KaskadskyjKozak

it looked thin by mid June already from the summit of Fernow...

Nice! My son and I bagged Big Jim a few weeks ago C2C, roundtripping it up side from Badlands and down to Augusta (17 mi, 6K gain, 12 hours). We were eyeballing Chiwaukum and Snowgrass as a future visit!

suffering is good for you. it makes you appreciate leisure time better

good tip on 4th of July pass! There were a couple of recent TRs on nwhikers for the area plus Bulger hunting is getting more popular so it may account for the traffic.

Trip: Ragged Ridge - Mesahchie, Katsuk, Kimtah, Cosho - Standards Trip Date: 07/27/2019 Trip Report: It seems that this year every one of my trip plans has gone south for one reason or another and this was no exception. Initially hoping to get Challenger a weather blip got worse and worse as the week prior to the climb progressed. Not wishing to fuck around in a white out on Eiley-Wiley ridge and uncertain about Bergschrund conditions in this weird snow/snowmelt summer, we converted our four-day Pickets adventure into a three day Ragged Ridge consolation prize. Saturday still had a weather blip when we settled on the Chinook Slam and sure enough there was some rain and overcast skies as we drove to Marblemount and then Easy Pass TH early Saturday morning. The ranger station was the typical clusterfuck even at 8:30 am when we arrived and took a number. With permit secured we continued to the TH where it briefly dumped rain on us. With the next sucker window we headed up. As forecast the weather got better and better as we hiked in. Two parties of two with lighter packs and footwear passed us and we were concerned about choss bottlenecks and limited camping options. We made quick work of the hike to Easy Pass, then traversed around 6700' to the basin under Mesahchie and Pt 7430. To our surprise only a single tent was setup there and we threw down bivy sacks away from it on a decently flat spot. Later we spied folks descending from Mesachchie and Katsuk and chatted them up for beta. They were a party of three (so now there are 10 people up there total in four parties) who had arrived a day earlier and planned a 4 day climb with two separate twin-peak-bagging forays rather than a carryover traverse. Views back towards Easy Pass from the traverse towards Mesahchie: The basin we camped in on the first night. Running water right by camp: We set alarms for 4:30 am and got a great night's rest under clear skies. In the morning we broke camp and hauled heavy packs up to 7400' then stashed the overnight gear just above a cornice on the ridge and climbed Mesahchie, then Katsuk. The routes were as espected - loose rock, class 3-4. Great views on both summits. The "crux" section of gully up Mesahchie Peak: We then dropped back to our packs and began traversing the multitude of ribs and gullies on our way towards (we hoped) the E side of Thieves Peak, with a third summit on the way (Kimtah). Alas, this was not to be. About an hour along the traverse we ran into one of the parties of two we had seen a day earlier who were headed back home and reported they were "chasmed out". We soon got to said "chasm" and struggled to commit to the crossing ourselves. Basically there is an exposed 30' traverse with one horrible step on loose eroding dirt and no handholds. After scoping it out with no full packs for a long time and vacillating on what to do, I finally got out my small rack and we build a fixed line. All in all that cost us about 2 hours. It's funny how mental fatigue (this was 8 or more hours into the day already with a lot of exposed scrambling and traversing) can affect decision-making. The "chasm" crossing" Once past this crux we crossed one chossy rib and gully after another and wondered when the hell we'd ever see the Grotesque Gendarmes. At this point we ran into the party of three from camp returning from their summits of Kimtah and Cosho. They told us we had a ways to go and might consider bivying. They were right. We ended up arriving at the final gully before said gendarmes at 7:30 and set up a gorgeous bivy with spectacular views. Also, we had time to eat and get enough sleep to start early again. Our awesome bivy site: Alarms went off at 4:30 on the third day and we again broke camp and headed out. Despite all our beta and some cairns we still took some time to get through the gendarmes and find the upper red ledge. It took longer than we would have liked - that is for sure. We then crossed another seemingly endless series of ribs and gullies until we were finally directly below Kimtah. We dropped packs completely and headed up this short (800') scramble. We were surprised about how blocky this was and it took more than we would have liked but there was nothing super challenging about route-finding - just sniff your way up. From GPS tracks we had studied we knew most people would go up one gully and head down another. We saw why - pretty obvious from above how to go on easier terrain down. View from camp of the Grotesque Gendarmes and Kimtah: View back to the Grotesque Gendarmes and Katsuk: Ascending Kimtah: Once back at the packs we continue on another series of gullies and ribs (does this shite every fucking end?) to the final gully below the E side of Thieves Peak. We lost whatever bootpath we were following and ended up sniffing out a route to the col. From chatting with the team of three we knew the glacier was easily accessible. We roped up (30 m rope) and crossed to the col on the other side of Thieves peak, then dropped backs and scrambled up Cosho. there was a nice snow field giving access to a gully on Cosho making for easy travel. Accessing the glacier from the col E of Thieves Peak: Kimtah from Cosho: View W of Cosho summit: After five minutes on the summit of Cosho we headed back to our packs. We had a nice food and water break, then noted the time: 3:30pm. We were in for a long hike out. The gully below Cosho is honestly the worst place I have ever been. I'd rather be castrated with a dull butterknife than be there again. We methodically descended bullet proof dirt covered in loose rocks, polished slabs covered in loose rocks, waterfalls (some over and some around). We repeatedly fell on our asses and dealt with exposed face-in downclimbing or dirt/veggie bypasses with bad runout. Nearing dusk we finally got to the bottom and schwacked down a dry stream bed towards Fisher Creek. Finally at 9 we found the bridge crossing. After watering up we headed out - the wrong way. After 5 minutes, we realized our error and went the other way. Then we got confused because the trail on both sides of the bridge headed W and we wanted E. Finally after consultation of a map we determined the trail on the N side of the bridge is correct and must just start W and then turn N and E. That proved correct. One of many waterfalls that could be face-in downclimbed: View up the central gully to Cosho: We covered 6 miles in 3 hours arriving at the switchbacks up. Then we took 4 more to ascend to Easy Pass and down to the cars. Time? 4:30 am. A 24 hour day. Why do I do this shit? I dunno, but it did not prevent me from making it to a Slipknot concert that night and drinking copious amounts of beer. Gear Notes: Ice Axe, Crampons, 30m rope, Minimal rack Approach Notes: Very few bugs

