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Day 3: We woke up fairly early due to the "spring forward" and took our time getting out of camp. Still in awe with our weather luck, we spent a few hours snapping more photos and talking about the future.
Lowell shared numerous stories from past journeys, then it dawned on us...what hasn't this guy climbed or skied or traversed? He took his first ski mountaineering trip when I was 3 years old!!!
We broke camp at the leisurely hour of 11am and began the climb to Ruth Mtn. The way was easy aside from the 800' gully on the SSW flank of the peak...
this was our crux of the day...it was a solar oven!!!
Somehow, "Mr. NordicTrack" managed to skin up the entire gully. Sky made it about half way before giving way to post holing. The Hummels and I just decided to hoof it all the way up. Warm liquid goo phase, complete!
Icy Peak - ascent from the Nooksack in red, descent in orange, Lowell and Jason's descent variation in green
Finally on the summit of Ruth, it is all downhill from here:
on the summit of Ruth, Icy Peak and Mt. Blum in the distance
The descent of Ruth was definitely the worst snow of the trip...crust up high, some nice corn in the middle, then more warm liquid goo phase! Down the valley, we reached the trail head and had a couple miles of road to ski, with a few sections that were melted out...no big thing.
Trip stats according to Topo! software: ~20 miles total distance, ~11,400ft. total elevation gain, ~12,400ft. total elevation loss.
10 glaciers: White Salmon, Upper Curtis, Sulphide, Crystal, East Nooksack, Spillway and Ruth...plus 3 unnamed snow patches and two first descents.
Here is a map of our route: 
Here's a brief synopsis by Lowell:
"I've done many traverses in the Cascades and this was among the best. The Nooksack Traverse is unusual for how seasonally dependent it is. Later in the spring the East Nooksack Glacier will become so broken that you wouldn't consider crossing it. Yet we found it a breeze in good April conditions. Some highlights for me:
- The two-mile glide from the base of the Nooksack headwall to the foot of Cloudcap Peak: Jagged Ridge was festooned with flutings and snow feathers pasted to the rock. It was spectacular but not very threatening. The wall is so steep that most of the snow sluffs off during the storms, and in early April the sun hits the wall for only a short time in the morning. (The fans you cross at the foot of the wall are fairly steep, so you do need stable conditions here.)
- No ski packing: Except for a few short hand carries, the route was skiable the whole way. That's the way a ski traverse should be!
- Steep and Far: For me the ultimate ski mountaineering experience is a combination of steep skiable terrain and long distance traveled on skis (not packing them!). This trip had both, but the steep skiing was entirely optional. The Nooksack headwall had a short steep pitch, but you could have down-climbed it easily in just a few minutes if the snow had been poor for skiing.
- Good company: It was great to get out with a new group of friends."
Click here for Sky's version of events...
Click here for Jason's version of events...
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