Maggie's Peak

Charlie has now climbed up and dog-skied down three peaks!  Whoop!

Last Thursday Charlie came along with Sander and I to check out Maggie's Peak (8699'), on the south side of Emerald Bay.  To maximize our sense of discovery we refused to check any guide books, instead examining and printing off a topo map of the peak and calling it good.

"Do you have a map?"
"Well sure."
"Does it show where we're going?"
"Being a little picky, don't you think?"


Our initial plan to somehow skin up the north buttress of the north summit was thrown away as soon as we saw the complicated and rocky terrain.  We quickly realized that the best way (and the guide-book recommended route, as I later read) was up from Inspiration Point to Granite Lake, and then up to the saddle in between the two peaks.

Minutes after reaching the summit, I was trying to spot a couloir line down the steep south face, and when looking down I suddenly noticed the snow moving - avalanche!  A large wet slide, wall to wall, ran down a chute far below us, easily batting aside the few trees in the way.  OK, not going south!

Sander was really interested in the terrain along Eagle Creek, which feeds into Emerald Bay, so we skied north and west towards Eagle Lake.  The snow was hhheeeeaaaavvvyyyyy mash potatoes, and we picked a line down the domes on the west side of the bowl to the lake.  Then we discovered what anyone who could read would have already known - the terrain from Eagle Lake to the highway is choked with aspen and willows, almost to a Cascade standard (but not quite).  Charlie fell into the creek when he got a little to curious during a log crossing, and learned the consequences of trying to lean over the edge of a snow bank.  It was all OK, though:  he got out, shook off, crossed the log again without any problems and spent the final 20 minutes of the exit warming up enough to dry out.

A 15-minute walk back up the highway - also not recommended - got us back to the car.


Statistics.  Maggies Peaks, South Summit, 8699'.  1.9 miles, 1880' up via Granite Lake.  2.2 miles, 2140' down via the NW ridge.


Photos:  While the map is mine, the photos are courtesy of Sander.  Thanks!