Trent

Braydon: Even in spring, the central gully is an avy chute. Check out this TR. We climbed the route the same day and did not realize that this had happened; we just thought that the party below had bailed. Pick good conditions and get an early start!

Would the approach from Ingalls Lake and Goat Pass be doable now avoiding any ice? I am contemplating leaving the axe and 'pons at home.

Following beta from other TRs, we traversed NE over Marble Needle (peak 8401) back to the McAllister Glacier. Follow the ridge NE up the steep snow to one fourth class loose rock lead to a low notch between the Praying Mantis and Marble Needle. One rap will get you to the Glacier on the other side.

Marc: Thanks for the beta. Nice job on finally bagging the route. Tenacity pays off! We looked at the weather and elected to climb on Sunday and Monday. There were two other teams on the mountain on Sunday; a team of two that were attempting a one-day ascent, and a team of three that were doing the bypass variation. Both bailed and we had the "gigantic" bivy ledge to ourselves. We elected to do the entire ridge and not bypass the hard climbing to the bivy ledges. I would reccommend this variation if you climb it again. The climbing was exposed but fun and the pro was good. It felt like sustained 5.9 to me. Having only one car, we elected to do the crossover descent back to the memorial. This ended up being more involved than what we thought, and we were benighted in the brush below the memorial, and bivied on a talus field. With light the next day it was five minutes to the trail. We estimated that we passed the memorial by about thirty feet in the dark!

Spire Point update: The two “hikers” were completing the Ptarmigan Traverse from White Rock Lakes to Cub Lake in a white-out. They ascended to what they though was Spire Col, and descended toward what they thought was Itswoot Ridge. Getting into third class terrain and feeling uncomfortable, one of the party took of their pack and hitched it to a sling to downclimb. The pack pulled the person of balance, at which time they let go of the pack. Feeling sketched they elected to stay on a small ledge and call 911. A GPS cut was pulled off of the cell, which matched up to where they thought they were. NAS helicopters were unable to reach them due to weather. The next day, one team started up the Downey / Bachelor Creek access, while another team was inserted later at Iswoot Lake. The two stayed on their ledge until later that day when it was explained to them that rescue teams would not reach them until the next day. They then climbed back up to the Dana Glacier, and were found the next day, escorted down to Cub Lake, and flown out. For you starving climbers out there, the pack contained the tent rain fly, a down bag, pad, and $300.

