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It was touch and go with the weather all week but on Friday afternoon when the forecast changed for the 10th time and every weather web site was forecasting something different I decided to just go for it. Jim was coming along. He has apparently sold his soul in exchange for sunshine on his trips so I figured we were in good shape.
There had been a lot of interest in this trip since I'd put it on the BCMC trip schedule and I was expecting a great group of people. There was more to this trip than just another summit too.
 The Eaton family contacted me through my web site after finding my 2003 Eaton Peak trip report and pictures. Well one thing led to another and we decided to put a memorial on the summit for the two brothers for whom the lake and peak are named. Alice Eaton provided me with pictures of Douglas and William Eaton, their last letters, news paper clippings, and more. I had it all laminated and put two small boxes together containing the information and a notebook where people could register their visits. One was to be hidden at the lake as a geocache; the other was to go to the summit.
Geocache located at:
N 49° 15.032 W 121° 21.394
UTM: 10U E 619598 N 5456606
We met at 8am under cloudy skies at the Tim Horton's between Abbotsford & Chilliwack. 16 adventurous souls who were not to be deterred by a forecast ranging from 40 – 80% rain. The group dynamic was great right from the start. We were back on the road at 8:15 and regrouped at the trailhead about an hour later. By 9:40 we were on the trail. The large group quickly spread out as we had agreed to meet up at the lake, 4km awayand 3000ft up.
 I don't think anyone minded the cool temperatures as we switched back up towards the lake. We were in for a VERY nice surprise as the trail had been cleared just the day before by Wulf Pirang. We had been expecting a lot of deadfall but the worst we had to climb over was some sawdust. The trail was in excellent shape with the exception of a slightly tricky river crossing on a log bridge that has seen better days.
 It was very cool up at the lake so we didn't hang around too long. I hid the geocache, gaiters went on, snacks were gobbled and then we were off again. There is no trail from this point so it's really just a matter of bushwhacking up to the alpine. We traversed along the lake, climbing steadily. Alder, deadfall, boulder fields, this stretch has it all but it goes by relatively quickly and in an hour or so we broke out into the alpine.
 What a difference from two years ago! In 2003 there had been snow right at the tree line. This time we were in for a mix of wet boggy meadows, slippery rocks, and heavy wet snow. So much for the nice long glissade down I'd been expecting!
Rhys, Jon, Gerry, and Gerry's son Nick were planning to do the Northeast Ridge, the route we had taken in 2003. The rest of us were heading for the West Ridge. So we decided to regroup at the point where our paths would diverge.
 We stopped for a break right under the dark hulking mass of Eaton Peak. The clouds had lifted a little and we enjoyed the views of Outram and the surrounding peaks. Our two groups then struck out, agreeing to meet on the summit. The Northeast Ridge group would then descend with us via the West Ridge.
The West Ridge is mostly a class 2-3 scramble with two exceptions: a stiff open chimney (3+), the crux, with loose rock about a third of the way up (you may want to bring a short rope for the decent) and a short 'aux cheval' with the summit in sight. - The ridge proper is initially krummholz choked and it is better to traverse right into an open draw and gain an adjacent ridge line to the south. The rampant where this joins the W ridge is climbed by traversing left again and finding the aforementioned chimney. For the remainder of the climb it is always easier to stay directly on the ridge than to traverse right and hope to regain it later. - Peter Gumplinger
 The West Ridge ended up being a little more technical than I'd remembered it and not everyone was very comfortable with it. We managed to get everyone but Moxie (our four legged climbing canine) up the hardest part with the promise of a rope for the way down. This is a real scramble with some exposure but it's loads of fun. Some of the rock isn't as secure as it looks so you'll want to give everything a good hard tug before you trust it. There are several big boulders that move so you do need to pay attention.
 We ended up quite spread out along the route with two or three bottlenecks. With a group that size I suppose it's inevitable. The sun peeped out about 20 minutes before the first group reached the summit but it was very short lived. By the time I placed the memorial in the cairn the fog was rolling in and the views were gone. Not a drop of rain had fallen though so we were all feeling pretty lucky.
We used the rope for most people on the spookiest part of the decent and before long we were back on the snow, making our way down to the bushwhack and then the lake. We regrouped at the lake before heading back down to the cars. Everyone was back at the trailhead by 9:00… about 11.5 hours after we had started.
A great time was had by all. Many thanks to Wulf for clearing the trail, to Mother Nature for not raining on us, to Rhys, Gerry & Peter for their help with ropes and routes along the way, and to everyone for their enthusiasm & great company. Hope to hike with you all again soon!
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