6/17/2013
Some say the view from Sahale is the best in the Cascades. I don't see how this could true, but it is something special.
Grace and I were out in the Pacific Northwest for a week of vacation, hopefully climbing, but as with last year, the weather forecast was not promising. This is one drawback of Grace's career in medicine: no flexibility on vacation time. But we'd driven all the way out from colorado with Ethan, and were determined to make the best of our time.
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| Eldorado, Torment, and Forbidden |
Our ambitious plan was to climb the North Ridge of Formidable with just two days of iffy weather. But when we showed up at Cascade Pass trailhead the weather was even worse than we had feared, with significant active rainfall. Ethan and I were all for napping in the car to see if things might clear. Grace dragged us out and up the trail on sheer enthusiasm.
Once moving we all felt better, and the misty forest was lovely. Still, upon reaching Cascade pass, it was evident that it was too late in the day, and the weather still too thick, for us to attempt getting over Cache col and up Formidable that day. Plan B. Somehow, despite all our Cascades adventures, none of us had ever climbed Sahale.
The hike up the arm went quickly, and soon the clouds broke up and we could see the summit. We reached our high camp just below the glacier in mid afternoon, and spent a while melting water, soaking up the views, and enjoying some hot soup. Formidable remained stubbornly shrouded in cloud while we basked in the sunshine. Good choice!
Finally, we headed up to the summit, bringing pads and sleeping bags so that we could linger for sunset. Ethan and I tackled the southwest corner of the summit pyramid, while Grace took a more direct line up the south face. The former is recommended! Very solid rock, with great jams, and lots of protection opportunities if you bother to bring a rope. Grace found her line OK, but when Ethan and I descended more south-east it wasn't as pleasant. There seem to by a myriad of 4th class routes up this thing, some better than others.
We enjoyed the summit for several hours, watching waves of wispy cloud roll through the peaks, then, with sunset over, we headed back to our tent for a solid night's sleep. The down-climb was a little spicy in the failing light, but not too difficult.
In the morning, the sun still shone, but the valleys were filled with cloud. We descended into the mist, and ended the trip as it had begun.
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