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2007 Memorial Weekend: Big Craggy Peak and WA Pass

Posted: Sun Jun 03, 2007 10:18 am
by bigKam
Kelvin and I and a handful of other friends (including Allyson, Cass, Cinnamon, Justin, Darryl and Maureen) spent Memorial Weekend in the Pasayten Wilderness area and WA pass. We left Seattle on Sat. morning, arrived at the Copper Glance Creek TH (3800’) on Eightmile Creek Road (#5130) in the late afternoon. There we car-camped. The photo below shows us sitting around camp -- on the left is Kelvin cooking on his new ultra-light stove ;) .

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On Sunday moring (8:15am) we followed the trail to Big Craggy peak (8470 ft.). Before reaching snow, we had to negotiate a broken, and rather slippery, bridge:

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We reached snow after ascending 1500 vf., then donned skis and schwacked our way through the woods. The view started to unfold at this point. Below is Kelvin on the trail before reaching snow -- Isabella Ridge is in the background:

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We skinned for 2000 vf., then just below the ridge that separates West Craggy and Big Craggy peak, some of us booted because the slope was not ideal for skinning. Below is a photo of Darryl and Kelvin -- Kelvin is in the lead carrying the Little Wings:

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Cinnamon scrambling to reach the ridge:
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At the ridge, we enjoyed views of Isabella Ridge and the surrounding landscape. A small weather front was moving in from the northwest, but nothing materialized above us, only cold wind. The photo below shows Cinnamon (left), Kelvin (right) and Cass (in background) on the ridge:

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Justin and I scrambled over scree for another 800 vf. to tag the summit of Big Craggy. Unfortunately, the snow was not continous to ski from the summit of Craggy to the ridge. Below is a photo that I snapped of Justin (can you spot him?) skiing down from the ridge -- Isabella Ridge in the background:

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From the ridge, I made turns for the first time on my new skis, and then decided to name them Big Kraggy after the peak. My new skis felt great. They turned well and the rubber and aluminum layer made them feel very damp. The core of these skis are made from old wood I found in my rafters. Overall, I'm very happy with this design.

We made it back to camp by 6pm. That evening we camped at the same location.

On Monday morning, we drove to WA pass for a quick ski tour near Blue Lake Col. Here are some photos from that day:

WA Pass -- Two pairs NOT made in China: Big Kraggy (left) and Little Wings (right)
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My new skis with Liberty Bell in the background:
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The gang skinning up to Blue Lake Col with Cutthroat pass, Golden Horn, etc. in the background:
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Me skiing down from Blue Lake Col on the Big Kraggy:
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Another photo of me skiing into the valley (photo by Kelvin):
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Kelvin below South Early Winter Spire:
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Posted: Sun Jun 03, 2007 7:36 pm
by hose-man
Great TR, but how were the skis?

Posted: Mon Jun 04, 2007 3:14 pm
by RoboGeek
ok.. now I know where I'm spending next memorial day!

Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2007 10:05 am
by powdercow
Wow, paint me jealous, great pictures. I love the fisheye effect.

Posted: Tue Dec 20, 2011 4:01 am
by francisscott22
That is what I'm planning to do next memorial day celebration. Well, supposed to be last memorial day but my dad all of a sudden backed out from the plan. :(