Trip: Meulefire and Indecision - East Face Date: 8/2/2008 Trip Report: It has long been a goal, nay, a lifetime dream of mine to climb every peak in the Repulsive 69. To those not in the know, the Repulsive 69 is a list of the sixty-nine most obscure and unappealing peaks in the Cascades. Inclusion in any “Selected” or “Classic” guidebook is an automatic disqualifier for this list. No one has completed the Repulsive 69, as two of its peaks are as yet unclimbed. As far as the race for completion goes, Dallas (aka Obi Wan) has a comfortable lead with sixty some odd. Scott (aka The Moat Master) is a distant second with twenty-twoish. I am unsure of the exact number, he keeps his count secret. Jason (aka Snaffle Bait) is in the running with nineteen. I am trailing the pack with a measly fifteen. Jill (aka Dr. Jill) has climbed twelve, but she has a lot of spare time and could easily catch me. I needed a few of the grand boys ticked this weekend to pad my lead over Jill and gain on Scott. I pulled out the cell phone and started calling prospective climbing partners. What would it be this weekend? Seapho Peak? Berge Mountain? Canadian Border Peak? Or the ever-elusive South Hozomeen? Damn caller ID. Ever since I set my sights on completing this list, most of my regular partners won’t answer the phone anymore. Just when I was ready to give up, the phone rang. Caller ID listed Scott. “Wanna go climbing this weekend?” he asked. “What, couldn’t find anyone else?” I retorted. “Shut up and be at my house at seven AM, and make sure that you are not followed”, was the answer. “Where are we going?” I inquired. “I’ll tell you on the way. I have an FA route scouted on one of the 69”. An FA on one of the 69! This would be our golden ticket to Cascade mountaineering history! I could hardly contain myself. I arrived bright and early at Scott’s place packed to the gills and ready for anything. “Lose the rock shoes.” he said. What was I thinking? This was one of the Repulsive 69, not exactly known for their quality rock. Once out of cell range, he finally revealed the objectives, Meulefire and Indecision, with the added possibility of Little Johannesburg or Repulse! This would be an epic weekend indeed! Fisher Basin The approach to Silent Lakes Silent Lakes. Muelefire in the background. After a quick march over Easy Pass and up Fisher Basin to the Silent Lakes, we dropped our packs and ran up Fisher Peak. To enjoyable for inclusion in our list! The next day we set out for the crown jewels of Grizzly Basin, Indecision and Meulefire. We summited Arriva to check out our prospective route, the North Ridge on Meulefire, and said hi to Mr. C. on the summit. The ridge looked good, but getting on it looked difficult. Too many gendarmes and notches. Well, we would have to get this mighty one via the dog route. The North Ridge on Muelefire After traversing down heather slopes to Grizzly Basin, the real business on Meulefire began. We started climbing what quickly became fourth-class scorist. For the uninitiated, scorist is a combination of forest and blocky scree that is common on sub-alpine slopes in the Cascades. Scorist has ratings from class one to class five, and further gradations reaching 5.9. The rating system is quite similar to the commonly used YDS. I watched Scott pull a figure eight over a u-shaped fir tree, spraying needles everywhere. “Nice move!” I yelled. After the scorist, we emerged to a seemingly never ending field of steep heather interspersed with steps of unusually shattered rock balanced precariously at their angle of max repose. Scorist attained We finally reached the summit ridge and followed to a notch just NE of the summit. Beckey says one lead of 5.2 to the summit. Who needs rock shoes for 5.2? And what exactly is 5.2? Well, in exploring my low fifth-class boundaries, my grade-inflated head was certainly wishing for some sticky rubber! The next 30 meters were enjoyable climbing on surprisingly solid rock! I guess that it can’t all be bad. We topped out and looked over at Indecision. To our untrained eyes, the summits looked to be the same height. A ten-minute scramble took us to the top of Indecision. The last entry in the summit log was from Roger Jung, on a solo traverse from Fisher in 2003. The author contemplates 5.2 The summit of Muelefire. Another tick! Joe and Joan Firey and John and Irene Meulemans made the first ascent of Meulefire in July of 1966. However, Indecision, the higher peak according to Beckey, was not climbed until 1972. The question arises, why didn’t the Firey and Meulemans crew, who were prodigious peak baggers and FAers in their day, climb both peaks when the other summit was only ten minutes away? Beckey’s guide lists Meulefire as a lower sub-summit of Indecision massif. Perhaps this is comeuppance for the Fireys and Meulemans, who nabbed the first ascent of Arriva the day prior in 1966, when Beckey and crew had climbed the slightly lower East Peak in 1940. After a rap off the summit, and an interminable steep scree, slab, and heather down climb, we got lucky and rapped through the scorist to Grizzly Basin. The next day, unable to recall what the traverse to from Fisher to Repulse looked like, we climbed Fisher again. It would certainly be a coup to pull off on ascent of Repulse, the namesake of the Repulsive 69! The traverse had been done the opposite direction by Roger Jung back in 2003, but it was too involved for us on our last day. Oh well, this is how the ball bounces when you are bagging the big boys. We decided to get Little Johannesburg on the way out. The second run up Fisher. Black peak and the N Ridge of Repulse in the background. But like so many of these Repulsive climbs, the mountain had other ideas. On the traverse down to Fisher Basin, Scott slipped and took out a chunk of his palm on a talus block. We limped our way back over Easy Pass under the scornful gaze of Little Johannesburg and to the car for some warm beer. Little Johannesburg patiently awaits our eventual return and conquest. Another two of the proud giants vanquished, and my list closer to completion! Graybeard. A worthy peak but it made Nelson's book. There will be blood The price paid Gear Notes: Forget the rock shoes, eye protection (for scorist), first aid kit. Approach Notes: Over Easy pass, hang a left up to Fisher Basin, take obvious gully up to col, good camping at Silent Lakes.

Jens: Congrats on getting hitched. I know of a minister in Mt Vernon that might be willing to oblige. The major sticking point is that he is practicing, and would have to be back with the flock on Sunday. I will run it by him and see what he thinks. Steve.

Some Pictures: Dallas and Jberg KK on the approach Jberg at sunrise First pitch Brooks having fun Dallas on route Dallas and Brooks with Boston Dallas belaying Westies on the summit block Dallas contemplating his eighth time on Forbidden's summit Concerning the size of the rack: I thought that it was just right. We were running the pitches, and there was ample opportunity for placements. The size of the rack allowed the leader to run the pitches for a ways, and still have enough peices to build a bomber belay anchor. If one was planning to belay each pitch, a smaller rack would have been sufficient. But being into unnecessary suffering, I invariably bring more gear than I need just to get a good workout on the approach. As far as the route was concerned, I thought that it was of higher quality than the West Ridge. It is one of the best in the Cascades according to Dallas, who has climbed just about everything. Steve.

