devinejohnny Posted August 10, 2007 Share Posted August 10, 2007 (edited) Trip: Boston Basin - Torment to Forbidden Traverse, car-to-car. Date: 8/9/2007 Trip Report: I’ve always enjoyed climbing with Andy, so I was upset when I found out that he would be leading mountaineering trips in the Wind River Range all summer. I managed to pass my time with a few other trips, but when I heard that Andy was back, I knew it was on. Within a few days of being home, he gave me a call and threw out the idea of this trip. I agreed without hesitation. Clouds coming over the ridge, seen from the west ridge of Forbidden. Andy leading. VVzDmii6gKM Neither of us had been in the Boston Basin before, so we spent the next two days doing out homework. I bought some topos, read what the guidebooks had to say, and peaked (pun intended) at a few TR’s here on cc.com. Andy had to work until 10PM in Tacoma on Wednesday night, then go home and pack. Remarkably we were on the road by 10:45 and (more remarkably) Andy didn’t forget to pack anything. Traffic was light as we headed north, but they had already started the road construction on I-5, closing half of the northbound lanes through Seattle. We made it to Marblemount and headed off down the Cascade Creek Road. The guides that we had read (Cascade Select and Becky) said that the trailhead was 21.7 miles down the road. Not true, unless they start counting from a different point then the mileage signs along the road. From the river (where the green mileage signs begin) it is more like 3.2 or 3.5 miles. After driving by the little pullout twice in the dark we finally figured it out and parked. The time was 2:30AM. We set an alarm and crashed in the car for an hour, then snoozing for 15 minutes more, finally getting up at 3:45. Since we had literally just thrown all our gear in the car, it took us a few minutes to sort out a rack and pack up, hitting the trail at 4:30 AM. The trail was overgrown for the first third, but easy enough to follow in the dark with a dieing headlamp. Once the “spur road” ends the trail gets steep and I was grateful to not have any base camp gear on my back. As the sky started to lighten we could see that we were walking through a dense fog. It stayed like this until we broke from the trees and got our first view of Boston Basin (just the basin, not the peaks; they were in the clouds). We walked around the Basin and through the camping area where a large group was just starting to stir. One person was up brewing and said that they were going to do Sahale. We watched them top out along the ridge latter that day from our route. We had to follow our noses to get to the base of the route since there was still a thick fog. We traversed up and left from the camp, going a little to high and running into a rock spur. We went down and around this and found the waterfall mentioned in the guide and scrambled up this to the Taboo Glacier. As we reached the Glacier we broke above the clouds, getting out first view of Torment, bathed in sun against a clear blue sky. Behind us was a sea of white, pierced by rocky pinnacles. Finally getting above the clouds The snow on the glacier was still frozen so we cramponed up and headed for the snow patch just right of center on the SE face. We didn’t encounter any scary crevasses and the ‘schrund was not difficult to cross. In the moat we swapped our boots for rock shoes and started up the face. Time: 7:45 AM. We climbed the face just to the left of the snow patch The first section of climbing next to the patch looking back down at the Taboo looking over at the South Ridge of Torment We simulclimbed straight up with Andy in the lead. We dropped our packs at the point where you must down climb to from the summit to begin the traverse, then continued to the summit. We topped out at 8:45 and squeezed our names in to the mountaineers’ summit register, then headed back down to our packs with me in the lead this time. After a short bathroom break (#2) we were heading NE along the SE face towards the notch where the traverse begins, following an obvious grass ledge system. At the notch we booted and cramponed up, then rapped down to the snow on the north side of the ridge. We had to head left then down and right to avoid some crevasses. We tried to regain the rock as soon as we could, so we only descended a hundred feet or so on snow. Ditching the crampons but keeping the boots, I lead us up the north face of the ridge on looses blocks and sand, popping over the spur right on top of the bivy site mentioned in the guide. The first rap (I guess our only of the day) Down and around a cracks The bivy site mentioned in the guide looking over at the steep snow from the bivy site. You can see some faint melted out tracks that we followed. Crampons back on, we traversed left across the steep snow section. I was grateful that I had brought a tool versus an axe for this section and that my ‘poons had good front points. The snow had softened a bit by now, but not enough to kick steps. We traversed up and left, hitting the rock a hundred feet or so below the saddle. We had an ice screw, but I did not place it. The snow was too soft for that, but it was also too hard to place a picket (not that we had one anyway). No-fall terrain. Andy coming to the end of the steep snow section I saw this photo in a couple other TR's, so I figured I add one more On the rock again I took us up and over the spur (in boots, no ‘poons) to one last section of snow, which I avoided by climbing in the moat up to the ridge. I took us a bit further to the start of the “sidewalk” section, crossing the ridge once and bypassing a tower on the