Mt. Sherman

May 12, 2001 - Iowa Gulch (spring snow)

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Eric, Howard, Gary, and Diana atop Sherman

Everyone had a long weekend and we planned a climb of Sherman on Saturday and Columbia on the following day.  It was Spring and all of us camped on the approach road about one mile shy of the turnoff to the Black Cloud Mine.  The next morning we were able to drive a mile beyond the early season road closure before setting off on foot.  We made good time on the hard spring snow and were soon crossing the gulch and breaking out the ice axes for the climb up the draw between Sherman and Sheridan.  Crampons were not needed this day as the snow was prime for kicked steps and the group moved confidently up the snowfield toward the saddle above.  We detoured before reaching the saddle and made a direct climb for the summit on mixed snow and rock.

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Glissade!

It was a beautiful blue-sky day and we were not alone on the summit as there were a number of groups who had climbed from the Leavick trailhead.  We loitered on top for lunch before heading down the summer trail to the saddle and then dropping to the top of the snowfield between the peaks.  Ice axes in hand, we glissaded to the base of Iowa Gulch and then tramped across the rapidly softening snow to the road on the opposite side of the valley.  The snow on the road was still deep but the remaining sun crust would support neither boots nor snowshoes.  We trudged back down the road, cussing the collapsing snow and our well-weighted snowshoes all the way to the parked trucks.

 

 

 

 

Mount Sherman from the east in both summer and winter . . .