View up Glacier Gorge over Mills Lake
I had high hopes for today: the Notch Couloir on McHenry Peak looks like a great moderate ice climb in a scenic and unfamiliar part of the park. Sadly, the description isn’t kidding when it says “don’t underestimate the route-finding challenge.” The use trail up to Shelf Lake is very hard to find, and the alternative is a steep, miserable bushwhack. After wasting an hour wandering around in the woods, I retreated and climbed Taylor Peak via the Andrews Glacier as a consolation prize. There was plenty of nice scenery, but a day of hiking and tip-toeing across talus with 6 inches of fresh snow on it wasn’t what I had in mind.
-
- Hallett Peak (l) at dawn.
-
- View up Glacier Gorge over Mills Lake
-
- Algae-filled lake above Mills
-
- Petit Grepon and the Sharkstooth from below Andrews Glacier
-
- Andrews Glacier
-
- Taylor from top of Andrews Glacier
-
- Long’s from Taylor
-
- Looking NW to the approaching storm
-
- Awesome ice/mixed routes east of Taylor
-
- Looking south across the park
-
- Surprisingly large crevasse in Andrews Glacier
These are some pretty gnarly photos. Is it winter up there now?
Not quite. There was a foot of snow up high, then about half melted off, and another inch or so may fall in the next day or so. It’s awkward weather for climbing.