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Challenger, Luna, Fury- Les Voies Normales 7/20-27/2006


ckouba

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Climb: Challenger, Luna, Fury-Les Voies Normales

 

Date of Climb: 7/20-27/2006

 

Trip Report:

Just the facts for now, will edit with pics and commentary later.

 

Took Big Beaver to Beaver Pass for day 1. Gained Eiley-Wiley Ridge and traversed to Challenger Glacier for day 2. Climbed Challenger on day 3, then traversed around to Luna Lake for day 4. Moved up to Luna Col and climbed to the true summit of Luna (easy 4th but exposed) on day 5. Climbed SE Face route of E Peak of Fury on day 6. Descended Access Creek Ridge and Basin back to Big Beaver trail (Luna Camp) on day 7. Out to boat dock on day 8.

 

Original intent was Challenger, Fury NE Face and N Face of Terror. A melted out NE Face (see pics) and poor gear selection (non-shanked boots, flexible crampons) changed those plans.

 

Lots of water from snowpatches way up top, never traveled with more than 1 liter on board. Route finding was very straightforward with all the beta from the books and this board. Eiley-Wiley was long but straightforward, reasonable bushwacking and decent travel. The traverse around the cirque was also straightforward, as were the routes on all the peaks.

 

I'll embellish the TR later, but suffice it to say the Pickets are a LOT of work to get to but the payoff is enormous!

 

8 days, 3 summits, beautiful scenery, NO OTHER PEOPLE!

 

GOOD TIMES!!!

 

Chris

 

Gear Notes:

60m half rope

flexi-poons

3 screws

2 pickets

small selection of rock gear

large selection of slings

betamid bug tent (AWESOME!)

 

Approach Notes:

Water all over, study the beta and it's all pretty accurate.

 

Now for the pics... And the embellishment!

 

I moved to Phoenix in April and it's been HOT. About a month or two after leaving, I started suffering withdrawal symptoms- looking for rivers with water in them, wanting to go outside without broiling, needing to hike somewhere with trees... Looking to remember what the color green looked like. You know crazy expectations. I thought up what was the best way to immerse myself in what I missed and came to the conclusion that a Pickets trip was what I needed. But which peaks, and more importantly- who would be silly enough to go in there with me?

 

After a few emails and calls to some of the usual suspects, DonnV said he was up for a little punishment and had the time to play. We had talked a bit about the itinerary and he had been in to the range each summer for the past 4 years, climbing the one of the Mac Spires, Luna, the N Buttress on Fury and wanting to get back for the NE Face. On the other hand, I had never climbed north of Rt 20 but had seen enough of Michael Stanton and Theron Welch's TR's to know there's some COOL stuff there. Theirs became my ideal itinerary, and we modified it for Donn's preference to include the NE Face of Fury. We picked the dates, I booked a flight and was committed.

 

After much surveillance of the weather and chatting up just exactly how light we should go, I packed my crap up and headed for the plane. Donn picked me up at PDX and we went to his place to shuffle gear. We still had a few decisions to make and I had brought some redundant gear with the goal of selecting the appropriate stuff when we saw it all together.

 

When we started discussing boots, I took out the pair of shankless hikers and strap-on crampons I had brought and Donn scowled. No worries I told him and proceeded to dig for my Glaciers. At least they have a ¾ shank. No such luck though as I plundered through my bags… I had left them on the floor of my garage in Phoenix. BUMMER! Shouldn't be that bad though, right? Besides, everything is going to be a compromise and we were going for as light a weight as possible.

 

That was really about all the gear worries we had. Donn had graciously arranged to supply all community gear as it would save me hauling from PHX. We divvied up the communal stuff (To his credit, Donn ended up grabbing a bit more than me. THANKS man!) and threw it all back into the packs and into the car and off we went.

 

The plan was to try to snag permits that evening, grab a cheap hotel in Sedro Wooley and catch a boat Thurs am to the trailhead. We hit rush hour in Seattle and couldn't get permits over the phone (even if we asked politely), but Chelsea at Marblemount assured us there was plenty of space at our requested destinations. We eventually arrived in Sedro Wooley, found a crashpad, connected with Wazzumountaineer (Kurt) for dinner and called it a night. The next morning we hit the ranger station for permits, checked the weather and committed to the trip.

 

The drive to the Ross Lake trailhead was pleasant enough. I was worried about 9 days of stable NOCA weather… Is that really possible? Fingers were crossed and off we went, hiking down to the dock and phoning over to the resort for the taxi.

 

The beginning:

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A few minutes later we were off like a shot, cruising effortlessly up the lake. A few minutes later, we were sitting on the dock, doing a last minute shuffle of some gear and drinking the last of our domestic water. Another few minutes and we were off on our 14 mile journey to Beaver Pass.