I climbed the E ridge of Fernow. The rock is par for the course for the Cascades. I did not find it too bad/unsavory. I've been on much worse.

"Think I'll just sit here and drink"

yeah, I was on Fernow a couple weeks ago, saw this view, and said "fuck that". The traverse looks sketch balls

Thanks for the link. It's encouraging that there is that much snow on the S side. Still I wonder abou the N. Also saw a pic of cache col from weeks ago which made it appear that the area around the approach gully to Mixup is melting down to rock already, which seems early for those conditions

Anyone have recent beta on Buckner? With the low snowpack and quick melt this spring and summer, I'm wondering how it is holding up. I saw the reports from over a month ago - anything more recent? Even if just a picture from the summit of Sahale, Forbidden, etc?

Interesting. I climbed these four peaks with my son a couple years ago and we rated them very differently: Pinnacle: 3 stars Cardinal: 0 stars (what a POS with no snow!) Emerald: 3 stars Saska: 2 stars (he would probably say 1 - but I liked the finish) Strong work!

I checked out a game last night. First time in a long time - the $30 seat deal is pretty cool. Fun game with three homers and a W (despite the Es)

Yes! I found boots on the ground on the schwack from the lower basin camp (5400') to the upper one (5800') en route to climbing Tupshin. Two old, but usuable sturdy backpacking boots.

It's a fun one! Hope you get it in a year or three BRW - loved your TR for Chaval. I need to get back that way myself

Trip: South Spectacle Butte - SW Ridge Trip Date: 10/21/2018 Trip Report: I thought my trip to the Pasayten last month would be my final hurrah in 2018, but this Indian summer brought a welcome extension to the season. I chose a two-day jaunt into the Glacier Peak Wilderness with my son and dog for some offtrail/nontechnical alpine goodness. We drove up to Phelps TH Saturday morning arriving at 9. It was 28 degrees out but clear. The lot was partially full already - nowhere near how it is in the height of summer though. We hiked the Carne Mountain trail (fairly crowded) then began the High Traverse over to Ice Lakes. We were treated to much larch goodness and spectacular views on this bluebird day. View N from the summit of Carne Mountain. The high traverse to Maude is in left of the frame. Typical views on the traverse: The final slopes to Maude: Upper Ice Lake and the Spectacle Buttes: Lower Ice Lake: Approaching S Spectacle Butte A gendarme on the SW ridge of S Spectacle. Lots of class 3 and interesting route-finding on this route. I found the choss factor to be suprisingly low and the scrambling overall was quite enjoyable. My son topping out on the summit Views W from the summit. Maude and Ice lakes are center of frame: Gear Notes: Helmet Approach Notes: Neglible snow/ice patches. Easily travelled or avoided.

dood! this is awesome!

looks aside, Vizslas are the best hiking dog!

