Williams Peak sits right in front of Mt. Donaldson, and is joined by a ridge.
- April 22, 2017
- Team: John, Michael, SuperDave
- Peak: Williams Peak, 10,740'
- Stats: 5.0 miles, 3431' gain, 5:25 hour RT, Class 2
Note: click images to see a larger version in a new window
With a promising forecast for Saturday (only), we all wanted to get out. And Dave, especially, wanted to test his fitness after surgery a short while ago. So inspired by Dan's trip report, we chose to try Williams Peak, the highpoint just right of center here.
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Our story, like most, starts at the beginning. These days there is a visible, cairned trail going up the North Fork of Jones Creek. I had been up this 15 years ago, so it was interesting to see the changes. |
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Note that there are some "accessory cairns" here and there, so you still have to keep your eyes open. |
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Some of the cairns, we suspect, were under snow. |
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We were making good progress, intent of ascending via the 10,000' saddle between Williams and Donaldson. But then this opportunity presented itself: a pre-disastered couloir on good snow that apparently went straight to the summit. What's not to like? |
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It was a lot steeper than it looks in this picture. But that's how big the smiles were! |
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This may convey the steepness better. It was probably 40-45° in places. |
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Yah, still in the couloir. All told, we gained about 1800' in this charming little gully. |
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And then it was a short traverse to the saddle on the summit ridge. |
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Looking back at the valley. SuperDave isn't yet at 100%, but moving right along. |
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Amazing views from the saddle. More amazing: very little wind. But we still opted to dress up a bit before getting right on top. |
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| A few more steps. |  |
Right on top. |
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| Lessee here. We had done a short ridge walk. Better head down a different way so we can get in a loop. So we went down to the previously mentioned saddle between Williams and Donaldson, on the right. That's Mt. Church on the left. |  |
Three of the Four Amigos. |
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| There were a few holes that made us question the wisdom of doing a loop when our snowshoes were sitting in the sun at the bottom of the couloir. |  |
| But it was mostly pretty easy walking. |  |
| And very scenic. |  |
Map. Note: my GPS says it is 10,766'
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