Norse Peak VII, it’s our seventh time to one of my South Cascades favorites. So far, all but the first trip in 2010 have taken place over Thanksgiving. I consider it the best time to avoid crowds. Plus, it’s prettier then.
See more trip photos here.
Norse Peak VII at a Glance
Access: Norse Peak Trailhead
Round Trip: 7.6 miles
Elevation Range: 3960′-6856′
Gear: microspikes, snowshoes
GPS Track: available
Dog-Friendly: yes
Norse Peak VII
Until late last night, I debated whether to go up to the peak today. For us, the “partly sunny” forecast usually meant no views. Though, it was no showstopper to our Thanksgiving tradition.
In 2018, we went up days earlier. So we could avoid the snowstorms. Glad we did because we ended up with gorgeous weather on top. Then it dumped lots of powder in the area over the holiday.
See more trip photos here.
Crystal Mountain Boulevard
Last year I parked by the gate. But after the climb, I couldn’t get my car off the icy ground. Glad I had met some Mountaineers folks on the summit. So a couple of guys from the group helped to get me out of the ordeal.
But this time, to play it safe, I parked on the south side of the road. So history wouldn’t repeat itself. The snowplows also had cleared the snow for the massive cars going to the ski area. So the roadway was mostly free of ice.
See more trip photos here.
Norse Peak Trail
Judging by the amount of snow here, there was more of it this year! So I put on microspikes by the gate, and then we walked a short way to the trailhead. Glad to see lots of boot tracks from the get-go!
There appeared to be a ton of foot traffic on the trail. So I kept my fingers crossed that they would take us straight up to the top. But I also hoped that there hadn’t been snowfalls since those people were here.
See more trip photos here.
The Broad Gully
It was below freezing on a cloudy morning. In fact, it was colder than last year. But without the 10-mph wind from the forecast, it felt somewhat pleasant. It was still very calm when we went out above the burned forest.
The top of Mount Rainier soon appeared as we prepared to walk across the broad gully. By now, clouds looked like they were clearing. We strolled through to the other side of the basin. But then the trail ended abruptly. Bummer!
See more trip photos here.
The Upper Basin
So, we had to break trail after all. I put on snowshoes, and then we continued through to the upper basin. Shortly after, the distant murmur below the gully caught the pups’ attention. So that meant we’d have company at the top.
There was one to two feet of snow. But I wanted to avoid the deeper powder in the upper basin like we did last year. So we moved south and went up on the steep ridgeline. The dry rocks there made the climb more efficient.
See more trip photos here.
Norse Peak VII Summit
The wind started blowing on the ridge. Not sure if it’s ever not been windy on this peak. Then the sun slowly came out from behind the mist. Just as we reached the breezy summit, the clouds above us had nearly cleared. Hooray!
We spent half an hour in solitude. Then the two guys (Lance and Thaddeus) we heard earlier came and joined us on top. They, too, took cover behind the row of dense trees by the bivy site. We chatted a while, and then they left after a quick bite and some beer.
See more trip photos here.
Outro
Views were gorgeous as always in good weather. The usual views included Mount Rainier, Crystal Mountain, Bullion Peak, and company. Later the low clouds moved into the area. Then the ski area and the valley below soon disappeared.
It didn’t feel as cold as long as we were out of the wind. So the pups and I stayed another half hour before making our way down. But we’ll be back next year!
See more trip photos here.
John, I guess you’ve parked in the pull-out on south-western side of Crystal Mountain Blvd?
Around here: https://goo.gl/maps/CzaaRFBpFeqpPxYTA
Yep, you got it. It’s the last available pullout parking before the gate. In case you go past it, you’ll turn around at the ski resort.
Happy outing!