- Dates: August 28 – 30, 2021
- Location: Glacier Peak Wilderness
- Route: Phelps Creek Trail #1511
- Distance to snow: about 7 miles
We planned to spend the final weekend of August on Glacier Peak, but a fire closure on the easiest access route forced us to travel elsewhere. Nestled in the Entiat Mountains immediately east of the volcano is the Spider Glacier; although more of a snowfield now, it was still the largest continuous patch of snow suitable for skiing in the area. With direct trail access and gorgeous scenery Adam, Liz, and I decided it would be the perfect substitute for our summer skiing adventure.
Day 1: Night Skiing with the Planets
It was a busy Saturday at the Phelps Creek Trailhead, with almost 30 groups having logged their entries in the register before we arrived. Chiwawa River Road was its usual roughness, with exceptionally deep sand above Trinity. With packs fully loaded inside and out, the three of us set out in search of snow shortly before 2 PM.
Once we reached Spider Meadows, snow was finally in sight along Phelps Ridge! The skiable portion of Spider Glacier remained tucked away in the valley below the ridgeline – only 2 miles and 1,500 feet of climbing remained until we reached the snow.
After hiking for four and a half hours, we decided to build camp when we reached the glacier. About a dozen tent sites here share the wonderful amenities of cold glacier water, a hillside toilet with a view, and ski-in, ski-out access (well, almost).
A well-deserved dinner was consumed as we watched the sunset shine on the valley below us. Eager to get some turns in, we put on our boots and headlamps and headed to the glacier for some night skiing. Expectations low, we were pleased to still find the snow somewhat soft from the hot afternoon, even at 8 PM.
With the Milky Way visible overhead, we skied and boarded our way back to camp to finish the day with some stargazing. Jupiter and Saturn were shining bright, and Aquarius and Capricornus were also visible above Mount Maude when looking southeast.
Day 2: Cloudy Pass and views of Glacier Peak
Awoken by the sun shining through our tent, we feasted on breakfast and soaked in the views of the valley below. Some hikers were already coming down the glacier from Lyman Lakes and found the snow to still be slick until 10 AM.
Continuous snow on Spider Glacier stretched over half a mile and 700 vertical feet of elevation. Climbing to the top only took about 30 minutes, so I decided to get a quick lap of skiing in before the day’s adventures began. We then left our basecamp with daypacks and snow gear and headed up the snow once more.
Stashing our snow gear at the top of the glacier to use later that afternoon, we continued our day hike towards Cloudy Pass. The descent to Upper Lyman Lakes was more complicated than usual, with a very large section of rockfall covering the ice. Traction while crossing the ice was exceptional, but there were several rather impressive 10- to 20-foot-deep holes from water running across and below the ice.
Further down the basin, the landscape changed once again with 9,511′ Bonanza Peak coming into view. The day’s remaining objective was to reach the largest of the lakes, and then climb beyond to Cloudy Pass for a glimpse of Glacier Peak itself.
We reached the pass four hours after leaving camp, and the views certainly did not disappoint. Glacier Peak – our original objective for the weekend – stood proud across the valley to the west. Major peaks of the Ptarmigan Traverse were also visible beyond Cloudy Peak to the north.
Looking back across the Lyman Lakes basin, and in all directions around us, we were in awe to be surrounded by so many unique basins, peaks, and mountain ranges. No matter which way we looked, the views were endless. Sadly, the time had come to return to Spider Gap. As we ran through the meadows below the pass, we passed a marmot who was also enjoying the view – a fine place to live indeed.
We crossed Spider Gap with a few hours to spare before sunset and found our snow gear right as we left it. Buckled up and strapped in, we headed down the glacier to end our second day of skiing.
Day 3: Saying Goodbye to the Snow
Wanting to make the most of hauling skis all the way out here, we decided to get one last ski run in Monday morning before we headed home. The weather was changing, with clouds starting to move in and a light breeze. A few hikers coming up were understandably quite surprised to see us skiing down past them.
The hike down to the meadows took half as long as the way up, but was still challenging with skis getting caught in the overgrowth on the hillside. We took a break below to admire the lingering snow patch above our ski run, and to say hello to another sunbathing marmot. From there, it was about 6 miles back through the forest to the car.
Three consecutive days of summer skiing, magnificent views in every direction, and perfect weather to top off. In a time when Mount Rainier is mostly bare rock, we felt incredibly lucky to experience this secluded snow patch and all the wonders of this wilderness that give it life.
It is no easy feat to earn your turns in a hot summer like this. If you set goals that will push you harder, and let your passion for snow lead the way, there will always be amazing opportunities out there to enjoy.