Adams: Riley Creek to Pinnacle Glacier
Posted: October 29th, 2020, 9:03 pm
Riley Creek has a very well-defined source; it doesn't just start as a bunch of dribbles that merge as they flow down the mountain. Follow the creek up, and it ends at a good-sized moraine lake on Pinnacle Glacier. That's right up my alley, so I had to go check it out. There are a few other lakes nestled in the Pinnacle Glacier moraines, and I hoped I would have time/energy to find some.
I hiked up the Riley Camp Trail to PCT, turned south and followed PCT for just a few minutes to Riley Creek, and started up. There wasn't much flow, and at a little waterfall it was completely frozen. It was a mundane boring ascent, but brush was light, and there were no route/terrain challenges. Rather abruptly, I went from sparse subalpine forest to a rubble field. Ugh. I boulder-hopped my way up. It wasn't too bad, just required attention and balance. I followed the creekbed through a low notch in the moraine, and saw nothing but a muddy lakebed. Not an auspicious start to my adventures. But as I walked out onto the lakebed, I saw a pool at the fringe. It was scenic, so Riley Lake somewhat redeemed itself.
It was only 9am, about 1:15 after sunrise. What next? I could make a list of the lakes I wanted to visit, prioritize the list, and see how many I could find. But the route inefficiency would make it unlikely I'd see them all. Or I could put together the most efficient route to see them all, and walk that route until I run out of time, thus possibly not getting to the ones I wanted to see most. Hmm. A dilemma. I went with option two, but decided to watch the time and adjust accordingly if it looked like I wouldn't finish in time.
I pulled it off, made it to all the lakes, and even a bonus dry lakebed that was outside my original scope, because it was affiliated with Adams Glacier and drained into the valley that hosts the Lewis River head.
Ever look at a map, then look at the surrounding terrain, and found it hard to reconcile? I didn't have that problem on this trip. There were so many crisp features that were easy to match up to the map.
The biggest route risk was the loooong moraine crest I followed (see my map below). From the high end of the moraine, the crest rose slightly. From the high point, it looked like it was probably safe to follow the crest all the way down, but there were some hidden segments. I ran the risk of hitting a gendarme boulder, or a knife-edge section. It worked out great though. I was glad I opted to follow the crest, rather than dropping into the parallel valley.
I had set a goal to be at my last lake by 4pm. That was arbitrary, as I didn't really know what the descent to the PCT would be like. I guessed a couple hours. I got to that lake at 3:25, and my reward was that it wasn't entirely swallowed up in the shadow of its moraine. I was pleased to see part of it in direct sun.
The hike down to PCT was pretty uneventful. Rubble, brush, nothing too awful. Arrived at PCT less than a hundred yards from the Riley junction! Took just 70 minutes from the last lake to PCT, so that gave me time to enjoy the scenery on trail, which I had missed out on in the morning. By the time it got dark, I was out of the burn zone and into the deep forest, so I think I saw everything important.
I hiked up the Riley Camp Trail to PCT, turned south and followed PCT for just a few minutes to Riley Creek, and started up. There wasn't much flow, and at a little waterfall it was completely frozen. It was a mundane boring ascent, but brush was light, and there were no route/terrain challenges. Rather abruptly, I went from sparse subalpine forest to a rubble field. Ugh. I boulder-hopped my way up. It wasn't too bad, just required attention and balance. I followed the creekbed through a low notch in the moraine, and saw nothing but a muddy lakebed. Not an auspicious start to my adventures. But as I walked out onto the lakebed, I saw a pool at the fringe. It was scenic, so Riley Lake somewhat redeemed itself.
It was only 9am, about 1:15 after sunrise. What next? I could make a list of the lakes I wanted to visit, prioritize the list, and see how many I could find. But the route inefficiency would make it unlikely I'd see them all. Or I could put together the most efficient route to see them all, and walk that route until I run out of time, thus possibly not getting to the ones I wanted to see most. Hmm. A dilemma. I went with option two, but decided to watch the time and adjust accordingly if it looked like I wouldn't finish in time.
I pulled it off, made it to all the lakes, and even a bonus dry lakebed that was outside my original scope, because it was affiliated with Adams Glacier and drained into the valley that hosts the Lewis River head.
Ever look at a map, then look at the surrounding terrain, and found it hard to reconcile? I didn't have that problem on this trip. There were so many crisp features that were easy to match up to the map.
The biggest route risk was the loooong moraine crest I followed (see my map below). From the high end of the moraine, the crest rose slightly. From the high point, it looked like it was probably safe to follow the crest all the way down, but there were some hidden segments. I ran the risk of hitting a gendarme boulder, or a knife-edge section. It worked out great though. I was glad I opted to follow the crest, rather than dropping into the parallel valley.
I had set a goal to be at my last lake by 4pm. That was arbitrary, as I didn't really know what the descent to the PCT would be like. I guessed a couple hours. I got to that lake at 3:25, and my reward was that it wasn't entirely swallowed up in the shadow of its moraine. I was pleased to see part of it in direct sun.
The hike down to PCT was pretty uneventful. Rubble, brush, nothing too awful. Arrived at PCT less than a hundred yards from the Riley junction! Took just 70 minutes from the last lake to PCT, so that gave me time to enjoy the scenery on trail, which I had missed out on in the morning. By the time it got dark, I was out of the burn zone and into the deep forest, so I think I saw everything important.
