couloir_climber

I climbed Mt Constance on Friday (8/19/05) by skirting below the Terrible Traverse (no snow/ice which made it not so terrible at all) as I could not readily locate the Finger Traverse. I did notice a couple horizontal cracks in the area where the FT is supposed to be...the OCG's directions are sparse...is there a key to finding the Finger Traverse as soon as you come through the East-West ridge notch? I ended up climbing the class IV rock immediately to the left after you come thru the notch and "descended a few feet" (per OCG FT route description) but after I climbed over this minor ridge noticed I could have much more easily just walked down and around on the snow patch. Still didn't find the obvious route up to the finger traverse, so descended down and around, then up a slanted goat trail to the "terrible traverse" and on along the ridge line to the summit block and the summit. I didn't see a register or a Geological Survey plate at the summit. Good day hike from Olympia!

I climbed Constance on Friday (8/19/05) and there were just a couple small patches of snow on the main route. I didn't need my ice axe...in fact it was only in the way on the trail when you had to scramble under fallen trees. I bypassed the terrible traverse below the snow. No drama.