Mt. Washington
July 21, 2002
We started up the PCT north of Big Lake about 6:10. The forest was filled with bear grass and lupine, and the skies were clear and the air was cool, which allowed us to move quickly and stay away from the mosquitoes. We covered the three miles to the Climber’s Trail in 55 minutes and reached the ridge in 75 minutes. From here we could see Mt. Jefferson and Three Fingered Jack. The valley to the east was full of smoke from the forest fires. It took an hour to ascend the ridge to the saddle, where there was a group of eight climbers getting ready to go. I offered to set fixed lines for everybody and they let us pass and everybody reached the summit by 11:30, and we spent about an hour on top. We had good views to the south, but the north and east were full of smoke. Only the top 1000 feet of Mt. Jefferson rose above the smoke. We met a Mazamas group as we were descending and they let me descend their ropes while I was pulling ours (thanks). After a quick rappel off the last pitch, we descended the scree fields to the west back to the PCT and back to the cars by 4:25. Climbers were George Baitinger (co-leader), Wayne Deeter, Dan Hagen, Andy Jobanek, George Jobanek, Greg Milliman, Jim Pierce, and Mark Slipp (leader).
Front: Greg, George J., Andy, Jim
Back: George B., Dan, Wayne, Mark
Jack & Jeff
Hoodoo & Hayrick Buttes; Maxwell Butte in back
North & Middle Sisters & The Husband; Belknap Craters in front
Butterflys (or moths?) in abundance on the mountain
We were there!
— photos by Wayne Deeter