[TR] Selkirk Crest - High Traverse - The Beehive to Harrison Lake 7/19/2008

[spotly]

Trip: Selkirk Crest - High Traverse - The Beehive to Harrison Lake

 

Date: 7/19/2008

 

Trip Report:

A few of us (Brian, Ted, Bob and me) did the "Selkirk Crest High Traverse" on Saturday. The Beehive was by far the funnest part. From the road about a quarter mile back from the Harrison Lake TH, we bushwhacked through thick brush and found an animal path that cut through a soggy meadow. Part way through the brush we had to cross the Pack River via a convenient set of boulders and a large log - semi-easy crossing. More wet meadow then a slog up a slabby creekbed to the base of the dome. It looked like there were several fun ways to attack it. We opted for a line going up the right hand side where we found solid class 3/4 up to a clump of trees about halfway up. From there, we did a short traverse left to the center of the face then found some sporty 4th with a bit of avoidable 5th. There was no pro to be found but the climbing was easy enough. The granite heated up quickly and I was glad to reach some shade at the top.

 

From the top, we continued westward along the ridge for about 1500 feet vertical in a mile and a half to the main crest, topping out on peak 7374. At this point, the route north consisted of some class 4 downclimbing then fun scrambling past point 7353. From here, we were unable to maintain the ridge so we dropped off on the east side and travered a snow field over to just below point 7167 (The Fin).

 

After a long lunch, Brian and I roped up to climb The Fin. Regaining the ridge involved an extra pitch of low 5th. I topped out with a step up from a car-sized slab that moved slightly from its perch. I let Brian know to avoid it then belayed him up. Brian took the next pitch, a short 4th class and neatly exposed traverse around the west side of the ridge. The next pitch started with a 20 foot walk across a 2 foot wide edge - pretty cool...and puckering. At the end of the walk-across, I placed a .75 cam up high and stepped/swung around a blind corner to the right onto a narrow shelf. Another 25 feet up got me to the top of the pitch where I struggled to find a suitable anchor. Everything was detached blocks but I did manage to find a spot for a hex that looked like it would take take body weight without levering. I yelled down to Brian that I wasn't comfortable with the anchor and couldn't find anything else close by. I decide to downclimb to a bush and bring Brian up to collect the gear and regroup from a more suitable spot. The downclimb kinda frazzled me and I lost all enthusiasm for the last pitch above, which appeared to be more lichen and loose blocks. We bailed off to the east then finished the traverse east of the crest dropping down to Harrison Lake and back to the trailhead.

 

We weren't fast but fast enough to complete the route well within 11 hours including one long lunch break and screwing around on The Fin. After the shakey downclimb off the top of the 3rd pitch, I convinced myself that the Fin was a lichenated pile of crap and not worth finishing. My opinion still holds about the quality of the feature but I'm already scheming to get back and tag the top anyway The traverse on the whole was very enjoyable, particularly the Beehive and the views down both sides of the crest.

 

 

 

 

 

Gear Notes:

Small rack to 3"

 

Approach Notes:

Hike Pack River road .25 miles south of the Harrison Lake TH to the clearing on the west side. Bushwhack through the meadow, cros the river, then follow the smooth granite creekbed that goes up to the center of the dome.

[pu]

Here's a little extra.

 

Did this route yesterday with Dave Fulton. We managed to do the fin. Rack was a set of stoppers and 4 link cams. Take extra 48" slings and you'll be able to protect the blocky fin feature.

 

Tim, The last pitch of the fin is the best part. Nowhere near as licheny as down below and well worth doing. We took a 30m rope and that worked out great.

 

 

[beer_factor]

Cool TR. How was Pack River Road when you guys went?

[spotly]

Nice work. Good to know - about the Fin. Brian and I were meaning to get back up there this year but never happened what with all the other stuff. Did you booty a large hex above the second pitch?

[pu]

Road is in very good shape. No booty, sorry.

