Ira and I decided we'd try to climb The Tooth done after work. We planned on meeting on the east side at 3:15 pm and headed for Snoqualmie. Unfortunately, there was more route finding that we thought just to get up there, mostly due to avalanche debris and the snow melting out leaving thin patches we had to maneuver around.
We got up to the base of The Tooth around 6:30 pm and decided we would just climb the first 2 pitches (the first 2 are the best anyway). I led the first pitch and Ira led the second. When we were done we rappelled off the other side to hit the snow faster. This proved to be about as long as going the other way. If we had 2 ropes we could have done it without having to do a little down climbing. It took some bushwacking and route finding to get out with only a few minutes of using headlamps. We got back to the car at 10:30 pm.
I want to go back and finish it sometime soon, even though I already climbed it with Darren a couple years ago.
Lesson learned: Get to the trail head at 2:30 pm and you can get the whole thing done and back to the car before dark.
http://picasaweb.google.com/erinrifkin/TheTooth
Next up: Mt. Adams!
2 comments:
When is Adams planned for?
Hey Erin:
Keep an eye on the new forest fire which flared up over the weekend near Cold Springs campground on the south side of Mt. Adams. The standard (i.e. easy) approach to the South Spur climb might be closed for awhile!
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