The first time I went up EEOR, I didn't realize that the other summit was a tiny bit higher than the east summit (maybe by a metre or two), so I missed an opportunity there.
The second time, I didn't even make it past the cliff band.
As a shoulder season hike, I didn't feel that it warranted a nice day in the middle of the summer, so here I was, trying to summit on a late fall day after two dumps of snow had already fallen.
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| First view of Ha Ling. Note the snow line on Grotto. |
The sun had yet to rise above Ha Ling as I started up. There were a few cars at Goat Creek, but Ha Ling looked pretty snowy and Goat Creek trail itself was closed, so I wasn't sure where those folks were going.
There was barely any snow below treeline. But once the white stuff started appearing, it felt like full-on winter conditions. Getting past the headwall was straightforward, but later on I would be happy to have my ice axe on the way back down.
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| Panorama from the east summit. The south summit is the bump on the left. |
Making my way along the ridge from the east to the south summit was tricky as there was a lot of snow and some hidden ice to contend with. I got to within 30m of the south summit, but had to turn back due to the sketchy conditions.
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| Too much snow and ice to reach the south summit safely. |
On the way back down, I ran into several groups, none of which looked prepared enough to go beyond my high point. Still, it was a reasonable day in an impressive place. Hiking season may be at an end soon, however.
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