 

The way in:

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The real start:

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And it was exactly what I was expecting. As we walked around the bay nearest the dock, I heard the cry of an osprey- something I hadn't heard in quite some time. I looked up and saw it, along with another one, as well as a bald eagle. Seems the eagle wanted the fish one osprey was carrying and kept dive-bombing it, while the second osprey tried to dogfight the eagle. This carried on for quite til they were just small dots in the sky and we hiked on. Hiking around the lake and up into the valley, on lush, green trails, through the sunshine, in the shade of enormous trees, along a storybook creek, it was beautiful. The first part of the trip reminded me of hiking in to Olympus. It was everything I was hoping it would be.

 

The trip into Beaver Pass was fairly uneventful. It was hot but hiking on the trail was easy and mindless- a nice distraction with full packs. About 15 minutes from the dock, we pass the last people we would see til our last day and we marched onward.

 

One (of the many) things I love about NCNP is how its treasures are all hidden deep within the park and require work to get to. Even the scenery at Cascade Pass- while very pretty from the parking lot, it's much more impressive when you get out and hike. In the normal, expected fashion there was only one place along the entire approach where you could see anything up in the Pickets area. A truly hidden gem which everyone has to work to get to.

 

There was plenty of water available at regular intervals and we'd stop when we wanted to empty our bottles, refill and treat our next beverage. We never carried more than a liter on us, and it was a brilliant plan. I had also never used iodine- never inclined to due to taste issues and I like the thought of the filter and water being ready right now. My first taste was uneventful, and now that I'm living in Phoenix the taste didn't even bother me.

 

Eventually, after a day of mellow, blister-free(!) hiking, we pulled up to Big Beaver Camp. We set camp, chilled out with the bugs and chowed on dinner. Here's where my plan started to fall apart.

 

For meals, I had freeze-dried dinners but I thought it'd be an easy thing to just have Clif Bars to eat for breakfast and snacks through out the day. So I bought four boxes of 3 flavors and packed them all (48 bars total). If anyone was curious as to how long it takes to be sick of Clif Bars, it's approximately 14 miles. It's the end of day 1 and I can't stand what I took for food... Gonna be a long trip.

 

We had an uneventful evening, Donn was on mosquito/black fly duty and fumigated the camp with his cigars while I built a fire in the pit. It was a pleasant camp but with no view of anything whatsoever. Except big thick trees, which after a few months in Phoenix, I really appreciated.

 

Up the next morning and I had to choke down a Clif bar for breakfast. That didn't go so well. I mean it did from a mechanical standpoint- the ingestion and processing went fine but faced with the prospect of relying on them for sustainance I knew that my ability to consume them was not robust. The plan worked extremely well the year prior when Kurt and I did Johannesburg (my TR, Kurt's TR) but suddenly the prospect of 9 days' existence based on Clif bars seemed overly daunting. I forced it down like a plateful of brussel sprouts for a 8 year old and got on with life.

 

So I started trying to barter with Donn about what he'd be willing to trade for some of them. Didn't go so well for me... I'd be pretty much eating Clif bars the rest of my life.

 

The next order of the day was to get off the trail, into the backcountry and up to the top of Eiley-Wiley Ridge. So if you're reading this you're probably looking to learn a little about the area for a trip of your own. Beaver Pass isn't such a well defined, storybook col. It's very broad, probably 2/3 mile across at the saddle, and you don't get a secure "oh I'm at the pass now and I should start climbing up right here" feeling.

 

The broad expanse of Beaver Pass (right side) from the top of Luna Peak:

339P7240170-med.JPG

 

 

Donn and I had read up on how we should gain the ridge and we wanted direly to get it right the first time. Looking through thick tree cover, we just picked what we thought was the best line and started a steeply rising traverse toward the rib at the south end of the ridge.

 

The start of Eiley-Wiley Ridge from Luna Peak:

339P7240158-med.JPG

 

It worked well enough. We had a few scrambles up a little mixed terrain from time to time toward the top but we generally had a straightforward climb to timberline. From here it would be an easy shuffle to Challenger.

 

Luna from Eiley-Wiley Ridge:

339P7210022-med.JPG

 

This way (right to left) to Challenger:

339P7240159-med.JPG

 

Wrong. Actually it wasn't all that bad but it did seem to go on for ever. The good news was there was water all over from snowpatches melting on the ridge and they'd always make convenient excuses to stop for a while.

 

Finally to the Challenger Glacier:

339P7240160-med.JPG

 

Donn had THOROUGHLY researched this portion of the trip and we did a decent job with the route finding but there were a few dirty gully downclimbs (not fun) and a bit of excess elevation gain which was lost when we realized the correct route. All told though it wasn't that bad and was fairly straightforward if you've done your homework. We took the high road, staying high on the ridge, traversing to the south on steep heather and crappy talus around the first peak and back to the crest. From there we gained too much elevation to a notch prior to Eiley, downclimbed a chossy, dirty gully, hiked past Eiley Lake and did a rising traverse back again toward the ridge crest. Up and down over a few rolls and we were passing Wiley Lake and heading to just below the notched summit in front of us which would take us to the Challenger Glacier.

