This is a look at the bottom portion of the route up East Killiak from Peter's Creek. I thought that I would just have a little ridge walk to do from here ... that is not at lay ahead.
My favorite photo from the weekend - looking down the lower snow climb.
Another view of my climbing partner
When I reached the first saddle, I thought that the climbing was over. It turns out that this saddle was not the proper way to East Killiak and I would need to down climb a few hundred feet and try another pass. This pass did provide a neat view of Icicle (to the left) and Old Soggy.
Here is an interesting view of Yukula
Way off to the right is East Killiak. It took a unexpected downclimb onto the upper Rasin Glacier, a traverse along the Rasin, and a final, steep snow climb to get to the summit.
August out on the Rasin Glacier
A look at East Killiak from the upper Rasin Glacier and the climb that was still yet to come
West Killiak's northeast face
August and West Killiak's northeast face
East and West Killiak. What is really fun is that two weekends earlier, I stood in the saddle between these two peaks (just out of view) having climbed there from the other side!
Nantina Point from the summit ridge
I made a few dicey ridge moves along the summit ridge to get to what I thought was the highest point on the ridge. Here is a look from where I laid down my pack out to where I climbed.
West Killiak's northeast face
After climbing down the upper portion, this is a shot of looking back up the upper climb.
Looking back at the upper climb from the upper Rasin Glacier
A framed view of Old Soggy from the upper Rasin Glacier
A cool pinicle along the upper Rasin Glacier
Looking down into Peter's Creek
Back at camp. The weather had look cloudy (tending toward bad weather) during the climb. Within minutes of camp, the clouds broke and the sun was almost unbearably hot!
A super zoomed in look at the route from camp. I went up to the right saddle initially and you can make out my traverse to the right.
A super zoomed in look at the route from camp. I went up to the right saddle initially and you can make out my traverse to the right.
With the sun xome drying out everything I slept in and brought ... birthday suit time!
Later that afternoon, August and I headed down Peter's Creek to set a camp in the Thunderbird Peak area. August was less than pleased about wearing his pack.
Oddly, from the new camp, the route and East Killiak were just visable. It was very satisfying looking up at it from camp.
The route I used took the snow ramp on the left side of this photo, eventually through a pass just left of center in this photo, and then lastly up the snow face to East Killiak's summit (on the right side of the photo).
