Blake

Climb: Goode-Northeast Buttress Date of Climb: 7/12/2005 Trip Report: On monday late morning, myself and a friend drove up the Stehekin road to its current drivable end, the 13.5 mile point. From there, our hike up Bridge creek was fueled by Huckleberries and HC We lost the trail in the big washout at Grizzly creek, but our eventual route up to the bivi spot seemed faster than the 2+ hours I had seen suggested elsewhere, not to mention it cuts about a mile off the trail distance. The floods of 10/03 definitely reshaped the hills, but theier brush-clearing properties helped us to get on and off of Goode. These two pictures should explain the route we took, which was fast and pretty easy. If water was really high, this approach might not be feasible, but on a hot afternoon in July, water was low enough to easily ford N. Fork Bridge Creek and all other streams. Maybe someone who has done the other approach could compare the two or mention how long the other one takes (including extra trail time)??? Our snaffle and mosquito-plagued bivi was made worse with concern over how the glacier would go in the morning using strap on aluminum crampons and light axes. We left our site at about 5:00AM planning on carrying over to Park Creek. This was the first serious glacier navigation that I've done, and we were glad to have a couple ice screws along for the first few hundred feet. After zigging and zagging a bit, we found a sketchy little snow bridge, and were able to make it cleanly onto the rock of the NEB, about 7:00. We pitched out a couple hundred feet, then did a running belay for the next 700 vertical feet or so, keeping 1-2 pieces between us until our rack ran out. After this, climbing was fun on low-mid fifth class that was made more exciting due to the packs and exposure. Somewhere in this section I clipped an old Becky piton, and although I'm sure its not the first or the last time I've done so, I couldn't help but think how cool it was to have this connection to the first ascentionist and FA party of such a (now) classic route. I kept thinking that we would be climbing in clouds by the end of the next pitch, but they moved up with us, and by 2:00pm we were on the summit with clear views. We had left our gear a few hundred feet below at the rap to blacktooth notch, and after downclimbing to anchor, we made a traversey rappel and a semi-belayed scramble over to the notch. From there, it really was an obvious descent gulley, with a couple rappels, and short downclimbing. A fun glissade landed us withing a few feet of that night's bivi. From high on the Park Creek side of Goode, we found it best to angle right and cross several small streams up high. The goal being to get to the ridgeline which is skier's right of the large creek valley and obvious washout below. (this washout has dammed a small lake in Park Creek, visible from above.) Once on the ridgeline, a good climbers' path leads to the valley bottom. The hike out consisted of a quick run down the ridge to the Park Creek Trail, and a race to our cinnamon rolls stashed at Bridge creek. These fast 10 miles were followed by a never-ending 2.5 miles back to the car. A fantastic route, once you hit the rock most of the challenges are behind you, but you've still got a long way to go. A note to others who go up: We took TONS of webbing from the route, mostly around rappel blocks. Please cut out the old manky stuff. If there are aready 7 runners on something, you don't need to contribute an 8th and leave it all there. We also bootied some stoppers and a biner, so to whomever is marking their gear with a dot of red and a dot of green, it was a fatefull find, as that's how I mark my stuff as well. Gear Notes: Crampons, axe, 2 screws. Two medium cams, two small tricams, a half-dozen nuts. Stoppers 7-10 were used most. Probably could have left the cams at home and brought a medium tricam/hex. Approach Notes: No snow until the glacier. No snow on the rock. Snowfield in upper Park Creek Drainage covers talus. The messy washout in Grizzly Creek might confuse others (we lost the trail here). From above it looks like after crossing the creek, one should hike back upstream on the far side of Grizzly Creek, as the trail is on/near the hillside. The creek has many branches in here, be sure you've crossed them all before trying to locate the well-worn trail that heads up-valley.

I thought penny lane was as hard or harder than Godzilla and princely ambitions. I think i remember seeing the start rated as 10a and .9 after that. In other words.. i wouldn't hop on there looking for a 5.7. Maybe I'm just a weak gaper though.

No, local buddies are.

Here's a few to share with everyone.. the best ones will stay secret. P.S. how does getting onto the NEB of Goode look to those that have done it? Klenke's Dark Peak

