Eldorado Peak, East Ridge - 8/14/10. Third times a charm.

I first attempted to solo the East Ridge of Eldorado peak, via Sibley Creek in August of 2009. Although my first attempt was not successful, I gained valuable information about the approach which would prove to be key on this trip. My second attempt was only a couple of weeks after the first. I didn't get very far due to the rapidly deteriorating weather. The forecast was for sun and highs in the 60's, go figure. I was not surprised though, this is the Cascades and I am accustomed to the changing weather and less than reliable forecasts.

This route proved to be the challenge I had hoped for since it contained all the elements that make for an interesting solo, one day adventure. One of the greatest challenges on these types of trips is making good time, speed is safety in the mountains and this is especially true when travelling solo. Since I usually never have a chance to "pre-run" the approach, route finding is crucial to saving precious hours of daylight. 

Mt. Baker in the distance (upper left)

It is summer and here in Washington the days are quite long. Having the extra time is a nice luxury, but it's not necessarily something that can be abused since there are only so many good hours to travel on snow fields and glaciers. For me that means getting very early and this trip was no exception. I hit the road at the "ugly early" hour of 2 am and arrived at the trailhead around 4:30 am. Less than three hours later I was travelling on the Inspiration glacier and the conditions were the best I've ever seen for this time of year.  The high temps were supposed to be 85 degrees (in Seattle) on this day. I was a bit concerned about the heat and I had visions of wading through deep, slushy late season snow. I was pleasantly surprised and rewarded with excellent snow conditions all the way to the summit.

Mt. Baker

I really enjoy the mental challenge on trips like this one, there are so many unknowns and on this route/climb there were several. My biggest concerns were the heat and snow conditions on the exposed, not quite "knife edge" ridge. I was not as concerned about the approach since I had done the majority of the most difficult parts already. In the end each concern was addressed and overcome. Sometimes what you think will be the biggest challenge turns out to be a non-event. On this route it was the exposed summit ridge. I was fortunate to have near perfect conditions so this challenge proved to be quite enjoyable. 

view from the ridge, looking South

In the end on I looked back on this trip and was pleased that it went so well. It really is the full North Cascades experience with steep, exposed trails on a ridge covered with blooming wildflowers, steep rock spires, snow fields, huge glaciers and 360 degree views of the nearby mountain ranges and volcanoes. An end of the trip bonus was a black bear perched on a high meadow, probably dining on ripe blueberries.

It's unfortunate that I didn't have a camera on this trip. The posted photos are from my first attempt.

Quick stats for this route:

TIME: 6:00
DISTANCE: 13 miles
GAIN:  6042' (Suunto)
WEATHER: Blue skies (warm)

Number of…

Wildflower species: 10 (an estimate while I was running along the ridge)

Mosquito bites: 0 (no bugs!)
Climbers on Route: 5-7 (NOLS group that I passed on the way out)
Sunburned areas: 1 (forgot my chin!)
Spills: 1 (slipped on rock and got a nasty bruise and cuts on my calf)
Calories consumed: 2000+ (including pre-run food)
Liters of water: 4+ (plenty)