This trip began with a bit of indecision. To bring skis or not to bring skis, that was the question. I had my splitboard in my car for another ski trip at Washington Pass, but I just wasn’t sure if it was worth it to carry it for this trip. After a night in the back of my car at a pullout on the side of Highway 20, I set off up the Happy Creek trail without the splitboard. I reasoned that the snow level would be too high, and I would rather move light and fast. I was happy with my decision almost immediately as I was making quick progress on the (much better than I had assumed it would be) trail.
Before long I came to a fairly impressive waterfall and the end of the normal trail. From here, the path took on a decidedly different character as it climbed steeply up some loose soil. There was mostly always faint tread to follow, but it was easy to lose in the dense woods. When in doubt, I kept moving upwards.
There was a long way to go on this type of terrain before hitting snow, and I was thankful I wasn’t having to navigate dense branches with my splitboard on my back. I even ran into some would-be skiers in this section who were turning around for this very reason and going to head for the easier access terrain around Washington Pass.
I soldiered on, eventually hitting consistent snow at around 3700’. Here, the route banks climbers right and follows a creek for a bit. Since this was at the beginning of the consistent snow, I was a little bit wary of heading up a snow slope with a creek running beneath it. I could hear running water underneath the snow and didn’t want to risk heading up the middle of this for fear of punching through, especially as the warm spring day was starting to heat up. I chose to hug the left side, staying in the dense trees, which wasn’t too pleasant and involved some post-holing. I was happy to be moving without fear of falling into a creek hole, though, and I was quickly through this section.
From here it was a straight shot up the valley consistently gaining elevation and a more substantial snowpack along the way. The big north face of Ruby was looming above, and I was starting to get excited about entering the high country.
At about 4600’ I angled east-south-eastward up a steep, treed slope to gain the more mellow ridge leading up to Ruby. Here I tried to follow any tracks I could find, but I think just about any route works to gain the ridge. Once the ridge was gained, it was pleasant open travel as I continued steadily upward. Views north towards Ross Lake, and the hulking mass of Jack Mountain were starting to open up and I was feeling good. I made quick time up to tree line and saw what a nice ski this side of the mountain could be. I’ll have to come back some other time slightly earlier in the season!
Speaking of skiers, I saw a group starting their descent from Ruby’s summit ridge. Instead of following the ridge all the way back to where they climbed up it, they cut the steep slope and triggered a small, wet-loose avalanche in the process. It wasn’t a big one and stopped naturally but it was still frightening to see, especially knowing I was below them. I hope that group learned their lesson for next time they ski on a hot spring day with people below them.
After this bit of excitement, I continued up the steepening slope to reach the summit ridge, which was a great feeling. I hadn’t needed any type of flotation all day, but this last short stretch to the summit was a little bit soft and sloppy. The final bit was a class 1-2 walk up some rocky terrain. The views from the top were superb, with the clear highlight being the deep blue Ross Lake below, stretching all the way up to Canada. It reminded me of what a Norwegian fjord might look like. I also loved seeing the mountains so snowy, and it was a treat to see some of my familiar favorites clad in white. I spent a good while on the summit relaxing in the sun, even reading a few chapters of a book I had hauled all the way up. After the requisite pictures were taken, I reversed my course, plunge-stepping down a lot of the steeper snow. It was fun to make quick work of this and I found myself doing a bit of a jogging boot ski for some of it.
This quickly brought me back down to tree line and I picked my way through the trees, trying to follow my upward track as best I could. At the last bit of snow with moving water underneath it, I hugged the side again, working my way through the unpleasant dense trees. I remember thinking that this route was probably only going to be viable for a few more days into the spring unless someone had a high tolerance for post holing and brush bashing.
Once I was through this section, I made my way down through the steep woods, trying to follow a boot path as best I could. Eventually I popped out at the waterfall onto the extremely civilized feeling main trail and cruised all the way back to the trailhead.
Overall, Ruby is a great objective. The views are grand, and I can see why a tramway to the top was almost built there when the National Park was established in 1968. I need to come back slightly earlier in the year for a ski descent.
Final Stats: 7.32 miles / 5009 feet of gain
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