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Old Snowy Mt |
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We set out to climb Old Snowy which stands at 7930 the second highest summit in the Goat Rocks Wilderness and it would be the highest peak we climbed to date. Two permits to hike Mt St Helens for this year were voided by the park service due to weather. The previous year we traversed steep snowfields above Snowgrass flats to reach Hawkeye Peak 7430 pictured below. Hawkeye was our standing high point which was to be surpassed by Mt St Helens but not until next year. Old Snowy became our packup plan.
The raw numbers for Old Snowy are not too bad 7.5 miles one way and thanks to our parking lot higher than most of the Adirondack High Peaks the ascent was reduced to 3230 feet.There is of course a qualifier there. The trail ends at the Packwood Glacier, above the glacier one must follow a climbers track that ends in what was called a class 3 scramble over the last three hundred feet. The ranger in Packwood advised that he could not recall any year Old Snowy was free of snow. The knife edge is narrow enough so you cannot miss the summit. No cripple brush here. |
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Click on pics for larger views |
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Trail 96A just past the trailhead parking lot |
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Camera man at rest |
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Pacific Crest Trail Jct at Snowgrass Flats |
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We crossed this snowfield at about 7000 feet initially thinking it was Packwood Glacier. I wondered why people were so spooked by it. When I saw the real thing I did not have to wonder. |
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Trail winds through acres of wild flowers at Snowgrass slowly climbing through acres of multi colored displays. The large split rock and view of Mt Adams is merely a sample here at 5700 feet. |
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Hawkeye Peak upper left of pic at 7430 Goat Lake is in the cirque at 6600 feet appx |
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The enlarged map shows the route of the PCT above the Packwood and below the McCall glaciers and how narrow the passage is. We came up from the west to Packwood Saddle west of the glacier and directly up to the summit. |
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<---- Mother Rainier looking over the ridge seen here at Packwood Saddle 7000 feet. |
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Click pic above to go back |
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click pic for Home |
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Click pic above for next page |
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