IN SHORT:
- Follow LNT principles and posted guidelines when visiting this delicate place
- Snow patches up at Jade, Marmot snow-free
- Dip Top Gap climb still looks way scary, but is doable with gear and expertise
- Bugs only came out with the sun
- Stop at The Brick Saloon as you leave
We arrived at the trailhead at 9:20 on Friday to find only four cars there. We hit the trail at 9:45. A PCTA crew was out cleaning up blowdowns — there were a few, but not many. Streams were going wild. The climb up from the valley floor to the Tuck & Robin cutoff was a relatively steep grade with rocky and rooty, uneven footing.
There were some snow patches on the north-facing slopes past Deception Pass on the way to Marmot and Clarice. They were slushy and easy to walk on without spikes and will be gone in a week tops. The cirque at about six miles in was really amazing, with tons of waterfalls cascading in and filling the tarn. We stopped for lunch there around 1:30.
The climb up to Marmot can be a bit exposed in sections but is quite steady. Marmot, and all the Hinman/Daniel peaks, were in wet cloud when we arrived. We set up camp before rain and mist blew in. It stayed foggy and moody all evening. No bugs.
The next day we woke up to the same mist and rain, but the clouds broke around 1. It was partly cloudy for the rest of the day, getting clearer as the afternoon and evening wore on. At 2, we made the trek up to Jade. Sections of this climb are quite arduous, and we were glad for our spikes and poles. There’s dangerous snow over boulder fields for long stretches, but if you’re good on boulders you can avoid the snow entirely. Rock slides are a risk.
Jade had big snow patches, but there were many spots dry enough to camp, especially beyond the main spot where everyone camps for the “Instagram view.” That part of the meadow is torn up anyway — sad. We had planned to day hike up to Dip Top for the overview to Pea Soup, but seeing the path to Dip Top Gap, we realized we were not prepared and didn’t even attempt it. We would probably have needed crampons and an ice axe.
The hike back down to Marmot was even sketchier; the snow had melted a bit and was slick and eager to give way. On the way down, we saw a rare Fisher Cat, a super cool wildlife sighting. We got back to camp and the mosquitos found us. Clouds of them bothered us as we made dinner by the lake shore.
The hike out the next day was quick and easy, capped off with a big burger and beer at The Brick Saloon in Roslyn.
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