Mts. Seward and Seward Nov. 26-28
A picture is worth a thousand words. Click here then scroll to the last two links.
Dominic and I met Doug (Hillman1) at the TH and we began our hike with the sun setting behind us and the full, or nearly full, moon rising in front. The ground was frozen and the crossings required care due to the ice covered stepping stones. As we were nearing the BB LT we heard a woofing sound just off the trail that made each of us glad that we weren’t alone and that we had all our food in bear canisters. It was a beautiful crisp evening and we soon got a fire and supper going. (Birch bark: 1 – Trioxene: 0). After a 5:30 wake up we cooked bacon and eggs wondering if Mr. Bear was around. Leaning against the LT wall sipping hot coffee watching the day being born in the forest was a treat. I was already dressed in my hiking gear and had XL polar tech 200 pants over top of my gore-tex to take off over my boots at the last minute. It took us a quite while to get our drinking water for the day boiled because the filter froze and only one stove was working. We got away finally at 8:15 and were soon encountering ice on the trail as we ascended Seward. We finally cramponed up which proved essential for what we encountered. Imagine intertwined rivers of water ice twisting their way up the mountain. Some pitches were quite steep but the front points performed like champs especially on the short steps of very steep, ice covered rock. The going was much easier on the ice and we all agreed that it was the only way to get to the top. (The alternative would have been steep bushwhacking through ice covered spruce). We didn’t have ice axes but they would have not have been overkill.
The views were open but the skies were darkening with very dark lentiform clouds layered above featureless pale grey skies. The wind was howling and it was about 25 on top. It was 11:45 am. and after doing some mental arithmetic we decided to leave Donaldson & Emmons for another day. Between the early sunset and being beginners with crampons we didn’t want to risk descending those ice pitches fatigued and with dusk coming on. So down we went, and although it was a little scary those points bit easily and did not budge. Several pitches were quite steep and lengthy and we used Doug’s webbing as a rappel rope and walked down backwards. When going down forwards I walked flat footed with knees and hips bent to whatever angle was required. Very strenuous for the quads.
Back at camp at 3:00 we were glad to have turned around when we did. We took advantage of the remaining daylight to get a serious wood supply and cooked up a Thanksgiving dinner of potato soup, pork chops, leg of lamb steaks, sausage and filet mignon. By 6:00 we were in bed listening to Doug read aloud the LT register. Lots of chuckles. Seems like 10-12 hours is standard time for S, D & E. The wind was moaning and howling and the sky was full of stars.
Day 2
Slept in to 6 and woke up to the pitter patter of rain and took our time since we were only doing Seymour. The wind was still blowing and we heard a series of tremendous crashes as a tree came down about 50 feet from the LT. As we hiked, branches were coming down all around us and with every gust we would pause and look up. I didn’t know that Seymour had a slide and this ribbon of water ice was our highway while it lasted. We topped out quickly and then followed a series of braided, narrow ice channels upwards through a fantasy land of green moss, snow caked trees and huge icicles. We were loving every minute of it. The rain had turned to wet snow and as we ascended to the summit ridge everything was a frozen white mass with big snowflakes being driven sideways by the wind. We dropped packs just before a bunch of blowdown and went back and forth to the summit quickly, stopping for a photo-op at the overlook towards Seward. Back at the packs we stripped off our wet base layers and put on dry shirts for the descent. That was pure heaven. Our descent was uneventful, the crampons worked wonderfully. Lower down the snow turned to rain and not far from camp we encountered a mammoth tree down across the trail we had travelled along earlier in the day. The splintered trunk was at least 2 feet in diameter and had no rot in it. In falling, the tree brought down 2 others. Awesome!
The conditions encountered on this trip were more difficult than if it had been 5 or10 deg colder which would have been a lot drier. When the temp oscillates above and below the freezing point with precipitation and wind you’re looking hypothermia in the eye without proper gear (pack covers, waterproof stuff sacks, dry clothes, gore-tex. etc.). You get soaked on the way up from either your sweat, the rain or the vegetation then it’s below freezing in a howling wind. We were fine except our hands all were soaked. Those fancy OR gore-tex overmitts would have been just the ticket. As we dropped down to the valley I was glad the temp didn’t drop to 15 deg.
A picture is worth a thousand words. Click here then scroll to the last two links.
