Glacier Peak!

Read the full trip report for this climb here.

I climbed 10,541 foot Glacier Peak (Disappointment Cleaver Route) yesterday with Colin in 16 hours, 45 minutes round trip. I was very excited about this trip because I have never been to the area and Glacier Peak, the fifth highest summit in Washington state, has always been high on my list. It was the longest day I have ever done in the mountains, entailing 35+ miles (21 miles on trail) and 11,000 feet of elevation gain. However, I enjoyed every minute of it. The views and weather were spectacular and Colin is always a great partner. It was awesome to be on the mountain in all different times of the day and capture the different angles of light.

After getting a couple hours rest in the back of Colin’s truck, we set off at 2:45 am (trailhead at 2,000 feet) and blazed through the route, reaching the summit in 9 hours from the parking lot. We spent 1.25 hours taking photos and relaxing on the calm and warm summit (my first ever calm summit on a volcano) and left at 1 pm. I reached the trailhead 6.5 hours later tired, but not wasted. The last ten miles on trail were basically all jogging downhill, but my legs feel decent today. I am eager to go on another hike, but it would be imprudent to do so today with such little rest. The weather deteriorates tomorrow, but I plan on another trip late next week!

Glacier Peak is truly a mountain in the wilderness. Entirely within the immense Glacier Peak Wilderness, there are no roads that even come near the mountain. The Disappointment Cleaver route we took has now become the shortest route to the summit after severe floods in 2003 obliterated the White Chuck River Road which used to provide a more direct route and access to other interesting routes. After the floods, most of the climbs on Glacier Peak are only accessible by a combination of long hikes, river fords, and bushwhacking.

You may have noticed a drop-off in photos on the blog recently. Let me just say there will not be a lack of pictures for quite some time 🙂 Check back later today for some great photography.

Be sure to check out the trip report on Cascade Climbers.