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North Cascades: Ruth Mountain and Surrounding Peaks

Below are some images from the North Cascades around Ruth Mountain. Despite some frustrating equipment issues and trial-and-error learning experiences, I was also able to capture quite a few time-lapses and dolly shots (I added a couple to my Untitled Time Lapse Project - Trailer). One incident involved climbing 3rd-4th class rock between Ruth and Icy peak, then down-climbing 4th-5th class rock to find a perfect spot with unique view of Shuksan's north face. I backtracked to my equipment, loaded up my heavy pack, then brought it along the same path, hooking it with a sling around small rock horns while down-climbing the 4th-5th class section. I then waited over an hour in a whiteout before abandoning the shot. After returning to Ruth's summit and breaking camp, the whiteout finally cleared to reveal Shuksan. Timing.

The night before I spent a few hours laying next to my time-lapse watching Shuksan push clouds towards me as the sound of rockfall rumbled across the valley like thunder. My head lamp would catch the occasional mouse/rat scurrying between rocks. One had pitch black hair, while another was light brown and was carrying some kind of insect in its mouth. The slightest sound near my head made me jump - I'd hate to have the memory of those little claws making their way across my face.

On the way back we turned a corner, then a black bear bolted off the trail into the bushes. This is my third black bear sighting, and the first bear I've seen that actually had black vs. brown fur. He didn't respond to me asking him to come out for a few pictures, he just paced back and forth in the bushes a safe distance away. This behavior combined with the bear shit he left on the trail convinced me that Winnie the Pooh is in fact, not based on a true story. Bears are not sentimental, well-mannered creatures with pseudo-British accents.

Ruth Mountain and the surrounding area is among the most beautiful terrain I've ever seen. The approach is full of streams/waterfalls in a mostly open valley. The mountain itself is surrounded on all sides by visually striking peaks and features. We weren't able to summit Icy Peak as my climbing partner developed a debilitating heel blister near the car. I'll certainly be back, however.

Click on each image for a larger version on my photography portfolio site. All shots are using a Canon 5D MKII and either a 70-200mm f/4 or 24mm f/1.4 lens. I rented the latter and brought it along in place of my trusted 16-35mm. I regret it. It may have slightly better image quality (at least in terms of less vignetting/edge distortion), but it's just not as flexible and I found myself really wishing for both 16 and 35mm focal lengths more than once.

Above: Sea of clouds forming a tidal wave. From Ruth looking at the north face of Shuksan as the moon and sun set.

Above: The moon sets behind Shuksan between a whiteout cycle.

Above: Dawn - Looking down at Icy Peak (right) from Ruth's summit where we camped.

Above: Video still. The summit of Icy Peak from the rock outcropping you'll see in the following picture.

Above: Video still. Saddle between Icy Peak and Ruth at dusk. The obvious large rock outcropping in the center was what I climbed up, then down the other side the next morning with my gear. A unique shot of Shuksan was on the other side.

Above: From the other side of the rock outcropping, I wait in vain for the whiteout to subside. To either side of me are sharp drop-offs, in front of me is the north face of Shuksan up close. I hear loud rockfall on Shuksan every hour or so. The gear I carry is heavy, a light version of my full pack is 60 pounds, but with additional gear it's 70+.

Above: Shuksan's north face under the stars at dusk.

Above: Video still. Shuksan in the distance from my spot on the summit of Ruth.

Above: Unrelated, but I re-processed my old self-portrait as a break from mountaineering photography.

#Climbing #Ruth Mountain #Icy Peak #Photography