After returning from Europe, I was in a classic Galen funk of indecision about weekend plans. After much hemming and hawing, I made very last minute plans to head out to Leavenworth and ski Cashmere with Matt from the north side. I left Seattle at 10:30 and crashed for a few hours on Matt’s couch before we got up at 5:30 to head up the Icicle.
When discussing the trip the night before, Matt, who had been up Cashmere via this route, mentioned that the Lake Victoria trail is “not a bushwhack, but also not not a bushwhack,” and I was curious to learn what he meant. Indeed, I learned quickly: the upper part of the Lake Victoria trail is completely obliterated by blowdown, particularly where it enters the Lake Victoria drainage around 5,100 feet. Fortunately for us, Matt and I had brought the ultimate ski bushwhacking weapon - ski blades! We whacked bushes, hopped logs, and generally bashed our way to Victoria Creek, where there was enough snowpack that travel was easier.
A spry Matt hops down trees along the Lake Victoria trail, unimpeded by his nimble ski blades.
We continued up to Lake Victoria, still frozen over, and enjoyed a slice of backpack pizza before skinning across the lake. We skinned up the fan on the far side, then switched to boot crampons to climb the firm snow in the righthand-most gully around 6,400 feet. We made quick progress up into the upper basin, and opted to keep booting since travel was quite efficient.
Skinning across Lake Victoria, with the summit of Cashmere just out of sight.
Booting through the choke.
We scoped a line of continuous steep snow that led all the way through the summit, and cruised up through some cool rime ice to the top of the ridge. To our surprise, we saw a young man coming up the south side of the summit at the same time - he had approached from Eightmile Lake having left the car at 1:30am! A tasteful amount (10 feet) of easy mixed climbing over rimey rocks took us to the true summit just before our new friend, and we all enjoyed great views of the Stuart Range to the south.
Matt demonstrating his ice climbing technique mastery on the steep snow just below the summit.
Rime ice on the ridge crest.
Some easy soloing to reach the summit.
Matt on the summit.
Stuart and Sherpa looking nice.
Our unexpected summit companion seemed a bit turned around and anxious about his solo descent, so, in a striking show of parental nurturing, Matt offered to show him the route off the summit. Since the very top of the north face seemed like nasty skiing, we scrambled down the south side, traversing around to the west to reach more pleasant slopes. Matt said a tearful goodbye to his companion and pointed him down the hill towards Lake Caroline (a gifted Beargrass ski strap was presented as a talismanic good luck charm), and we ripped our skins and dropped into the face. The skiing was pretty firm for the first few hundred feet, but the upper basin held a few inches of fun powder down to the choke, and the fan was fun and sun-softened. I huffed and puffed trying to keep up with Matt skating across Lake Victoria.
Matt making his first turns on the north face of Cashmere.
Fun skiing in some wind-affected powder in the gully above Lake Victoria.
Looking back at our tracks from across the lake.
We continued skiing down Victoria Creek until we ran out of snow (and I postholed up to my shoulders), then danced our way through the deadfall and back down to my car without further incident. We got back to Leavenworth with plenty of time for a nice afternoon paragliding flight at Eagle Creek, which was truly carpeted in balsamroot flowers - see below for some bonus pictures!