Dominic and I met Doug (Hillman1) at the TH and we began our hike with the sun setting behind us and the full, or nearly full, moon rising in front. The ground was frozen and the crossings required care due to the ice covered stepping stones. As we were nearing the BB LT we heard a woofing sound just off the trail that made each of us glad that we weren’t alone and that we had all our food in bear canisters. It was a beautiful crisp evening and we soon got a fire and supper going. (Birch bark: 1 – Trioxene: 0). After a 5:30 wake up we cooked bacon and eggs wondering if Mr. Bear was around. Leaning against the LT wall sipping hot coffee watching the day being born in the forest was a treat. I was already dressed in my hiking gear and had XL polar tech 200 pants over top of my gore-tex to take off over my boots at the last minute. It took us a quite while to get our drinking water for the day boiled because the filter froze and only one stove was working. We got away finally at 8:15 and were soon encountering ice on the trail as we ascended Seward. We finally cramponed up which proved essential for what we encountered. Imagine intertwined rivers of water ice twisting their way up the mountain. Some pitches were quite steep but the front points performed like champs especially on the short steps of very steep, ice covered rock. The going was much easier on the ice and we all agreed that it was the only way to get to the top. (The alternative would have been steep bushwhacking through ice covered spruce). We didn’t have ice axes but they would have not have been overkill.
The views were open but the skies were darkening with very dark lentiform clouds layered above featureless pale grey skies. The wind was howling and it was about 25 on top. It was 11:45 am. and after doing some mental arithmetic we decided to leave Donaldson & Emmons for another day. Between the early sunset and being beginners with crampons we didn’t want to risk descending those ice pitches fatigued and with dusk coming on. So down we went, and although it was a little scary those points bit easily and did not budge. Several pitches were quite steep and lengthy and we used Doug’s webbing as a rappel rope and walked down backwards. When going down forwards I walked flat footed with knees and hips bent to whatever angle was required. Very strenuous for the quads.
Back at camp at 3:00 we were glad to have turned around when we did. We took advantage of the remaining daylight to get a serious wood supply and cooked up a Thanksgiving dinner of potato soup, pork chops, leg of lamb steaks, sausage and filet mignon. By 6:00 we were in bed listening to Doug read aloud the LT register. Lots of chuckles. Seems like 10-12 hours is standard time for S, D & E. The wind was moaning and howling and the sky was full of stars.
Day 2
Slept in to 6 and woke up to the pitter patter of rain and took our time since we were only doing Seymour. The wind was still blowing and we heard a series of tremendous crashes as a tree came down about 50 feet from the LT. As we hiked, branches were coming down all around us and with every gust we would pause and look up. I didn’t know that Seymour had a slide and this ribbon of water ice was our highway while it lasted. We topped out quickly and then followed a series of braided, narrow ice channels upwards through a fantasy land of green moss, snow caked trees and huge icicles. We were loving every minute of it. The rain had turned to wet snow and as we ascended to the summit ridge everything was a frozen white mass with big snowflakes being driven sideways by the wind. We dropped packs just before a bunch of blowdown and went back and forth to the summit quickly, stopping for a photo-op at the overlook towards Seward. Back at the packs we stripped off our wet base layers and put on dry shirts for the descent. That was pure heaven. Our descent was uneventful, the crampons worked wonderfully. Lower down the snow turned to rain and not far from camp we encountered a mammoth tree down across the trail we had travelled along earlier in the day. The splintered trunk was at least 2 feet in diameter and had no rot in it. In falling, the tree brought down 2 others. Awesome!
The conditions encountered on this trip were more difficult than if it had been 5 or10 deg colder which would have been a lot drier. When the temp oscillates above and below the freezing point with precipitation and wind you’re looking hypothermia in the eye without proper gear (pack covers, waterproof stuff sacks, dry clothes, gore-tex. etc.). You get soaked on the way up from either your sweat, the rain or the vegetation then it’s below freezing in a howling wind. We were fine except our hands all were soaked. Those fancy OR gore-tex overmitts would have been just the ticket. As we dropped down to the valley I was glad the temp didn’t drop to 15 deg.
. Besides, I can think of very few combinations that match the linking of "the solitude and spirit of the wilderness " and "the exuberance and joy of youth". No crap, unless you hate kids, it is truley amazing to watch a kid summit his first high peak (or even thier 46th high peak).
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