Mount Baker Easton Glacier Summit Climb with Students from the Bush School

This week I did a trip to Mt. Baker's Easton Glacier with a group of students from the Bush School in Seattle.  The trip started with a questionable weather report, which is never a good thing when you are hoping to summit Mt. Baker.  The first issue is that the road to the trail head is still covered with snow for over three miles.  This made for a long hike in to our first camp.

After a long day of walking we got to a camp at the base of the Rail Road Grade (a glacial moraine that runs along the west side of the Easton Glacier).  We set up camp cooked dinner and went to bed.  Unfortunately we awoke the next day to rain.  We decided not to move to a higher camp so we could stay dry.  After breakfast I went back to bed.  The students entertained themselves with cards.

Looking down the valley to Baker Lake.

Even the birds were wet.

Ricardo

 I was surprised to find the rain had turned to snow when I woke from my 4 hour midday nap. 

Snow on the cook tent.

Erica

Is the sun trying to break through?

 The next morning looked like the weather might get better so we decided to move to a camp that was high enough up the mountain to summit from.  The move to Sandy Camp was reasonably strait forward and only took a couple of hours.

Jordan

Maggie

 As the weather slowly improved we did some glacier skills practice in hopes that we would be able to climb to the summit the next morning.

Checking out a small crevasse.

Rope team travel practice.

 Morning always comes too early for me.  We had a 1am wake up.

Camp at 1am with the Twin Sisters Range in the background.

Camp at 1am with Mt. Baker's summit in background.

Sunrise

Isabel.

Starting up the Roman Wall.

Mt. Bakers summit.

On the summit.

The second rope team nears the summit.

Th last few steps to the summit.

The summit.

A slight detour heading down to view some seracs.

A panorama of the summit crater.  This was seven photos stitched together.

Once  back at camp we ate some lunch and packed up camp.  From there we began the long hike out.  The really long hike out.  Thanks to the crew from the Bush School in Seattle.  This was one of the more fun groups of people I have been out in the mountains with.   All in all a very rewarding experience for all, including me!

The complete set of photos can be found at http://alasdairturner.smugmug.com/

AAI Denali Prep Course. How Much is Too Much Snow?

I just got back from a Denali Prep trip.  These trips are usually a lot of fun and often make for some great photography.  This trip however got a bit old.  Not really the trip so much as the weather.  There is only so much time you can spend in a tent without going crazy.   For this trip that number is three days.  Of course we were forced to get out of our tents every now and then to dig out snow so we did not get buried.

The hike in consisted of dragging heavy sleds to a camp near the base of Table mountain near the Mt. Baker Ski Area.  This is great Denali training since Denali consists of dragging heavy sleds through the snow.  Once there we built a camp. Building a camp is a key Denali skill.  We created tent platforms and built walls around the camp so wind would not crush our tents.  Wind however was not going to be an issue on this trip.

After cooking dinner it was tent time.  I was looking forward to this since I have a one month old child at home, and there was nothing that would wake me up here in the mountains...  At some point in the middle of the night I woke to the side of the tent pressing against me and realized I was being buried alive by constant snow fall that had been falling since I put the tent up.  So much for uninterrupted sleep.  I got my boots on and dug the tent out.  Perfect Denali training!

Morning came, and it sure seemed a little dark, even for 6am.   Once again I am buried.  I tunneled my way out of the tent, this time with the camera and shot this.

Due to the very heavy snowfall we decided to not move our camp today and just work on camp mantinence since it looked like it would be an all day job.

I spent most of the day in the tent and the rest of it digging.

The next morning.

Another day of heavy snowfall so we continued to dig camp.  The next morning. 

We now estimated that we had 3 meters of snow.  If the wind picked up we would have no chance of digging out our tents.  It was time to leave.  That however was easier said than done.  Moving in snow that deep is very difficult and very tiring.  There was also a real threat of avalanche.

It was still snowing hard as we made out way out and I shot this.

After hours of wading though sometimes chest deep snow we made it to the ski area and were able to move down the groomed run to the car.  45 minutes of digging later, the car moved and we were on our way back to Bellingham to learn the technical skills needed for Denali.

