[TR] Three Fingers 7/14/07 - Northwest Face 7/14/2007

[Jamin]

Trip: Three Fingers - Northwest Face

 

Date: 7/14/2007

 

Trip Report:

 

I am sorry for the tardy trip report, but I doubt that conditions have changed very much.

 

After we reached the trailhead at 7:00, we made good time up the trail. We lost the trail before Columbine Lake due to snowpack, but we were able to find it again on the ridge after a short distance. Goat Flats is beginning to melt out, but it probably won’t be completely melted out for a couple weeks. Currently, the traverse to Tin Can Gap will require ice axes.

 

Tin Can Gap was one of the most beautiful places that I have ever been. The meadows were beautiful, and we could see all the way to Puget Sound. Across the Queest-Alb Glacier, we could see our destination, the summit of Three Fingers. We met a party of would be climbers here who turned back because they did not have ice axes and crampons. Ice axes and crampons are essential to travel on the glacier. Moderate snow slopes up to 40 degrees are encountered on the descent down to the glacier

 

After roping up at Tin Can Gap, we descended the 200 vertical feet down to the Quest-Alb via some moderately steep snow slopes. Once on the glacier, we went up a small ramp and traversed above some crevasses and blue ice to reach the gully up toward the summit block. There were a few crevasses on the route and one rather large one in the gully. At almost to the top of the gully, we saw some climbers simul-climbing on the face to our left, and I assumed that they were following the standard route. As we watched them, the climber up above caused some rockfall, which barely missed the lower climber.

 

I needed to arrange some things for the climb so I sent Ryan up to the top of the gully to scout out a better route. He went up there and said that the ridge looked pretty tough so I decided to just follow the other climbers. At this point I was sort of beginning to yell at myself for my stupidity. I had assumed that there would be only about a 100 foot pitch of class 4 rock, which would be pretty easy for me to lead. I wasn’t prepared for a full-length pitch because I only had enough pro for 10-12 placements. It looked like there would be about 400 feet of rock climbing to do, and I knew I was in way over my head.

 

Ryan put me on belay at a location where he would not get hit by rockfall. The rock looked steep at first, but once I began climbing it, it seemed like little more than glorified class 3. I was only able to place about 5 pieces of shoddy pro, but it really did not matter because it wasn’t really hard at all. I set up a belay station on a rock horn and brought Ryan up.

 

The next pitch was a bit harder and involved a 40-50 foot climb of steep class 4. At the top there was a great ledge that really didn’t seem to have any good belay anchors. I met a pair of climbers on the ledge. They were turning back because of the lack of pro, because the terrain seemed a bit steeper than class 4, and because they only had a 7mm static rope. After chatting with them a bit and wondering what in the world they were thinking, I found a small crack, placed a horde of stoppers in it, and belayed Ryan up to the ledge. Once at the ledge, the two guys that were up there before me recommended a higher and less steep ledge that angled toward a small chimney one rope length away. I led the pitch up the ledge. It was mainly a couple sections of class 4 with some class 3. I reached a small rock horn below the chimney and belayed Ryan up. The pro was pretty good. Ryan spent about 15 minutes trying to remove one stopper, and none of them pulled out. http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1188/865557137_9040432ae2_b.jpg

 

I led the chimney. There is one upper class 4 move over a large chockstone and then some easy climbing up to the top. We found one nice locking biner up here in excellent shape. Booty!!!

 

After a quick descent down some class 3 to a small patch of snow, we did one more easy pitch up to the summit. There were great views down to the Craig Lakes and to Puget Sound. Glacier, Baker, Shuksan, Rainier, Whitehorse and Sloan were also visible. Craig Lakes are still frozen over, but they might be open in a few weeks. I took many photos with Ryan’s camera.

 

We summited at 5:00pm. After rappelling, we reached the bottom of the summit block at 6:30. Strangely, I received a call from my Dad on my cell phone just as we got back down to the glacier. There is cell service up there! After roping up, we were back at Tin Can Gap at 7:00, and we headed down in the dark. We eventually reached Ryan’s car at 11:30.

 

http://picasaweb.google.com/deviates/3Fingers

 

Gear Notes:

Glacier gear, dozen stoppers, regular climbing rope, ice axe, crampons.

 

Approach Notes:

Snow

[catbirdseat]

Are you talking about the North Peak?