Hike in Alaska to Thayer Hut on Castner Glacier, with First Ever Drone Footage!
Music: “A world to explore” Joshua Radin
Thayer Hut
4800 feet
N63 27.156 W145 32.181
7.8 Miles
2417 Feet Elevation Gain
4 to 8+ hours
While returning from the first ascent of Black Cap in the spring of 1961, AAC member Bucky Wilson and others noticed the fantastic hut site, a green alpine meadow spared by two branches of the Castner Glacier. Later in the summer club members packed in the first 2 X 4s to begin construction. During the next 4 years over 100 loads of building materials were hauled on climber’s backs and the hut was ready for use. There have been a few repair trips to replace and repair the outside sheeting and install a new door and floor but for the most part the hut has weathered well. The hut is 12′ by 10′ and sleeps 5. There are rumors of up to 10 people stuffed in for a night. The hut is well equipped with stove, lantern, pots, bowls, etc. Forty years of use has accumulated lots of stuff including a big library.
The hut tends to feel cramped due to the steep A frame design. Another problem was that the hut tended to get buried by snow making it hard to get inside. Great minds worked to solve these problems in the next 2 huts. But the third problem, global warming, is harder to solve. When the hut was built the Castner Glacier filled the valley making it easy to get from the glacier to the hut meadow. But through the years the glacier has dropped dramatically making the climb up to the hut an arduous and potentially dangerous climb.
During the winter there is snow to melt for water and in the spring there is a little creek running past the hut. But by July or August, Mary’s rock is free of snow and the creek dries up. There is a reliable pond W of the hut. Head towards Item Peak. From the edge of the meadow you can see the pond down below.
To get to the Thayer Hut use the Castner Glacier access (page 10) and stay on the right hand moraine until you see an ice tongue on your left. Traverse down to the ice tongue. Avoiding likely moulon areas, go up the ice tongue until you reach the intersection of the 3 branches of the Castner Glacier. From here there are four options, one of which will be the best route for the current glacier conditions. A route may also be selected based on where the party plans to go from the hut. For example if Black Cap is the objective the White Princess Branch route might be selected.
Via White Princess Branch This route was the best route for many years but the crack free path seems to be getting narrower and narrower. The route gains the most altitude on the glacier which minimizes the final steep slope. Winter parties should be roped up. Start up the White Princess branch. It is critical where you go up the steeper section of the glacier because once you crest the hill you will either hit the crevasse free path or hit crevasses. If you split the glacier valley in half you want to start up right of center until you are over the steep section and have gone well past the hut and the crevassed zones on both sides. When past the worst of the broken up area cut back to the slope below the hut. Get off the glacier and climb the final slope.
Via Direct Assault The shortest steepest way with the least crevasse danger. Head directly to the nose between the Silvertip and White Princess Branches of the Castner Glacier. You will have to cross a moraine and deal with a messy zone as you approach the nose. Pick a route up the steep slope directly to the hut bench. With good snow conditions this can be simple cramponing up Styrofoam snow. With no snow it is scary climbing on steep mud. Parties have been avalanched off this slope.
Via Direct Assault + White Princess Branch (The authors current favorite route.) As above, head directly to the nose between the Silvertip and White Princess Branches. In the summer head for the apartment building sized red cliff. You will have to cross a moraine and deal with a messy zone as you approach the nose. Turn right along the edge of the White Princess Branch until you are past the cliff bands. Ascend grunge slope to the hut bench.
Via Silvertip Branch One can also go up the Silvertip Branch, skirting giant moulons, until you pass all the cliff bands. Pick your way through crevasses to get off the glacier and climb up to the bench diagonaling to the right.
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