We're still listening. Maybe it was the Yaktayvians who caused the rockslide we passed at Helen Lake. The lake is actually only a flat depression at 10,440 feet, occasionally the site for a shallow pond in late summer when ice melts above it. It's one of the few spots where climbers can set up a camp, although it can be cold. It was about 20 degrees here during our climb, on a day when it reached 105 in Redding.
High winds are also common here.
When we arrived, we were told that a rock the size of a Volkswagen had come tumbling down through the area the previous night. After a lunch of jerky, nuts, dried fruit and water, we moved on. At 12,000 feet, the slope reaches 35 degrees and each step is a labor of passion. You jam your ice ax in the snow, pull yourself up a step, then rest for a moment before repeating the process. With long-spiked crampons, the steps come easier, the metal tips poking holes and grabbing the icy slope.