[Dane]

In the last month I was able to do a good section of the crest line. The northern section with Dave Fulton in August and the southern section with Carlos Buhler yesterday.

 

Dave and I did a majority of the route highlighted in the TR above. Carlos and I went from Peak 7374 above Beehive lake then south to Chimney rock and down to the Pack River road.

 

Over the years I have now done the traverse from Gunsight to Harrison Peak in four sections...two long ones and two shorter ones, but generally to get to new climbs not intentionally as a traverse by itself. The hikes this year were the result of Dave and Joe talking me into it and Spotly's obvious tease and great pictures here...not sure how I feel about all that yet or who I want to "thank" or better yet how

 

In '68 the majority of the Selkirk Crest and all the Pack River drainage was burnt to the duff in the huge Sundace fire. Until the mid '80s there was little brush or bush wacking to deal with any where in that drainages off the crest. Sadly not the story today, 30 years later. Think of hours in 10' high slide alders where there is no trail to get just a few klicks. Miserable POS, that is. That and the current lack of road and trail maintance in the area makes the traverse a real project getting on and off the ridge line. Having a difficult time even finding let alone coming down a trail that Dave and I once took an entire TV production crew up pointed that sad fact out.

 

I have always thought you could go from Roothan to Harrison Lake in a day, going north. Steve Jeffries and I had done it to Silver Dollar before in an "easy" day in and out when doing the FA of the WF of Silver Dollar. There is technical climbing in two places on the crest. The "fin" noted above in the original TR. And on Silver Dollar where you would need a rap route down the N or NW ridge if you were going south to north.

 

Or you could reverse it with a rap on the "fin" and climb either the N ridge (harder and longer than the NW ridge) or NW ridge (mid 5th class up high) has some easy 5th class up high on the NW ridge. It will add a LOT (time and gear) for most teams on the traverse if have to slow down and use a rope.

 

There is also a walk around option traversing the nw ridge and north face to get back on the ridge crest north of Silver Dollar.

Easier to find going south than going north.

 

Joe/PU, Dave/Fultonville, Carlos and I can all attest to good sticky approach shoes on the ridge crest (I tired my trail runners 1st time out which was bad idea), rock shoes are a good idea to have in the pack, LONG pants, and a good pair of work gloves for the brush if you aren't going in via the west side road on Roothan and out Harrison lake. Brush and the chance of night fall might make topo maps and a GPS real handy as well. Bring enough water for the day as there in none on the crest, and once on it, you don't want to drop off it until you are done.

 

Good day in the mountains no matter how little or much you do of the crest line. But not sure I can suggest it as a classic....approaches and decents can be long and shhiiiiiiiitttttyyyyyyy for what you get on the crest.

 

As the crow flies you are looking at something like 5 may be 6 miles. On the ground I bet it is closer to 20 from Roothan to Harrison lake. Beehive to Chimney is barely 3 miles as the crow flies.

 

It is easy to spend a long day out on the crest. There is still a chance to get on this for another couple of weeks before the snow flies. Elk are in the rut, bugles are common and it was 36 degrees on the Pack river this morning at the Beehive trail head. Have fun!

 

Carlos, his second day on the crest (east ridge of Harrison to e face Chimney rock), some where along the traverse after Silver Dollar looking south to Chimney and Roothan in the distance.

 

 

 

 

For scale....majority of the crest running left to right going south from the base of the NW ridge of Silver Dollar.

 

 

Looking north from the summit of N. Twin (I think) along the crest to Harrison Peak center right in the distance.

 

[fultonville]

Nice stuff. Wish I coulda done the rest of it but it ain't going nowhere so there's always next year!

[sobo]

Nice work, Dane and Carlos!

 

So Dane, is Carlos in a spot where I can call him now?

[Dane]

Sobo, my guess is he is hanging somewhere being easy on his feet today..like me He put in two good days on the ridge crest back to back. I kept thinking to myself as I hobbled along, "no country, for old men".

 

Better give him a call.

