Vertical Fingers....

I have a young friend who is a mountain climber and he likes my artwork so he has given me exclusive rights to his photos! I’m tripping, let me tell you..The good news is I have a truck load of shots on a CD he sent me last week and have started to put together shots of his climb up the Three Fingers.

This is what he has to say about it, “This is incredible: back in the 20's and 30's, the top 15 feet of a mountain were blown off (one of the fingers) and a lookout (cabin) was built at the very top. This is near Pilchuck Mountain in the Pacific Northwest (NE of Seattle, WA). In 1986, the Everett Mountaineers received private funds to have the place completely restored and was declared a national historic monument. To get to the 'cabin', one must traverse across several glaciers and endure a fairly grueling 7.5 mile hike. We actually made it (with one set of crampons and ice axes) and spent the night in this lookout with a 360 degree view of the most spectacular views I have ever seen in my life. To the North we saw Darrington and Mount Baker, to the South we saw Bellevue/Seattle (Mount Rainier) The views of this place are indescribable!”

Here's a *LINK HERE* talking about the look out.
or..
A *LINK HERE* for the Mountaineers.

Click on the pics for a larger view..

The glacier, from the top, looking down....

Showing the steepness of the ice


Top of the world, Ma.....



A view from the lookout.. Fingers shadows..



Hold on to your butt...


The Forestry Department wanted to make it easier on their fire lookout rangers and so they bolted these wooden ladders to the cliffs leading to the lookout. What you can't see in these graphics is that it is, 1000 feet straight down.

Finger morning....

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The winds get a little stout up there on the finger, I guess.. Cables on all four corners outside the look out and one big chain inside keeps the whole thing in place on the rock. The storm shutters are closed in this picture. On the other side of those shutters is a vertical drop of 1000 feet...


Morning on the Finger.. Raising the shutters to let the world in..

Finger Pool...

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This is a wild mountain lake on the other side of the Fingers.. Damn billboards.. even here!

Trails end..

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At sunrise, looking towards the west and home..



Watch that first step...



Made it down... Now the glacier approach.



Moving down into the clouds...



Heading over the rim of the glacier...



1000 foot slippery slide....



Off the glacier and into the snow....



Back down above the trail head and the end of this pictorial journey.

Purple mountain majesty...

Yeah... You can almost smell the air.... Click on the pic for a larger version.

Top of the world, Ma..

Click the above graphic for a larger view. Image Copyright RicTresa 2004.. YEOW!
Location: Top of the 3 fingers.

Cascadia..

Click on the above graphic for the desktop version for your computer.
The lake is located in the high country of the Cascade Range, Washington State.
All images are Copyright RicTresa 2004, or current year.

Summer Past..

Click on the above pic for the larger desktop size...

All images are Copyright RicTresa 2004