Colder than hell on Eldorado

Mount Torment

Ryan and Shauna

Ahh, Johannesburg, what an unreal sight!

The two heading up towards Eldorado

I couldn't take my eyes off this incredible mountain.

Looking down the east ridge of Elforado to Shauna, Ryan, 

the Inspiration Glacier, Forbidden, Buckner and Torment

Buckner with Forbidden

Shuksan from the S

The Dorado Needle, looking north to the Pickets

Ryan under Eldorado

Ryan and Shauna

Shauna

Boston and Sahale Peaks

Eldorado felt like Vesper on steroids: it has a hike in approach, but the hike goes straight uphill 3,000 feet, then an engaging up and over tour to get closer to the mountain without seeing it. Then you see it. Vesper went easier than we thought it would. Eldorado took a bit longer. But we looked at it close up and thought, OK, we can make it up there in an hour. But that last push was tiring. 7,000 feet up from car to summit is a long way. And it feels longer when the skinning is tough, forcing you to bootpack sections. Then you have a 0 degree temperature with wind gusts that must be -30. Meanwhile its really bright out. So it's a paradox when you take your gloves off to put sunblock on your face, afraid of both frost-nip and sunburn at the same time. 

On the summit of Eldorado, I was reminded of Jack London's story "To Build a Fire." I had taken my camera out but without my gloves on, my fingers instantly stopped working. I couldn't turn the camera on or take pictures, nor zip it up. I focused on getting my act together and pulling the zipper shut but to no avail, my hands got worse and I had to put them in my arm pits, get the screaming barfies, then do it again.

The skiing from the summit offered some nice wind-buff interspersed with lovely bullet proof ice and chicken heads. It was like an Austin Powers photo-shoot, "Nice, nice! No! No!" And the rest of the descent back to the talus field by Eldorado Creek was like that. The golden region was from below Eldorado to the col cutover. Open fields of rolling terrain with smooth windbuff. It skied very smoothly and it sure was a pleasure in such perfect lighting and scenery; heading towards Johannesburg.

It always amazes me to be in such an incredible, pristine and rugged place, with some of the most majestic mountains in the world. Yet nobody is there. Nobody outside of this state even pays attention to this mountain range that is the most spectacular in the lower 48.  

We made it back to the woods and the trail as the sun was setting, and did the steep hike down 2,000 feet back to the car by headlamp. The stars were out when we reached the valley floor.