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Mountaineering and Outdoor Photography Course

I will be teaching a mountaineering and outdoor photography course this summer.  The dates are  going to be August 19-22nd.  The course outline is listed below.  I have been wanting to put this course together for several years and it has finally happened.  There has been a lot of interest in this course so sign up now to ensure a space.

A stunning photograph on the summit ridge of Denali. Photo: Alasdair Turner

Impress your friends with your phenomenal photographs you took while climbing Mount Baker this summer! Our new course, Mountaineering Photography, has added a day to the Baker Skills and Climb Course to work with a professional outdoor photographer so you can take incredible photographs in the mountains!

We will start with the basics of how to carry and protect your camera, how to deal with cold, wet environments, and what camera is the best choice for you. We will then spend some time preparing our climbing and camera equipment for a trip to Mt. Baker. If you are a beginning climber or photographer, there is no need to worry, we will cover the skills you need to safely summit the mountain and shoot photos.

Photographic creativity is one trick to creating great works of art. Photo: Aidan Loehr

Our camp on the north side of Mount Baker is in a stunningly beautiful place for photography and offers a variety of photographic subjects to practice your skills. Here we can work on shooting the perfect landscape photo or basic climber portraits. A healthy population of alpine creatures, including ptarmigan and marmots, are also very common subjects at this camp.

The contrasting colors of the sky and the tent bring enjoyment to the viewer's eyes. Guide Richard Riquelme on Mt Baker. Photo: Alasdair Turner

Our route, which ascends the classic Coleman-Deming Glacier, makes for progressively more interesting photographic terrain as we start our ascent in the dark and summit sometime just after dawn. From here we enjoy great views of our route, the many alpine peaks surrounding us, and the San Juan Islands. On very clear days, one can also get a view of the Seattle metro area. Groups in this program are kept small (usually three to five climbers with one guide or six to ten climbers with two guides), and throughout the trip you will enjoy a very rich learning and climbing experience.

AAI Team walking off the summit of Mount Baker. Photo: Alasdair Turner

Skills Covered in the Course

Climbing Skills

• Ice axe and crampon techniques
• Roping procedures for glacier travel
• Route finding and hazard evaluation
• Basic crevasse rescue

Photography

• Which camera is right for you
• How to carry your camera in a place that is convenient
• How to protect your camera from all types of weather
• How to use the available light
• Fundamentals of photography for the mountains including composition, exposure, and depth of field

Rope team crosses crevasse on Coleman Glacier. Photo: Alasdair Turner

Program Costs, Inclusions and Exclusions

Tuition for the program includes the guide's fee, transportation to the mountains (except on private trips), and all group climbing equipment (ropes and hardware). You will need to provide your own photographic equipment (camera, film, batteries, memory cards, etc.). Personal equipment is not included in the program cost, but it can be rented from our equipment shop. A complete list of recommended and required equipment will be sent to you upon registration.
We also offer a porter program for individuals who require physical assistance. Contact us for more information.

On this course, we bring you talented mountain guides who are also professional photographers. Photo courtesy of Mike Powers

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AAI Alpine Leadership Part 3 course.

American Alpine Institute Bolivia Trip: Part 3 Illimani

I am back in the not so sunny Pacific Northwest. While on many hours of flights yesterday I sorted through hundreds of photos from the Bolivia trip. Not only did I sort the ones from the part 3 but I went back and added photos from part 1 and 2 so be sure to go back through the previous 2 blog posts to see some new photos.

The last few days of Part 2 consist of a summit of Huayna Potosi. I got a nice photo of it, but unfortunately did not climb it due to the flu.

Kids when we got off the bus at the base of Illimani.

One of our porters and a horse.

AAI guide Juan with north summit of Illimani in background.

Some porters coming down from high camp.

This lady kind of makes me ashamed to not be carrying my own stuff up to high camp.

Diccon making the last few steps to the summit.

On the summit. Diccon giving the universal "I feel great" sign.

Summit shot.

Heading down with the summit in the background.

The north peak in black and white.
This guy greeted us back to camp. This photo does no justice to how big these birds are.

Leaving La Paz. The houses of the Altiplano catching early morning light.
El Alto and La Paz from the air with Huayna Potosi in the background.
See you next year Bolivia.