Trip: Bonanza Peak - Mary Green Glacier Date: 7/5/2008 Trip Report: For about two months, Waydough, Heinrich, and I had planned for a big weekend over the 4th on Rainier. Looking at the weather forecast for the weekend, it was obvious that Rainier was not going to go. Well, onto our weather backup plan, which has happed much to often this year. Heinrich opted out due to the fact that he had already bagged the peak. Waydough and I left Oak Harbor early to meet the Lady Of The Lake at Field’s Point Landing, a much better option than the boat dock in Chelan. The Lady Of The Lake is definitely the slow boat to Lucerne, stopping at every possible spot to disgorge people of all descriptions. When we finally arrived at Lucerne we were met by the bus ran by the Lutheran retreat at Holden. Waydough had done his research and procured for us reservations on the bus to Holden, which are available by email only. The cost for the bus ride has risen (hasn’t everything?) to $15 round trip, exact change only. The town of Holden escapes an easy description. It was a mining company town from the turn of the century until the late fifties, when it was donated to the Lutheran church. The church operates it as a retreat, but anyone is welcome to stay. Most of the old mining buildings are intact, including a bowling alley, as well as two saunas and a hot tub. We arrived just in time for the Holden Fourth of July parade, which consisted of costumed revilers parading up and down the main street. No fireworks, though. The hike up to Holden pass went quickly, under four hours. After a quick camp and discovering that white gas can go bad, and that Mountain House will rehydrate with cold water, we set our alarms and hit the sack. After a 4AM wake up, we started climbing. The route goes over a third class step and gains the Mary Green Glacier after some scrambling up third class slabs. The glacier was in excellent shape, and we took a more direct route than the meandering route described in Beckey. The bergschrund was easily passed, and we met up with another party of two, who graciously waited for us so we could climb as a team of four to avoid any party inflicted rockfall from gaining too much momentum. These guys were well on their way to taking climbing to another level. The week prior they had run a half marathon at just over an hour, and then did the approach to the West Ridge on Forbidden to the notch in a day. For this trip, they had just run a 10K or such the day prior. This route gets so much traffic most of the big stuff had already been pulled down. The rock was loose, but not unusually so. We made the summit three hours after leaving camp, unable to enjoy the views due a sudden decrease in visibility. On the descent, we elected not to rappel due to the ease of the down climbing and the possibility of pulling off rocks with the ropes. We arrived back in camp two hours and fifteen minutes after leaving the summit. Having the whole afternoon available, I elected to run up Martin Peak, while Waydough relaxed and dreamed of killer picas. The West Ridge route on Martin does not have much to recommend. After slogging up scree forever, I decided to get on the ridge and get off route. I discovered why this is not recommended after travelling over some very loose fourth class. My luck held out at the summit, as the weather had not cleared on I had no view. On the descent, I elected to rap the fourth class slabby gully, and set up the only rap station on the entire route. I arrived back at camp five hours after leaving. I considered this route rather unpleasant, not one that I will repeat any time soon. After I arrived back at camp and had some cold Top Ramen, the rain started. The next day dawned clear, and after a scenic hike down we arrived at Holden, fifteen minutes too late for the bus for the fast boat. Near the lake we were privileged to witness the rare mating dance of the hoary marmot. While waiting for the boat in Lucerne, we jumped in for a quick dip, quick being the operative term. I discovered that the lake is much colder at this end. The boat ride back to Field’s Landing passed quickly in discussion with two teachers who were climbing all summer. I want that job! Overall, the route is in excellent condition at the present, with no major difficulties. Catch to boat at Field’s landing and get reservations for the bus to Holden via email. Camp at Holden Pass, a scenic spot that sets you up well for the route. Leave four to five hours for the West Ridge on Martin. Gear Notes: Glacier gear, aluminum crampons. Expect to camp on snow at the pass. Approach Notes: Lady Of The Lake to Lucerne, bus to Holden, trail to Holden Lake, minor bushwack to Holden Pass.

To get to White Salmon Basin from the summit pyramid, one must first descend the Sulphide Glacier for a couple of hundred feet to a feature on the right known as Hells Highway. (See photo below.) Hells Highway is incorrectly labeled "The Hourglass" on the USGS map. (See F. Beckey, CAG III 2nd Ed. pages 66-67.) Hells Highway is basically a steep snow slope that will allow access to the Upper Curtis Glacier, which can be descended via a falling traverse to the White Salmon Glacier. The White Salmon Glacier can be decsended directly to White Salmon Creek, and the ski area. We were lucky with the snow cover, and did not have to remove our skis once on the descent. Hells Highway.

