Date(s) Hiked: 5-7-2007
Trails(s) Hiked: Tuckerman Ravine Tr., up Right Gully, Lion Head summer Tr., Tuckerman Ravine Tr.
Total Distance: approx. 9 miles, 4250 ft. elevation
Difficulty: Very Hard
Conditions: Perfect, except for on the Lion Head trail summer route, they were terrible.
Special Required Equipment: The usual for spring travel above treeline. Crampons and an ice axe would be useful for climbing out of the ravine. Sunglasses and sunscreen are essential
Trip Report: Now that this semester is finally winding down, I actually had a chance to blow off school and head up to the mountains with my friend Phil. He wanted to ride Tuckermans, and I decided it would be fun to hike up with him to see the bowl in season and bag Washington for the seventh time if the chances permitted.
The Tuckerman Ravine trail was pretty straight forward and we made it up to the floor of the ravine in a little under 2 hours. After checking out the routes, Phil decided that he wanted to go down right gully, so we started to climb up. About two minutes in, we heard everyone yelling ICE, so we looked up and saw a big chunk of ice the size of a large tire go rolling down the slope into lunch rocks. Wow, welcome to Tuckermans. We were about 50 feet away from where it hit, so that is how we learned to stay away from areas exposed to falling ice. Climbing up the gully was intense since we weren't use to the exposure, and I wish I had put my crampons on instead of trying to kick steps into the snow. At the top of the gully, Phil booted up and headed down. We had decided that I was going to head to the summit, and we would meet up at Hermit Lake later in the afternoon. After Phil left, I climbed up an exposed talus slope of rocks, and walked/swam through a snowfield littered with spruce traps. Once above the ravine, I plotted a course to where the Lions Head trail met the Tuckerman Ravine trail and in about an hour reached the summit. It was windy up top, but otherwise beautiful, and weird without all the summer crowds there.
Heading down, I decided to take the Lion's Head summer trail down to the Hermit Lake shelters, because I figured most of the snow must have melted, and the avalanche prone slopes would be stable enough to cross. What a dumb idea. A couple of minutes after the winter and summer route split, I had to cross a series of steep, icy slopes where a fall would have been very bad if I could not stop myself. Those slopes must have been why they close that portion of the trail, I was just really happy I had brought my ice axe with me. After I traversed the slope, the trail was icy and slippery the whole way down and trail was hard to follow, with lots of blowdowns and spruce traps. It took me about 35 minutes to cover that part of the trail When I finally made it down, I met my friend, shared our adventures on the mountain, and then made it down to the visitor center in 40 minutes.
What a great day. The weather was beautiful, and this was one of the best times I have had in a while. I just wish I had put sunscreen on my neck because I have a terrible sunburn under my chin and on my neck. Oh well.
Some of my pictures didn't come out so well because it was so bright, but here they are.
Trails(s) Hiked: Tuckerman Ravine Tr., up Right Gully, Lion Head summer Tr., Tuckerman Ravine Tr.
Total Distance: approx. 9 miles, 4250 ft. elevation
Difficulty: Very Hard
Conditions: Perfect, except for on the Lion Head trail summer route, they were terrible.
Special Required Equipment: The usual for spring travel above treeline. Crampons and an ice axe would be useful for climbing out of the ravine. Sunglasses and sunscreen are essential
Trip Report: Now that this semester is finally winding down, I actually had a chance to blow off school and head up to the mountains with my friend Phil. He wanted to ride Tuckermans, and I decided it would be fun to hike up with him to see the bowl in season and bag Washington for the seventh time if the chances permitted.
The Tuckerman Ravine trail was pretty straight forward and we made it up to the floor of the ravine in a little under 2 hours. After checking out the routes, Phil decided that he wanted to go down right gully, so we started to climb up. About two minutes in, we heard everyone yelling ICE, so we looked up and saw a big chunk of ice the size of a large tire go rolling down the slope into lunch rocks. Wow, welcome to Tuckermans. We were about 50 feet away from where it hit, so that is how we learned to stay away from areas exposed to falling ice. Climbing up the gully was intense since we weren't use to the exposure, and I wish I had put my crampons on instead of trying to kick steps into the snow. At the top of the gully, Phil booted up and headed down. We had decided that I was going to head to the summit, and we would meet up at Hermit Lake later in the afternoon. After Phil left, I climbed up an exposed talus slope of rocks, and walked/swam through a snowfield littered with spruce traps. Once above the ravine, I plotted a course to where the Lions Head trail met the Tuckerman Ravine trail and in about an hour reached the summit. It was windy up top, but otherwise beautiful, and weird without all the summer crowds there.
Heading down, I decided to take the Lion's Head summer trail down to the Hermit Lake shelters, because I figured most of the snow must have melted, and the avalanche prone slopes would be stable enough to cross. What a dumb idea. A couple of minutes after the winter and summer route split, I had to cross a series of steep, icy slopes where a fall would have been very bad if I could not stop myself. Those slopes must have been why they close that portion of the trail, I was just really happy I had brought my ice axe with me. After I traversed the slope, the trail was icy and slippery the whole way down and trail was hard to follow, with lots of blowdowns and spruce traps. It took me about 35 minutes to cover that part of the trail When I finally made it down, I met my friend, shared our adventures on the mountain, and then made it down to the visitor center in 40 minutes.
What a great day. The weather was beautiful, and this was one of the best times I have had in a while. I just wish I had put sunscreen on my neck because I have a terrible sunburn under my chin and on my neck. Oh well.
Some of my pictures didn't come out so well because it was so bright, but here they are.
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