 

The ensemble from the top of Fury:

339P7250220-med.JPG

 

So all told, the progress along the ridge was progressing, but being above timberline was causing another issue among the group- namely me. Being up there enable our first views of the NE face of Fury, and holy CRAP did it look steep and dry with a generous serving of Cascade Choss in the transition from the lower to upper part of the face.

 

Intimidating, not-so-snow-covered:NE Face of Fury from Eiley-Wiley Ridge:

339P7210023-med.JPG

 

It was a daunting prospect for me not having been on the sharp points in months and having hinged crampons on shankless hiking boots. Poor planning. I started psyching myself out instantly. It was a little while before I cried about it to Donn. He just told me it always looks steeper from a distance. I knew he was correct, but I couldn't look away... it was magnetic.

 

Progressing along Eiley-Wiley(1):

339P72100301-med.JPG

 

We kept moving along the ridge, catching glimpses of Challenger, stopping for water, backtracking here and there, dropping from the ridge and hiking back to it. It was a wonderful alping setting with all the scenery I had been missing so much. There was a fantastic intensity to it all- from the energy it took to get there, the feeling in my gut of being committed to something pushy, the phenominal scenery... I was back home.

 

Progressing along Eiley-Wiley(2):

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Progressing along Eiley-Wiley(3):

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8/16/06 - I continue to try updating the story from time to time, and this is where I will leave off for now. Suffice it to say there is a tale of harrassment, cigars, Clif bars, farting, climbing epics and lies still to be told. Hopefully it's not too boring and at least the pictures are fairly interesting.

 

DonnV above Challenger camp:

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Camp on Challenger Arm:

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Top of Challenger Glacier:

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DonnV finishing the glacier below Challenger summit:

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Rock step to Challenger summit:

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DonnV with alpenglow at Challenger camp:

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Fury NE Face (from Luna Lake):

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Leaving Luna Lake for Luna Col and Summit:

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Higher on the way to Luna Col:

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Re-arranging permits and boat ride from world's most gorgeous phone booth:

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Sleepy DonnV:

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Me on the way to Luna summit:

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DonnV going to Luna summit:

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On his way back:

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On the ridge to Fury SE Face:

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Small face on ridge to Fury:

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Starting up SE Face:

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DonnV near the summit of Fury:

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Me near the summit of Fury:

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Donn and me on the summit of Fury:

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Cool view of Southern Pickets:

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Last view of the Southern Pickets:

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Last technical hurdle (crossing at Access Creek/Big Beaver confluence):

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Get ready... Set...:

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GO!!!!:

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The aftermath:

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What a GREAT time. Thanks Donn!

 

Chris

Edited by ckouba
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thumbs_up.gifThanks for the great photos! We're planning to climb Fury North Buttress later this week. Did you happen to get a look at the approach on the right side of the buttress?

 

As you wish... Thank Donn for the pics. He mumbled something like, "I'll bet someone on CC will want this info," as he snapped a few pics.

 

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Looked like a pretty straightforward route. The pics are about a week old at this point and the upper butt has a LOT more exposed rock than you'd expect. Moats might be an issue but it looked like it'd go from where we passed it. Things were remarkably stable in there given the heat. Best of luck on your trip and post pics!

 

As for the lake, no dead fish- although credit for that is due to the rapid response of the haz-mat team containing our foulness...

 

The two kids in the canoe off the end thought they were cajoling us into jumping in. "Do it!!" "It's really cold..." "You'll freeze!" "Do it!!"

 

"Uh, kiddies, it's gettin' done," and in we went. The guy who snapped that pics couldn't have timed it much better.

 

DMarch- We missed the bears but we appreciated you guys showing up literally just as we arrived at the lake. I was shedding gear as I walked down the dock as the boat pulled around the corner. If you look in the background of the jump pic, you can see the boat arriving!

 

Post-cleanliness bliss:

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GOOD TIMES!!!

Chris

Edited by ckouba
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Right on gents. It is a fantastic place and this trip has only lit the fire for a return next year. It's SO worth the time to get in there for a few days.

 

I want to get back in there for something on the north side of Fury, Dagenhart, and Terror. It's a phenominal area and I know I've only just started to explore it.

 

CK

 

PS - Nice work in I-Da-Hoe John. When you back in town brotha? I got a new pad and it's pretty cush and it's actually getting COOLER down here- I think it was only 104° today. I need to hit some of the rock down here.

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  • 1 year later...

I'm thinking of doing a similar itinerary to yours, except perhaps in the opposite direction. You mentioned repeatedly doing your homework on the Wiley ridge route--where did you find info about that? Do you think it would be difficult to find your way down the ridge as opposed to up it? I haven't been able to find much info that was very detailed. Also curious if you had any beta on the Fury route (did you find the Nelson description pretty accurate/helpful?) and the traverse from Luna Col to Challenger Glacier (or vice versa in your case).

 

Thanks! Matt

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