Snow Goddess Climb, July, 2001

Updated July 24, 2001

Original Climbing Plan Archive

The Route, Part I     ...Part II
The Picture -- [109k]
Archived Pam/Juli itinerary

Actual Climb Timeline

Day 1

Awake rested and happy. Leave 9:30 am for Muir. Arrive in three small groups about 4:00 pm. The hike to Muir was hellish, more than expected, and a tribal council was held at Muir to re-evaluate the plan.

Decided to spend the night at Muir, then go just 1000 feet the next day to Ingraham Flats. The weather was astoundingly clear and warm, and the route was in the best shape ever.

Day 2

Juli, Rasa, Lori, and Joan left for Paradise. Kerry, Susan, Pam, and Dana left noonish for the Flats, arrived about an hour and a half later. Took care of business (many meanings to that statement) and crawled into sleeping bags at 5:00 pm.

Day 3

Got up at 11:00 pm (of Day Two) and got onto the route by 1:00 am. Skirted high on the Ingraham, just below the headwall, then down to the foot of the Cleaver, across a weak but frozen snow bridge, around a thin ledge, up the steep face of the west side of the Cleaver, then up steep, snowy switchbacks into winds that grew stronger with each step. Fortunately, so did we, and, avoiding any lengthy breaks or stoppages at all, we hit the crater rim about 6:00 am, and the summit and register at about 6:30. One must note that we were the first to the summit that day.

After being blown around the crater by 45 mph winds, we headed down starting about 7:30 am, descended the steep, exposed, slushy west face of the Cleaver, danced across the ledge, hopped the now melting snow bridge, climbed above and over the big crevasses on the Ingraham, and reached the Flats about 10:30 am. After a brief rest, we decided to try to beat the melting snow and get outta Dodge, so we left about noon, hit Muir within an hour, and took three more hours to get down to Paradise. From then on, it was just good, clean fun and celebration, including a friendly game of pool with two local gentlemen in Ashford; a table of spilled beer by someone who can climb 3500 feet up, and 9000 feet down in one day, but can't sit down in a booth; two games of darts stolen by an apparent dart shark; and a live rendition of Jimmy Rogers' (or was it Hank Williams?) classic Kaw-Liga.

Day 4

Someone woke us the heck up at 7:00 am. That was enough to make us prematurely tearful for the goodbyes. A quick stop at the Market, and we were off to Michigan again.

Pictures to follow....