Get up well before dawn and after a quick breakfast of hot drinks and cereal, strap on your crampons and harness, and head for the summit!
The Easton Glacier route is generally moderate with some navigation around crevasses required. Once you reach the crater rim, continue to the true summit for a breathtaking 360 panorama of the North Cascades! After a brief rest, return to the camp, rest for a bit and pack up. After a full day of getting to the summit and back, perhaps 6 hours up and half that time in descent (around 10 hours total), you will return to your starting point by late afternoon, with plenty of memories and photos that will remind you of this conquest for the rest of your life!
The route to the Coleman-Deming Glacier heads up to a saddle between the summit and Colfax Peak. Continue generally eastward, and head up onto the upper Deming Glacier. This climb is more steep towards the summit plateau. After crossing the plateau to its northeast edge, you will reach the true summit with amazing vistas over the surrounding nature. The summit day takes a total of 6-8 hours up, with half that time heading back down again (around 10 hours total). When you are done with admiring the wonderful views from the summit, take a brief rest, head down to the trailhead, and reach the cars by mid to late afternoon!
Note: the guides may determine it is more favorable to climb on Day Two due to weather, route conditions or team ability. In this case, the guides will conduct essential training the first afternoon, with additional training during the course of the ascent. On the final day, there will be time for additional skills training prior to descent for those who are interested.