zoroastr Posted July 17, 2007 Share Posted July 17, 2007 (edited) Trip: P. Bunyan's Stump / Colonial Peak - 2-Peak Day Hike Date: 7/15/2007 Trip Report: Last Sunday, EJohnson and I decided to do a bit of "cleanup" in the Colonial Peak region. We'd already bagged several area walk-ups, but never Colonial itself, nor Paul Bunyan's Stump. After mounting the Colonial Glacier, we encountered a few Mountaineers descending from a climb of Snowfield Peak (located across the Neve Glacier). Last season, Johnson and I, along with a friend of Erick's, enjoyed a nice dayclimb of Snowfield in early season, logging a car-to-car time of just over ten hours--it was a blast, but a bit of a slog. On the lower slopes of P.B.'s Stump, during one of the peak's rare cloudless moments. By the time we approached the terminal summit blocks, the thing was once again socked in, and we were robbed of what must surely be some incredible views--grrr! We got revenge later in the day on top of Colonial. With the peak's upper reaches totally shrouded in mist, we mistakenly took the first line that looked like it might go. We knew we were off route when the moves started to run to 4th and low 5th class. Once on top, the joggers' 2nd class route revealed itself. Doing the summit ridge from the wrong side was a bit sketchy; the thing's realy just a pile of loose, teeter-totter blocks. Tiptoe carefully, as there's some healthy exposure... After topping out on the Stump, we decided to head back to the car early and grab some brews in town, but Colonial stayed fog-free and looked too tempting to pass up. Within minutes we were panting up the the lower slopes of the day's second goal. As we hadn't studied the guidebook, we picked what looked like a 3rd-class scramble route up a rocky ridge. For the second time that day, we had underestimated our line. A series of 4th-class ledges got us pretty close to what we thought was the summit... Found a neat little buttress toward the top of Colonial--made for a nice, airy scramble. From our high point on the summit ridge, we looked across to the true summit, which seemed to be about 20 feet higher. We immediately began casting about for a route to the peak's true apex, but some 40 mph, knock-you-on-your-ass winds, combined with the lateness of the hour prompted us to bail. Naturally, on descent, we discovered a huge cairn marking the joggers' path. Memo to self: RTFGB! We started our descent at 5:00 PM, and were at the car by 8:10 PM with bags o' daylight left, giving us a CTC time of 10-1/2 hours. Contemplating the goal of last year's epic day climb: distant Snowfield Peak from a point near the Colonial-Neve Col. This shot was meant to placate the 'stop-and-smell-the-roses' crowd, whose ire we constantly risk provoking with our fast-n-light tactics...oops, I didn't mean to open that particular can of worms...forget I said that. Edited July 18, 2007 by zoroastr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toast Posted July 17, 2007 Share Posted July 17, 2007 Nice, that was a big day Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa_D Posted July 17, 2007 Share Posted July 17, 2007 nice work! beautiful pics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billygoat Posted July 17, 2007 Share Posted July 17, 2007 That was me down on HWY 20 rounding the bend looking up at you guys. Wished I was up there.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
layton Posted July 17, 2007 Share Posted July 17, 2007 Are those bike shorts! Dude. Not cool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tazz Posted July 17, 2007 Share Posted July 17, 2007 I agree about the bike shorts! Good stuff thanks for the report. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olyclimber Posted July 17, 2007 Share Posted July 17, 2007 Other than the bike shorts, this is a great pic! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XXX Posted July 17, 2007 Share Posted July 17, 2007 sweet trip. but dood those shorts are so gay! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoroastr Posted July 17, 2007 Author Share Posted July 17, 2007 I wear the bike shorts sometimes because they're comfortable and fast. As far as being "gay," I'm afraid I wouldn't know. You can probably explain the world of gay fashion better than I can, though, so have at it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill_Simpkins Posted July 17, 2007 Share Posted July 17, 2007 I love it up there. Except the hike out kinda sucks. Nicew TR! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mvs Posted July 17, 2007 Share Posted July 17, 2007 The pant police are loose! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt_warfield Posted July 17, 2007 Share Posted July 17, 2007 I don't care if he's wearing Lederhosen- the dude is gettin' 'er done. Big day trips rule. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoroastr Posted July 17, 2007 Author Share Posted July 17, 2007 ...Actually, for my next multi-pitch trad lead, I'm handing the camera to my partner and wearing a kilt...stay-tuned for hi-res photos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoroastr Posted July 18, 2007 Author Share Posted July 18, 2007 Just for contrast, adding a shot of the entrance to the Colonial Glacier, taken from this year's abortive, early-season attempt. We walked right up into high winds and zero visibility...almost enough to make me put on pants! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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