curtveld

Trip: Ingalls Peaks - Consolation linkup - III 5.7 Date: 9/26/2007 Trip Report: Andy and I may well be the crustiest northwest climbers that have never climbed Stuart's North Ridge. But the north wind hammering through the night convinced us we might want to wait a little longer. But as we hiked out past Ingalls Lake, the wind calmed and we decided to grab a 'bird in the hand' on the Ingalls peaks. Having done the North Peak before, we scoped the East Peak. The south face looked reasonable and, having no guidebook to confirm or deny, up we went. A short rightward traverse accessed a clean class 3/4 corner system that brought us to a small talus bowl. The steeper black wall above went with a bit of juggy 5.6, past an old fixed pin (FP on photo) that confirmed prior ascents. From there, we simuled rightward up moderate slabs. A couple more steep blocky moves and we were onto the East Peak. From there, two raps got us down into the obvious chockstone notch and the start of the East Ridge of North Ingalls with time to spare. The East Ridge has a lot to like, including interesting mid-fifth climbing with decent pro, great exposure and views. The rock varies from reddish and rough to glassy black, but is always solid. And the swaths of green-yellow lichen are fantastic. Route finding is simple, aside from the occasional moment when you wonder which way you'll go around the next tower. But once you get there, it's obvious. We simuled most of the ridge, belaying occasionally when rope drag required. From the North summit, three raps down the south ridge (good anchors) got us back down. All in all, this combo makes a fine moderate outing. Starting with the East peak (we did the 'S. Face Right' in the tan Beckey guide) adds length and avoids some gully nastiness. Definitely worth doing...but it aint Stuart. The Consolation linkup - East Ingalls on the right The lower corner on the East peak Near the notch between peaks Stuart, as the cloud streamers off the summit were dissipating Photos by Andy Heiser Gear Notes: 60 m half rope and a light rack Approach Notes: Ingalls Lake trail

Nicely crafted TR! I've long admired that route via topo but have heard complaints it's a bit...well...monotonous?

Blue skies, fall colors, shirtless climbing...you east-siders really know how to rub it in.

Very good advice for the most part - follow the sun for shirt sleeve conditions. Gotta quibble with the 'upper 70's' rule of thumb though. Climbing in the shade on cooler days just takes long sleeves and a bit of fleece. That's what we did on Epinephrine in early March and it was fine. The canyons were still pretty empty then, too. Enjoy.

Beautiful. What are those trees with the red bark? They look like they've been toughing it out up there for many centuries.

...give up on Index and go to Squamish, particularly the Smoke Bluffs! Dozens of moderate crack routes with good pro and consistent ratings. Too many classics to list - grab your passport, a guidebook and check em out.

Fun stuff! Thanks for posting.

Very helpful - thanks

Actually I was wondering if the bridge is still out. Has anybody been up there?

Any repairs yet to the Chehalis FSR bridge or is this the beginning of an era of longer bike-ins? Thanks

Thanks, all.

Anybody been into Terror basin since these guys to see if the approach trail is gone or what?

I backpacked into that area from the Cedar Creek side once and thought that wall looked appealing. Bummer that the climbing sucks, but thanks for letting us know.

Nice accomplishment and great TR! These are the best photos I've seen of the actual climbing on this route.

At the Winthrop Ranger Station last week there was a notice indicating it would reopen in mid-Sept at the earliest. Not sure why they haven't posted that on their access web-site - wiggle room in case it takes longer or shorter presumably.

Wow, some cool stuff up there! After putting off Gunsight this many years, I'll just wait a little longer and the place will have its own guidebook. And the log crossings over Agnes are getting easier. Back in the day, they belayed over logs with pins for pro. Check out page 15 in Beckey's Challenge of the North Cascades (I'd scan it for yall if I had the technology at home). Great TR guys.

Wow, how cool to see other folks checking out the up-and-over Jack thing! But no crowds as of yet, apparently. Yeah, that keyhole is a nifty little feature – I squirmed though it like a gopher, trying not to dislodge too many chunks onto Andy. And I’m glad you had snow below it because that was the wettest and nastiest part of the route. Your summit day sounds like a long one, ending with the big downhill to Ross. Well done, all around!

I'd sure think so, though I've never used that system. It's just moderately steep snow - light boots worked fine for us.

Right on, guys! Did the same trip 24 hours behind you, including the head scratching up on the Fin. Certainly a nice surprise to have the boot skiing off Aasgard to save a bit of knee pounding. We confirmed this - the #5 only gets you about 2/3 of the way.

Way to cruise a couple of Darrington classics! My buddy Andy and I had a good ol time on Westward Ho last Saturday, brushing a bit of dirt and moss off along the way. Definitely some sustained slabbin without the typical mini-chickenheads. The first and fourth pitches felt a bit stout for 5.9, but could have just been the season’s first slab outing. How did the grades seem coming off Total Soul?

Any guesses as to whether Westward Ho (slab right of W. Buttress) is likely to be dry?

Check out the "2007 pictures" link. In addition to some sweet snow donuts, theres a "beautiful view of Silver Star Mountain".

Gloater I'll send you a pm Brandon and maybe we can connect some time - my office is about 20 minutes from Snag Buttress.

How about tomorrow (Tues) evening?

For a guy that “doesn’t get out much”, you sure seem to keep the quality up! Fantastic photos, per usual. No problem driving that far into the Mtn Loop, eh?