M O U N T C O N S T A N C E
via
S O U T H C H U T E
"In the presence of the Bitch Goddess"
9/02 - 9/03/06 | Elevation 7,756' | 5,400' Gain
with Cebe Wallace, Mickey Eisenberg, Grace
Parker, Ken Wells, Andy Luks and Gretchen Lenz
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Mount Constance is a
personal favorite of Cebe's for reasons understood to only a very
few. Mount Constance is the third highest of the Olympic
Mountain range and clearly visible from Seattle. Apparently,
this peak has been Mickey's nemesis which was the catalyst for this
trip. Together with the impressive team of Grace and Ken,
Gretchen and Andy, the team was not going to fail from lack of
talent or experience. Regardless, the Cebe-proclaimed, 'bitch
goddess' did not reveal her secrets easily and the summit was
attained with perseverance, a high pain threshold and excellent
leadership. |
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Road washout added 5 miles to the trip each way. Bicycles allowed us to make up for the lost time. |
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Myself, Cebe, Ken, gretchen and Andy. |
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This tiny formation blocked our view of the REAL big peaks. |
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A 5:00am start in September assured complete darkness. It was tough going on the sea of talus. |
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The dawn light reveals the endless seas of talus. Tell-tale 'cat ears' on the horizon showed us which gully to ascend. |
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Past the first talus gully, Mickey contemplates the next one. |
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Our first view of the summit - it seems very far away. |
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Our route shown on tiny benches along exposed cliffs. |
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Steep benches along exposed cliffs. |
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Pillow Lava formations. Someone in our group described it as 'elephant skin'. |
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As we near the summit, the ridge sharpens. Andy is wide-eyed behind those sunglasses. |
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Cebe proves that sixty is
the new forty.
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Cebe leads Mickey up the sharp and exposed ridge. |
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Myself, gretchen, Grace and Ken on the summit. |
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Mickey and Cebe celebrate the joy of the mountains. |
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Our lunch break near the summit. Warrior Peak is to the left. |
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I paused for a shot next to the colorful rock formations of Constance. |
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Descending - our group can be seen along the route. |
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Sans crampons, we bypass the firm and steep snow via the moat. |
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Nearing the end of Avalanche Canyon, Lake Constance comes in to view. |
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