Dear Glacier gurus,  The snowpack was normal to a bit above normal as February came to a close.  However, from March-August warm, dry conditions have been the rule and snowpack was the lowest we have seen in 21 years of work.   Our two field priorities for the year were dye tracing experiments in subglacial channels on the Columbia and Easton Glacier and detailed mass balance on nine glaciers.   The glaciers lost almost exactly 2 meters of ice thickness due to excessive melting.  This was the most ice lost from the glaciers in the last twenty years.  It also represents approximately 4% of the volume of North Cascade glaciers gone in a year.  Glacier retreat was rapid, with an average of 22 meters of retreat since 2003.