 

Dave, now we just need to encourage the locals to get on the "Gunsite to Harrison" leg as a day trip!

 

Summer soltice 2011?

 

I thought I should add this note for those looking at the traverse as a project in the future. The best climbing on the crest is the 3rd class slabs on the Beehive so it aint on the crest and it aint really climbing although I wouldn't care to stumble half way up the 3rd class slabs or do them in approach shoes.

 

South face of Harrison, rap the Fin, Silver Dollar and of course Chimney and Gunsight all can have some decent to truly stellar rock. But really none of it on the "traverse".

 

If you include the easiest technical climbing and stay on the true crest going north from Gunsight, you would rap the notch between Chimney and the ridge. Easiest version of the S nose on Chimney would be on pitch of .10b. Rap Chimney by the standard west face rap, traverse to the north side to the east face. Continue to the summit of Silver Dollar, rap the north face..which is 800'. On to the fin..2 100' pitches..5.7. On to Harrison Peak..climb the west ridge..exposed 3rd class.

 

It would make an incredible outing. Reverse it go south and you can get even more technical climbing and a shorter set of raps. Start with the south face of Harrison, N face of Silver Dollar, Any of the N or NE climbs on Chimney, rap the notch, Climb out of the Notch and finish via one of the Gunsight routes.

 

Now there is the REAL mondo size prize in the Selkirks.

 

Is it calling.... "joe&dave" "joe&dave" ?

[Dane]

Hey for those that have wondered what else is running around on the crest? I've seen grizz scat on my recent trips up there. Never saw any when i was looking 20 years ago. Spray seems an appropriate accessory up there these days.

 

This was taken just a few days ago in the area. Fat Grizz on an elk kill. I thought the claws were photo shopped but he photgrapher swears they are not.

 

His comments:

"This picture was taken north of Spokane about 50+ miles.

Flowery Trail runs over the mountain from Cusick to Chewelah.

Was photographing elk during that cold snap last week and

happened onto this spike elk carcass. There wasn't much left .... but based on what there were for tracks, a bear had just left it

Didn't see the bear so we put a remote trail cam up to see what exactly was feeding on it. 50 minutes later this is what showed

up.. Look at the claws on this Can't say I've seen too many with that much claw in the fall.

 

Wow! For those of you that don't know Flowery Trail is the

road the goes to the Ski Resort 49 degrees North

 

He's definetly a Grizzly!!! For those of you that do

know the area, you might want to be careful! ;-)"

 

 

 

 

 

[rat]

date, copyrights and claw length. nurture your skepticism:

 

http://www.ranchers.net/forum/about40856.html

http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,47086.0.html

 

not to say that grizzlies don't tread along the crest....

 

 

Edited November 23, 2010 by rat

[Dane]

Yep...entire thing is photo shopped...might be bears on the crest but this aint one of them Knuckle head who sent me a year old photo "taken yesterday"

[shapp]

Some grizz photos not photo shopped I took while working on Kodiak, and some grizz? at the Anchorage airport on a red eye. Had to take a pic of her with my collegue. I Da Ho Fisheries represent!

 

 

 

Edited November 24, 2010 by shapp

[sobo]

Yikes!!! :shudder: At least you could that she doesn't appear to hate America...

[spotly]

The bear picture is genuine. I went up today to see for myself and sure enough. Right next to the ski slope too. When I got back to Mead I found this in my dog house but couldn't find the new pup anywhere.

 

[sobo]

You bagging cougars now, spotly?

It's one of the most enjoyable sporting feats a young man can accomplish!

Dru™

[YocumRidge]

The bear picture is genuine. I went up today to see for myself and sure enough. Right next to the ski slope too.

Are there grizzlies on ski slopes in Idaho? Good to know because yesterday I came across one at the Government Camp.

 

One of the relic species.

[sobo]

Good one, Nastia! That thing'll chew yer ass up fer sure!

[YocumRidge]

Thanks Paul. It's reassuring!