up Eliot Glacier, over Cooper Spur, down Newton Clark glacier (update June 2020, page 2)
Posted: July 21st, 2019, 6:00 am
I had some unfinished business on Cooper Spur. I think the best way to present this TR is to list my goals and how they turned out. I hope GoalTech Mike doesn't slap me with a C&D order.
goal: Hike up Eliot Glacier to the high crossing and ascend the moraine out of the valley.
Done.
I've been to the terminus a few times, but never set foot on the Eliot. It went really well. I missed the trail up to the crest of the east moraine, possibly because it was shaded and didn't stand out, or maybe because I was inattentive. Went higher up the glacier than I imagined possible, courtesy of a cliffy rock island that privided a little safety. I tried to escape the canyon up high, but it was a waste of time/effort. Gave up and went back down to the trail.
goal: Find parts remaining from January plane crash. Was reported as being on the Eliot, but I suspect that's just where the bulk of the wreckage ended up.
Failed, sort of.
I actually forgot to look, but as much as I was enjoying the scenery from various vantage points, I don't think it would have made a difference if I had remembered to look. A bonus though: I found a part way over on the Newton Clark glacier (one of the reasons I can't believe the plane crashed on Eliot; I can't imagine a part getting flung all the way from Eliot, across Cooper Spur, over to NC).
goal: Get up to a rocky pulpit on the Cooper Spur snowfield (9400'), overlooking Eliot.
Done.
I wanted to do that last time I was up there, but the weather was fairly bad. Better to wait for a day where I could enjoy it. I picked a perfect day; weather was sublime. I love clouds, but I have to admit it was nice for a change to have a cloud-free day. And the pulpit was melted out, so it was a nice place to linger. This is the highest I've been on Cooper Spur, except for an August night climb where I climbed to the summit in the dark and back down in the dark. Scenery was somewhat compromised on that trip, so I finally had a chance to see some of what I missed.
goal: Set foot on the Black Spider (a distinctive rocky feature on the Newton Clark headwall).
Failed.
I was a little east of Troutdale when I realized I had forgotten my helmet. There wasn't that much rockfall, but when I was on the pulpit I saw a release of several skull-crushers. Actually not that disappointed, it was just something to do.
goal:
Descend from my high point (9400' pulpit) to Timberline trail entirely on snow.
Done, essentially, except a few steps on rock near the top of the falls that spill from Cooper Spur on the Newton Clark side. What an amazing glissade! A little more than 2000'. Took 90 minutes, due to exploring and dawdling and sightseeing.
goal: Hop across a crevasse on Eliot and on Newton Clark on the same day. Done and done.
The NC one was scarier; the Eliot one was more fun.
goal: Hike up Eliot Glacier to the high crossing and ascend the moraine out of the valley.
Done.
I've been to the terminus a few times, but never set foot on the Eliot. It went really well. I missed the trail up to the crest of the east moraine, possibly because it was shaded and didn't stand out, or maybe because I was inattentive. Went higher up the glacier than I imagined possible, courtesy of a cliffy rock island that privided a little safety. I tried to escape the canyon up high, but it was a waste of time/effort. Gave up and went back down to the trail.
goal: Find parts remaining from January plane crash. Was reported as being on the Eliot, but I suspect that's just where the bulk of the wreckage ended up.
Failed, sort of.
I actually forgot to look, but as much as I was enjoying the scenery from various vantage points, I don't think it would have made a difference if I had remembered to look. A bonus though: I found a part way over on the Newton Clark glacier (one of the reasons I can't believe the plane crashed on Eliot; I can't imagine a part getting flung all the way from Eliot, across Cooper Spur, over to NC).
goal: Get up to a rocky pulpit on the Cooper Spur snowfield (9400'), overlooking Eliot.
Done.
I wanted to do that last time I was up there, but the weather was fairly bad. Better to wait for a day where I could enjoy it. I picked a perfect day; weather was sublime. I love clouds, but I have to admit it was nice for a change to have a cloud-free day. And the pulpit was melted out, so it was a nice place to linger. This is the highest I've been on Cooper Spur, except for an August night climb where I climbed to the summit in the dark and back down in the dark. Scenery was somewhat compromised on that trip, so I finally had a chance to see some of what I missed.
goal: Set foot on the Black Spider (a distinctive rocky feature on the Newton Clark headwall).
Failed.
I was a little east of Troutdale when I realized I had forgotten my helmet. There wasn't that much rockfall, but when I was on the pulpit I saw a release of several skull-crushers. Actually not that disappointed, it was just something to do.
goal:
Descend from my high point (9400' pulpit) to Timberline trail entirely on snow.
Done, essentially, except a few steps on rock near the top of the falls that spill from Cooper Spur on the Newton Clark side. What an amazing glissade! A little more than 2000'. Took 90 minutes, due to exploring and dawdling and sightseeing.
goal: Hop across a crevasse on Eliot and on Newton Clark on the same day. Done and done.
The NC one was scarier; the Eliot one was more fun.