It was a 4-day/3-night climb, with camping at White Pass on the first and last nights. Our group consisted of two climbers. There is plenty of beta about the route itself, so I will just comment on recent conditions and our stats.
Thursday, July 11th: We started from the trailhead at 6:45 AM and reached White Pass in 5 hours and 20 minutes. The trail was completely free of snow and in excellent condition. The water source just past Mackinaw Shelter was still there, with the next one available only after the switchbacks at around 5600 feet. White Pass had running water, but things are melting fast. I was glad for our early start, which helped us avoid most of the heat.
Friday, July 12th: We left White Pass for High Camp (Glacier Gap) at 9:00 AM, reaching it in 3 hours and 45 minutes. The basin was covered with snow, but it was mostly firm, and the bootpath was easy to follow. There were plenty of snow-free sites at High Camp, and running water was available, though perhaps not for long. This felt like the hardest part of the trip, as it was a very hot day. I wished we had started earlier.
Saturday, July 13th: Summit day on the Cool Glacier route. We started at 3:45 AM and summited at 7:35 AM. Again, I was glad for the early start, but a 3:00 AM start would have been even better. The snow was firm and easy to walk on all the way to the summit. The Cool Glacier has crevasses opening up. Once on the glacier, we took the climbers' left path straight to the ridge, avoiding several crevasses on the climbers' right path. Once on the ridge, we un-roped and walked in crampons all the way to the final snow slope. The final snow slope was still in the shade, firm, and had boot steps to walk on. We didn't rope up. The summit view was spectacular. The route back was uneventful, but it quickly became a very hot day! Bring plenty of water and electrolytes. We returned to High Camp around 12 PM, hunkered down until 4 PM to wait out the heat, and got back to White Pass by 8 PM.
Sunday, July 14th: We left White Pass at 9:00 AM for a leisurely walk down, enjoying the meadows and cool forest.
(Redacted with AI)
Comments