Gravel Creek Approach and Kid's Corner Comraderie

Friday morning dawned warm and beautiful. The skies were clear and the sun was beaming, truly a perfect day to go climbing in the Matanuska valley. So Lynn, John, and I made plans to go climb the Gravel Creek Pillar. After a fun snowmachine ride in, we gazed up at one of the most aesthetic climbs I have ever seen. Two hundred feet of blue, steep fun, encased in steep canyon walls, it looked like a line out of my dreams, but I was awake. Right as we pulled up a big whorl of spindrift settled over the climb, the sun had just started to hit the canyon wall. We all looked at each other, talked about the unsettling lack of a deposition zone at the bottom of the climb, tucked in a massive avalanche gully. We looked at each other some more, the climb, the loaded snow slopes above the climb in the sun....then I stepped off the machine into the snow...not very encouraging, about 8 inches of heavy snow on top of a foot of facets that looked like bugle chips. An incredibly perfect upside down snowpack, and an avalanche waiting to happen. We talked about how stupid we would feel if we got caught. I racked my brain for excuses of why it was safe. Its hard to walk away from a beautiful climb on a sunny day, but thats what we did.

Lynn the Beautiful Alien Head

 

The Banks of the Matanuska River

 

Lynn in a Sno Go Snow Swirl

 

The Goods

 

The Goods on Zoom



So after bailing on the climb, we went and giggled our way up kids corner....or I should say Lynn and I giggled, and John the token male didn't giggle, but laughed at and with us. An awesome day out, albeit an easy climbing one, and difficult decision making day.