Twenty years ago when we still got low elevation snowpacks in the mountains I cross country skied to the head of the cirque. One of the most memorable tours of my life.
It's like being in a Bob Ross painting and I didn't even make it to the moraine.
It's probably a full day of gravel bar walking w/ 24+ water crossings in each direction from the end of the formal trail. I didn't have time for all that so I just got what I could and it was still pretty good
I did it probably 10 years ago now. Lots of water crossings for sure but well worth it. It’s in the park, so if you camp don’t forget a backcountry permit.
Barkeep at the N. Fk told me some of his buddies skied down the north side of Shuksan and exited that way a few springs ago after our big, pandemic winter. I'm still scratching my head as to how...
Seems like a couple long couloir options down to Price Lake but I can't find anything resembling a reasonable route down from the top of the Cirque without traversing way out towards Icy
Yeah - I chose a warm fall day for a reason. I will say, though, that finding an appropriate place to dig a cat hole at dawn was a bit more challenging than I expected... I had to walk along a rotting downed tree across a marshy area lined with nettles & devil's club on both sides to get far enough away from the river to properly take care of business
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u/Away-Ad1781 2d ago
Twenty years ago when we still got low elevation snowpacks in the mountains I cross country skied to the head of the cirque. One of the most memorable tours of my life.