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Route Information
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Weather:
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Climbing Conditions:
July 18, 2010
The route has changed significantly in the last two weeks, but we are still enjoying the benefits of a cold and snowy spring with more snow than we have seen here at this time of year in decades. Our route starts as normal on the Cowlitz Glacier, which is traversed easily over to Cathedral Gap. Incredibly there is still some snow on the Gap, but this will soon melt with the coming of real summer weather finally.
Above 11,000' we now traverse onto Disappointment Cleaver. This is a pretty straight forward traverse given the amount of snow now on the route. From here, we ascend up the shoulder of the Cleaver on switchbacks in the snow until the top of the Cleaver at 12,300'. Above, we are only just now having to end run a few crevasses on our way to the summit, but these are minor compared to what we usually need to do at this time of the season. The route up is still pretty direct. Climbs have been taking around 5 1/2 hours, give or take, depending on weather and other conditions.