight, and experience matters, and what might feel fine for you can be unsafe for someone else. Similarly, we met a solo woman hiker on our way back down who asked our advice on whether or not she should attempt it. Yes, we both made it through safely twice and could have told her it was fine, but this woman was alone, without hiking poles, and unfamiliar with the area. When in doubt, BE CAUTIOUS!