Trip: Lost Peak and Carru - Standards Trip Date: 09/23/2018 Trip Report: This has been a frustrating summer. Smoke and/or bad weather thwarted a few of my trips. With summer waning quickly and snow coming I decided to do a midweek trip, starting on a rainy Sunday and ending three days later. Also, larches. It's been too long since I got a good larch trip in. Oh, and since I couldn't find partners last minute and midweek - solo it (well, I brought my dog). Although I've solo'd many day trip scrambles, I've only done one overnighter before (Robinson) so this stepped it up a notch. On Sunday I packed for most of the afternoon and drove up to Mazama around 7:30. It was dry on the East Side until I got as far north as Kirkland or Bothell. From then on there was rain, sometimes pouring. At least this was the case until Darrington... and towards Rockport. Eventually things became drier as I passed the passes on Hwy 20 and started down the hairpin. I parked at the Monument Creek TH and slept in my truck. The weather was good all night (cloudy, no rain) and I headed up towards Slate's Pass around 7 am. As I passed the exposed hairpin the weather became increasingly socked in, and it was actually lightly snowing at the Slate Pass TH. Good times. This reminded me of my previous trip to the area where I hiked in the first 6-7 miles in the rain. Oh well, time to HTFU and go. The hike in went well. It took about 6.5 hours to get to Doris Lake and another 2+ hours to the meadows below Shellrock Pass. The weather got better the farther in I got and was dry at camp. We ate dinner and got water ready just in time for it to start raining. Bed time at 6:30! It snowed and rained lightly all night and the tent had a lot of condensation. By 6 am it was clear and we were up and moving soon. We made short work of the hike to Shellrock Pass and started to descend the E side. The trail started out clear and easy to follow, then hit meadows where occasional cairns marked the way and were not too hard to link up. After crossing the small stream we soon hit the recent fire burnout (from last year I believe). At first I could follow cairns and a lighter-colored line through the blackened earth. Then it was all cross country. I overshot the proper trail turnoff (Monument Creek Trail) I believe and aimed for the notch directly next to the W base of point 7275 on the ridge. The last 150 feet or so were up a very blocky gully. At this point the weather was getting bad - fog was rolling in with a lot of wind. I wasn't worried yet though. I climbed up and over point 7275 and dropped to the next saddle (~7000') then ascended to 7700' and began traversing. Now I was worried about the weather. The boulders were covered with a thin layer of snow and were slippery. It was getting more socked in, cold and miserable. I knew I had at least 1.5 miles of this traverse and could not see the top of Lost Peak. Nevertheless I kept going, hoping hypothermia would not be an issue. My pup seemed fine. As I rounded the first pair of humps in the ridge (Pass Butte), the rock became dry and snow-free and that helped with my morale. It was still not very clear up high though. I traversed under Point 8107 and could see lighter colored, sandier terrain ahead. I moved onto that. Then the the fog lifted and I could see the summit of Lost and realized I had traversed farther than necessary and headed straight up to the summit. Time up? 6 hours. Uggh. At least I was done, but I doubted I could tag Blackcap on the way out with the late start and shorter fall days. Summit shots on Lost Peak: Looking back at Lost Peak: Tres Bulger Hombres from Shellrock Pass at sunset: After some time up top, we headed down, retracing our steps. We had more trouble than expected finding the trail back. Once past the burnout I just headed towards Shellrock offtrail including steep heather slopes and meadows. We only located the trail at the stream crossing. As expected we got to Shellrock Pass too late to get Blackcap and dropped down to camp instead. It was dusk and about 7:45. We quickly ate and crashed. Up again on day 3 and moving by 7:20. I debated in my mind weather I'd get Ptarmigan and hope for Carru on the way back or just climb Carru. I opted for the latter. It was a quick ascent - 3:20 up. I decided to savor this summit. It was sunny and quite pleasant. The views were spectacular! Starting up to Carru with gorgeous morning sunlight: The meadows at 7000', just below the Carru-Lago col: The only class 3 we encountered on Carru: Summit shots on Carru: Stark contrast between live trees and burnout on Lease Creek drainage. Ptarmigan on right: I knew it would be tight to bag Ptarmigan before dark, so I opted to just descend to camp. It took 3 hours from the summit. At that point it was midday and I wanted a less strenuous final day so we broke camp and moved to Doris Lake. It was about 6:15 - plenty of time to eat, relax and enjoy a gorgeous sunset over the larches. Sad to leave the Shellrock Pass camp: But happy at Doris Lake: Sunset colors: We were up early again Wednesday and headed out at 7. It took longer to get back to Slate Pass than in, but that was fine. We got to greet quite a few PCT through-hikers on their last leg since the PCT had been rerouted to the Middle Fork Pasayten trail. Osceola over Larches: Reflections on Fred's Luck on the way out: Just below Slate's Pass: KK enjoys his victory beer (Super Fuzz!): Gear Notes: Ursack Approach Notes: No snow