south side. I was out of gear so I brought Andy up to me and we had some lunch. The last little bit of snow (after crossing the rock spur after the steep snow) Looking along the ridge; no more snow! Boots off, rock shoes on. Still simulclimbing, Andy took the lead to the summit of Forbidden, topping out at 1:30. This section was great, no route finding difficulty, just go go go. drop off next to left foot.... drop off next to right foot... Andy leading up west ridge of Forbidden Looking at Andy on the east summit from the slightly lower west summit. We had decided on the drive out that if we made it to the summit of Forbidden in good time we would forgo the normal west ridge or NE face descents in favor of down climbing the east ridge (III, 5.8, 9 pitch). We had time and were feeling good so that’s what we did, clean with no raps. I took us down the first section, reverse leading the 5.8 section, bypassing the 5.7 gendarme on its north side, then belaying Andy to me above the 5.6 section since I was out of gear. We were now back in the clouds, which had been pushing up the valley all day. Andy finished off the down climb along fun knife-edges, exiting the ridge at the large gendarme at 3:30 PM. Lower on our down climb of Forbidden's east ridge (Andy is in there somewhere) We had the same difficulties route finding as we did in the morning since the clouds only let us see a couple hundred feet in any direction. Luckily we had scooped out the descent earlier in the day from the traverse, so we were able to pick the right gully on our first try. Go left. When we hit steep snow we put the cramps back on an got the tools out, then tried to stay on snow as long as possible. This route took us to the snow field right above the toilet in the camping area. There was a large group from Mountain Madness just setting up their tents. We headed down to the tents that we walked through in the morning, finding them back from their climb up Sahale. They kindly offered us some coffee, so we stopped and chatted with them for about a half hour. They were a group students from Prescott University in AZ, taking a “final” for one of their classes. It was a leadership practicum. Grateful for the coffee and conversation, we had a little extra spring in our step on the hike back down to the car, arriving right at 7PM. The drive back to Tacoma that night was the crux of the day, but we stopped for some Mexican food and coffee before getting on I-5. Gear Notes: One 8.2 mm, 60 m rope folded in half. 10 runners with wire gate biners. Set of nuts, selected large hex sizes, 6 selected cams. Hiking boots or light mountaineering boots, crampons with good front points, comfy rock shoes. One tool each. 1.5 litters of water each. Approach Notes: The trail head is not 21.7 miles from Marblemount; it's more like 23.5. It's the last pull off on the left before the camping loop. The trail to Boston Basin is a bit over grown for the first part and pretty steep. The stream crossings were okay, but the third was a little tricky. Taboo glacier is in fine shape, but bring crampons. Edited August 11, 2007 by devinejohnny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olyclimber Posted August 10, 2007 Share Posted August 10, 2007 Incredible photos! Love that "right foot, left foot" combo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pms Posted August 10, 2007 Share Posted August 10, 2007 Thanks for the great TR. I love your descent idea. Upper N. Ridge is also very excellent for descent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevbone Posted August 10, 2007 Share Posted August 10, 2007 Best TR in a while.....great job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Trippett Posted August 10, 2007 Share Posted August 10, 2007 Great TR, thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SmilingWhiteKnuckles Posted August 10, 2007 Share Posted August 10, 2007 Blazing saddles! Speedy work. Nice job and great write-up and photos. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJScott Posted August 10, 2007 Share Posted August 10, 2007 tacoma represent! strong work doods! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blake Posted August 11, 2007 Share Posted August 11, 2007 How would that Steep snow section be if someone were to do it in late season or with a light ice axe? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jshamster Posted August 11, 2007 Share Posted August 11, 2007 Nice TR! Random beta spout out: the approach to Torment Basin is pretty chill. Did it last year, and came down Boston Basin trail. Starts somewhere near a bridge, an outhouse and picnic table. Cheers. Jimbo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devinejohnny Posted August 11, 2007 Author Share Posted August 11, 2007 How would that Steep snow section be if someone were to do it in late season or with a light ice axe? The tracks that we followed across the steep snow looks like they were either chopped out, or kicked in when the snow was much softer. There were also holes where axes shafts had been sunk. The snow was much too hard for that when we crossed; we could use those shaft holes as hand holds. In an earlier TR the snow had melted all the way down to ice by late August. I'm sure it would go with an axe (I think it did for that party), but even on our trip I was grateful for a good pick and solid grip. You could also find a route up on the rock I imagine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tazz Posted August 11, 2007 Share Posted August 11, 2007 Sweet images! even sweeter climb! good work and thanks for sharing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.