|
I just got back from a few days up in Cerise Creek. We went in after the heavy rainfall on the coast and had 4 nice days up there. The last two nights we camped at the Joffre/Matier Col (2400m). Getting onto the Anniversary glacier has become a lot more hazardous in the last few years as the glacier melts out.
A) Although there has always been some rockfall just as you get onto the glacier from Motel 66 (up the ridge trail from the cabin) a new icefall is starting to form just across from the start of the "regular" route on Joffre. In the 36 hours we were at the Motel 66 camp we saw three releases from this spot. Generally the ice would break up as it crossed the rocks below, but with every event numerous rocks peppered the regular route.
B) Also of note: In the same area , uder the rock buttress where the morrain forms a pinch point in the snowslope, the glacier has melted out from underneath. The rocks and snow in this area are suspended on thin ice bridges between 5-30 feet above the actual ground. We crossed the morrain lower down, but this too is somewhat hazardous as all the rocks are loose and could move around.
General Conditions:
The trail up has its regular share of wasps and bees. The trail to the morrain lake at the bottom of Anniversary Glacier is in the worst condition it has been in the last 20 years, the trail to the hut in the best.
There was a pretty consistent 30-40km warm southwestery wind in the alpine that kept the snow from freezing the whole time we were up there. The upper glacier is in its normal late season shape: lots of crevasses but you can still get around.
A large crevasse is opening up across the entire Matier/Hartzel col. We crossed a sag that may not last long.
The regular route on Slalok has melted out significantly leaving a 20-30m rock step to reach the NE ridge, which itself is blue ice in places. The slope approaching this ridge from the Matier Glacier has open crevasses below it and is steep (30-40deg) firn with what appeared like patches of blue ice sticking through.
Mt. Matier is guarded by bergshrunds all around. I couldn't see a safe way onto the W face. We climbed the regular (NW) route via the rock butress, which avoids all the crevasses. Diagonally, we crossed the upper snowslope to the N ridge in two 60m pitches, then followed rock to the summit.
Hoping for a little more summer,
Conny Amelunxen
MG
|