we searched and searched for a register to no avail....

Very cool! I've been to Trapper's Peak (and Triumph) but not Thornton. Looks like a good one to tag on a revisit to the area!

I'm sure the talus is less tedious with snow - maybe early July? Also, I have been having problems with foot pain and experimenting with approach shoes on routes. They have their advantages but on this climb the descent on talus was a bit less secure with the thinner soles. If you only did one peak of the two, I'd recommend Devore. Glad you liked the TR!

Trip: Tupshin and Devore - SE Routes Trip Date: 09/01/2018 Trip Report: This year I decided to celebrate an extended Labor Day weekend near Stehekin. For a bonus, the recent rains had cleared out the smoke we've been engulfed in and the forecast showed no rain. On Saturday we rode a very crowded Lady Express from Field Points Landing to Stehekin. We then caught a late (30 min) but almost empty Red Bus to Harlequin Bridge and hiked up the Stehekin River Trail and Devore Creek Trail to Bird Creek Camp. From here we turned uphill and schwacked our way to flat terrain around 5400' and camped. Time to camp was just under 7 hours. Sunday we arose pre-dawn (which is late and luxurious these days) and hiked straight uphill over towards Tupshin. At about 7000' we attained the ridge leading to the basin below Tupshin's SE face. We crossed the talus fields and ascended to about 7600' and the base of the route. There was no snow whatsoever on our approach which made for a lot of tedious travel, but fuck, it is September! We scrambled the first bit of the SE face and tied in just below the minor block that marks P1. I opted to lead the exposed class 3 around the 5.2 block and flipped my rope over the top of the block before proceeding to a 4th class quasi-chimney. P2 was mostly scrambling. P3 and P4 were more interesting, each with a nice (but short) low-fifth section (5.4-ish). At the top of the fourth pitch, we untied and scrambled to the summit. Although there is a ton of loose rock, the ascent seemed mostly safe and secure. The descent - not so much. We ended up rappelling five times, including the section at the bottom that we had scrambled. It was a constant fight not to knock rocks down and move carefully to stay out of each other's fall line. Once off the route, we made our way back to camp. There whisky awaited me, and I drifted off to sleep happy to finish this one off safely. On Monday we ascended to the 5800' basin below Devore and hiked up the steep gully leading to a basin. From here we ascended the steepening basin to rock bands that we scrambled to the edge of the lakes at 7000'. We ascended some horrible shitty choss to the shoulder of the ridge (7500'). then ran the ridge to a large gendarme. To compensate for the choss-slog we were treated for some of the most spectacular views I've seen: Our route descriptions said "do NOT go around the S side" (of the gendarme). We ended up wasting 2 hours trying to get around the N. The snow patch here was too melted back and icy (rotten ice). Eventually we gave up and I checked out the S side. It went! From there it was a quick shit-slog through choss up and right about 300' to a notch in the ridge, a short ridge traverse to a 4th class step and finally a scramble finish to the summit. We did 2 rappels down (both short) and retraced our steps to camp. Everyone was tired and wanted to head out the next day so we set our alarms to allow for plenty of time to get to the bus in time. Tuesday was an easy hike back to Harlequin where we all rinsed off in the river and relaxed waiting for the bus. We got some goodies at the bakery and a beer on the boat. By that morning the smoke was back in force so we were not too sad to save Flora for another trip. Gear Notes: 60m rope, small alpine rack, helmet Approach Notes: Open forest with some schwacking

Awesome link-up!

Goode is real enough. So:

they got rid of the bad apples. somehow I'm still here