Climb: Reynolds Peak-South Ridge Date of Climb: 7/5/2005 Trip Report: Yesterday morning I left Lake Chelan, hiking up the ridge that separates Fourmile and Flick Creeks. After an Alpine camp last night, I made my way via the Summit Trail and Boulder Creek Trail to Reynolds Camp, with the summit of Reynolds Peak (8,512') towering 3,000+ feet above. By following the beautiful stream that drains the valley to the south of Reynolds, I was able to climb 2,000 feet up to a small pass separating the Stehekin and Twisp River drainages. From there, the idea was to contour north, gaining elevation and avoiding cliff bands and steep snow. The pass where I crossed over is between the words "Chelan" and "CO" Right Here. The south ridge is fairly loose on the side I climbed, but does make a very direct route to the top. (foreground) . After about a mile of scrambling, the summit pyramid was reached. The rock varied from extremely loose to quite good Washington Pass style "Oatmeal GRanite." The peak itself is topographically quite complex, and a variety of routes of varying dfficulty have been done, but to summit from this direction just requires a bit of snow travel and 4th class scrambling near the top. Views seemed endless, although it wasn't quite clear enough to see Rainier, but Stuart (or something in the vicinity) was visible. Many familiar register names, such as Paul Klenke, Mike Torok, Fay Pullen, Peggy Goldman, and a few locals. Summit views: Cascade Pass Region - To the West: I left the summit a bit after 3pm, and it took an hour to make it to the pass and cross back into the Stehekin drainage. From there it was a fun descent, interpsersed with a bit of rubbernecking and alpine lounging in the meadows. The descent and trail back to the road went quickly, which was good because things were looking stormy as I finished out the last few miles. This was a nice trip for a time when I couldn't find a partner, I didn't see another human the whole time. Gear Notes: Crampons and and axe will stay in the pack at this point, as the snow can be avoided. A helmet might be wise.

Ruth and Sahale are both super mellow, but not east side. ( I suppose since most of the Sahale Glacier drains to Stehekin that it is east side technically, but not as far as weather).

I've heard that you can knot thin (mammut 8mm) spectra using a 2x fishermans, but im not about to start cutting up mine to try it. anyone done this?

I'm not sure that you could connect enough cracks to make large climbs, but if you are up there on "Le petit" anyway, try some cool looking single-pitch stuff anyway.. rock looks good.

noodle roni fettucini angel hair pasta, and a foil pack of tuna. you will need a bit of milk powder.

Sounds like MArie's so desperate she's been having to "toy" with herself recently! Gary, maybe it was Colin that thought physics was gross, you are just confusing the two due to braids?

you could tie them yourself, but many people don't like a bulky knot on there.

Back to the originial question. Sahale is a fun solo if you are ok with big time exposure on 4th class (some say 5.0). The glacier is a cakewalk, with not but a couple of easily avoidable crevasses. There's a bomber rap anchor at the top should you choose to rap. If you wanted to rope up for the (1??) pith of rock, just bring a few runners, a couple nuts, and a couple tricams. The truly exposed rock section is short, just before the summit, but i think if you fell from any of it, you probably wouldn't stop falling until you hit the snow.

I'd love to see an anchor that is equalized from a variety of angles, and without the possiblity of extension should one piece blow.

Any Else think that John Long in 'Anchors' is paranoid and thinks every setup is a death trap?

Come over the pass and climb Goode, Logan, or Gunsight with me!

I hope with all this traffic that someone grabbed the ball of yellow tape from beneath that branch at the stream crossing. Who's going to put up a route on that face across the gulley from Spont. Arete?

Forget I ever asked this question. I just got done with 2 different 100' tyrolean traverses and some crag exploration/development on my NON-BELAY LOOPed 5oz harness, and all is good.

It's Merely a Flesh Wound!

yeah, i saw that map. Does anyone know if the river is wadeable during late summer at or near there?

Anyone know if it is possible to cross the Suiattle river anywhere in the viciinity of Miner's Creek or upstream? Speculation about river levels in August is welcomed too. Did the PCT crossing bridge get wiped out in '03?

Has anyone been up Bowan Mtn along rainbow ridge? I'd be interested to know what route was taken. I was up on point Arrow Mountain this morning as part of a rainbow-ridge traverse today. From my peak, it looked like a few hundreds yards of exposed 4th class, then about 400' of low fifth climbing to the summit. I was solo, so chose not to proceed. Beckey lists no route, and it looks like it might be 5th class from any directions. P.S. If you've been to the Rainbow creek/Bridge creek pass, Bowan is the peak which towers over you to the east.

I just picked up the Camp xlh 130 harness. IT doesn't have a belay loop, but I now prefer it to the aline bod. For mountaineering and alpine rock, it rocks! I've taken it cragging a couple times, and it is equally as uncomfortable as my alpine bod, meaning not great, but not horrible. I've only fallen on toprope though, no lead falls with it yet. @ 4ounces, and the size of a baseball, it is a big weight/space savings in the pack.

You could quote me on it though I've actual soloed it in the same company is a ranger, and the cascade pass ranger last summer soloed it at least once, so even "offical" folks don't oppose doing it alone. I think downclimbing the rock at the top would be the most dangerous, not the glacier.

I don't like them compared to what else is out there. Neutrinos themselves are fine, but when you can buy better carabiners for less $$, or lighter/bigger carabiners for equal $$, Neutrinos don't look so hot.