The start of the journey was on an old logging road to about the Glacier Peak Wilderness boundary. After that It slowly started to resemble a trail. Every little creek and flow was running! Waterfalls abound and lots of little streams to cross, this time of year water is available everywhere.
from near the trailhead.
Jimmy and Jesse crossing one of many creeks.
Jesse coming across a snow field.
Just crossing a snow patch.
Approaching Leroy Creek the trail started to look like this.
Jesse at Leroy Creek.
Crossing Leroy Creek.
One of the many small streams.
Jesse crossing another stream before the meadows.
Jimmy approaching the meadows.
What the trail looked like when approaching the meadows.
The avalanche damage at the beginning of the meadows.
We found a couple small camps partially unthawed near the edge of the meadow, but we would have had to dig out some snow to fit all 3 shelters. So we crossed the Avalanche debris and crossed the short section of meadows to see if their is any camps snow free on the far side of the meadows. I hiked all the way to the area of the trail junction through the snow, and all the open snow free spots were not even camp sites just little patches of meadows. So we turned around and headed back towards the edge of the meadows. We found 2 small campsites that would barely fit the 3 shelters so we kept looking. We found a suitable option across Phelps creek and setup camp and commenced to fishing. Either the log jam at the edge of the meadow has inhibited the fish moving up into the meadows or it's just too early. We saw no fish movement nor got any bites.
The little patch of open meadow before the next avalanche debris.
Jimmy and Jesse in the meadow.
Jesse, with some cascades of water in the background.
The peaks near Spider Gap.
Crossing Phelps Creek in search of a camp.
Jesse crossing Phelps Creek.
My new tarp and bivy setup.
Camp in general, One 5yds to SUL tarp, A tarptent Contrail, and a Eureka 2 man tent.
Pictures from fishing.
Cooking dinner in my solo pot.
Heading to the snow bridge on the opposite side of the creek to check out the bridge for crossing.
It was between 38 degrees to 40 degrees that morning and crossing the creek was only a second option if the snow bridge from the avalanche didn't appear safe. We checked out the snow bridge and it was 3 to 4 feet thick and ice solid. So we ventured across on the way out.
more pics of the Avalanche damage.
Here's the sign for entering the wilderness area that we completely missed on the way in.
The new bivy worked great, but I need to lay a couple lines or an x pattern on the floor with diluted silnet to keep the pad from sliding down hill as I'm sleeping...
Photography by Jared and Jesse.
