Summer Locke enjoying ten minutes on the summit of Sahale, during the only break we took all day
Summer Locke I made some plans to climb something alpine, in a day car-to-car, but were not quite sure what. At first we batted around ideas from simple non-commital trips to things that have been on the tick list for a while, like East Face of Mixup and W Ridge of Stuart, to things that have been unfinished business for a while, like S and Sahale. We had done Stuart together in 2000, so we knew the approach and return for West Ridge, and frankly slogging down the Cascadian Couloir didnt sound that appealing. Summer had not yet tried the Tooth, but I figured why waste that option with a good forecast? I really wanted to get back to Cascade Pass area, and Sahale and East Face of Mixup beckoned. In the end we decided on Sahale.
We drove up the night before after attending a party for some friends, and camped in a veritable windstorm at the Cascade Pass parking lot. We had only rolled in at 2am, and overslept the next morning. We left the car at about 8:30, and made very good and steady progress to the base of the Quien Sabe glacier, in 3 hours from the car. Here we donned crampons and proceeded across the glacier, with some minor navigation, to where it steepens below Boston-Sahale col. We found an easy way through the crevasses to the final slopes and the col in short order, and proceeded along the narrow ridge to where it steepens, half a pitch below the summit. Though we belayed this pitch, it was not necessary; the climbing is very easy, though exposed.
Summer Locke enjoying ten minutes on the summit of Sahale, during the only break we took all day
The summit offers one of the best vantages in the North Cascades, with views in all directions of a who's who of major Cascade summits.
View South along the peaks of the Ptarmigan Traverse, from Cache Col to Dome.
View Northwest towards Eldorado and Mt Baker and the Torment-Forbidden Traverse.
View East to Park Creek and Bridge Creek.
It was 2pm, and concerned about time and the steeper snow slopes below, I hurried us off the summit. We downclimbed the steeper rock, traversed back to the col, and shed some layers, it was getting hot! The snow slopes were softening up a little, and decending was much easier than I had imagined it would be on the way up. We motored back to the start of the snow climbing, and then made our way steadily down. By the time we reached Boston Basin camps, there was no doubt we would make the car before dark. We had not brought headlamps, so that was alright! We took one last look at Boston Basin, and headed into the trees.