With high avalanche danger on the Cascade crest from last week’s storm flow, Charlie, Elizabeth, Lulu and I decided to seize a nice weather window over the weekend for an overnight ski tour on the East Side. With nice temperatures and less new snow to contend with, we planned to hike and ski in to Colchuck Lake in the Enchantments and then summit Dragontail or Colchuck Peak the following day.

About to switch over to skins after a couple miles of hiking.

The approach required some technical skinning up a narrow hiking trail with sometimes marginal cover. Heavier overnight packs multiplied the effort required, but after a couple hours, we leveled off at the outlet of Colchuck Lake.

Camp set up complete, Colchuck Glacier rising above the lake.

Perhaps winter camping is a misnomer when it’s almost mid-May, but the weather and conditions provided the best of spring… deep snow cover and great peak access without frigid mid-winter temperatures. Camp set-up went quickly, with only one piece of gear forgotten (a cooking pot!). Luckily we’d decided to each bring a stove, so with a little more patience all were fed. The day stayed light until nearly 9, and with a little extra insulation we spent most of the evening relaxing under the towering rock faces of Dragontail and Colchuck Peaks. Read more…