A few pics:

The helo is an SH-60 out of NAS Whidbey Island. Occasionally the crews practice high altitude operations to ensure that they have the experience and knowledge to execute a rescue at that altitude.

It is the same area. According to my "guide book", there are 24 routes on the cliffs dating back to 1971, a few being multi-pitch, with a good probability of more having been established the past year. The crag is larger than Split Rock with easier access, and has some huge boulders for those of that persuasion.

Dallas Kloke has been exploring a new crag he calls Coal Mountain, located south of Hamilton and the Skagit on on the Finney-Cumberland road at about 3200' elevation. It has many moderate routes ranging from 5.7 to 5.10, but not much more harder than that. There is the potential for many more routes, however.

I'll be there! Beers on me at the Brown afterward!

We did not travel by it on the way up, but at our rate I would guess about four hours.

As per a phone conversation with the local Ranger, it is washed out at Hard Creek, approximately eight miles prior to the Eldorado TH.

Saw this line this weekend just north of Paul Bunyans Stump and wondered if it had been climbed. "Washington Ice" has rumours of ice in the area but nothing described. There were a few more lines ranging from WI2 to mixed close by. Perhaps the future site of the Washington Ice Festival? The line is at the far lower left of the preceding photo at the toe of the (almost) extinct Colonial Glacier.

Thanks for the info. With the Cascade River Road washed out, we decided to check out the North Face of Pyramid instead. For those interested, its not in.

Anyboby have any beta about a couloir on the north east aspect of Mixup peak that would be a good winter outing?

Trip: Eldorado - NW Face Couloir Date: 11/5/2007 Trip Report: For those interested in the conditions, Scott and I climbed the NW Face Couloir on Eldorado on Monday. The recent warm rain followed by cool clear weather made the climbing conditions excellent. The steep approach on Sunday took us 5 ½ hours to our camp on the Inspiration Glacier. The next morning we started marching at 0715, traversing across the east face on a frozen crust and descending a gully at the col to the immediate north of the North Ridge. We down-climbed a bit, then did two 30M rappels to get us into the North Cirque (See Alpinist David for further enlightenment). The climbing in the couloir was steep snice punctuated by steps of WI3 ice. The rock was mostly rimed and verglassed over, so rock pro was pretty scarce. It reminded me of pictures that I have seen of Scottish winter climbing, except that we were not making any frozen turf sticks. The climbing was very enjoyable with good body weight sticks the whole way up. We topped out four hours after starting, and went camp to camp in 7 ½ hours. Easy travel on the glacier Rapping into the northern cirque The route Belaying Following An ice step Fun! Topping out Gear Notes: Brought a light alpine rack, four screws, and two pickets. Could’ve used less rock pro and more pickets. Approach Notes: Trail free of snow to 6000 feet. Snow conditions were good early in the day with easy travel on a frozen rain crust.

Anyone interested in Outer Space on Friday before the weather caves in (again)?

Trip: Minuteman Tower - East Face, 5.8 Date: 9/13/2007 Trip Report: On Thursday, Dallas, Kevin and I climbed the East Face of Minuteman Tower. There are some excellent trip reports published, so I won't belabor the details. We climbed the standard route for the first four pitches, but bypassed the 5.10 pitch on the headwall. We traversed right (north) about fifteen feet from the start of the 5.10 hand crack to a low angle squeeze chimney and exited it over a small roof to the start of the excellent 5.8 hand crack. Dallas led this pitch, and it felt like 5.6 on second, although it was somewhat awkward. The hand crack was well worth the climb. It was Dallas' 68th birthday, and the third time he had climbed the route. Steve Gear Notes: Standard alpine rack to #2 camalot. Approach Notes: No snow.

Mark: I have not read “The Rock Warrior’s Way”, but regularly climb with a 67 year old. He is still putting up new rock routes in the low tens, and some of his alpine leads have haired me out on second. In other words, I don’t think that age will keep you from improving your climbing. Good headspace and the physical ability to apply it can be used well into your golden years. Just look at Fred.

Steph: We followed you the next day on Challenger. We entered the Range via the no-brush option by climbing over Whatcom Peak via the North Ridge. I would recommend this approach as an elegant route to access the North Pickets. We then made an aborted attempt on Crooked Thumb, climbed Challenger, Fury (east peak), Luna, then exited via Access Creek. Access Creek was not brushy by North Cascades standards, and almost had a trail in places. Sorry your trip did not turn out as planned