Snowshoe to Commonwealth Basin

Wednesday's sky was at least mostly blue and we decided to make the best of a rare clear day to get some outdoor exercise. The 25-mile drive along I-90 to Snoqualmie Pass was snow-free for most of the way but there was relatively new snow on the 48-inch base by the time we reached the trailhead. Although there were a couple of cars in the parking lot, the trail up Commonwealth Creek looked to have few new tracks. We fastened on our snowshoes and started out from the north end of the summer parking area and almost immediately came upon a big igloo that must have been constructed during the weekend. From there we followed a faint depression in the new snow upward through the trees. After 20 minutes or so we spotted a party of three paralleling our route and realized that there was a beaten trail just above us. Once on that, the routefinding was MUCH easier and so was the walking. Which was a good thing because in the first mile or less the trail climbed more than 800 feet.

Flowing down the slope, compressed between Guye Peak on the north and Kendall on the south, Commonwealth Creek cascaded over at least one good drop. Since the temperatures had not been really cold this January, the water was free-flowing with lots of icicles on the stream edges. Above the falls, the trail continued to climb.










At one point we crossed an open area below a band of cliffs and noted that the avalanche danger must have been pretty high the day before. We could see lots of small slides and several large "snowballs" that obviously had rolled themselves down the steep slope. Prudently separating ourselves by a reasonable distance we crossed the slope quickly. Shortly beyond, as we entered the forest again, we came up an old weathered sign that stated "trail abandoned".

Once up the steep part of the trail, the terrain opened into the basin but remained in the trees. We had to cross various streams on snow bridges along the way. About 2 1/2 miles from the parking lot we found a small glade where the sun was providing a bit of warmth and stomped out a bench for a sit-down lunch break with a view. The party of three passed us heading farther up. Previously we had seen only one other person, a helmeted climber wearing crampons, heading down from a solo expedition to some higher slopes above the basin.

The trip down retraced our steps and was a bit faster. Still, we were pretty worn out by the time we reached the car. I guess we're more accustomed to being able to slide down from wherever we've skied to on our usual winter trips.

(photo, left: snow sculpture along the trail)