Trip: The Moxes, Custer & Rahm, Spickard - Standards
Date: 7/21/2008
Trip Report:
Trip Report: Spickard Slam
Don ascending EZ Mox
“Paleface Pass? Where the hell is THAT?”
The small sign, nailed to a stump, confirmed what our compass had been telling us: we were not 3 miles and 1800’ feet up Depot Creek, but in some other Canadian drainage, going the wrong direction. The temperature was now in the high 80s. I was eating electrolyte pills like candy. Damn.
We arrived at Ouzel Lake that night at dusk, not exactly feeling spry. A massive new landslide, and a matchstick maze of blowdowns, the heat, and our little detour made for a a bit more than a stroll into camp.
Matchstick lichen (cladonia floerkeana), Depot Creek
Our plan was to slam the area over the next 4 days; the Moxes, Custer and Rahm, and Spickard. I’d climbed Redoubt over 2 decades before, so due to limitations in time we left that one out.
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Glacial tadpoles: air bubbles 'swimming' seaward. Redoubt Glacier.
Don on EZ Mox
The fog promptly poured in from the northwest the following morning. Still, we were able to climb the Moxes, although the views were limited to looking at each other against a backdrop of brilliant grey.
Don descending EZ Mox
EZ Mox is an enjoyable scramble. The snow arête has melted away, so snow gear may be left on the glacier. A rope is handy for a couple of raps off the summit to a ledge system at 8200’, but not necessary. Hard Mox lived up to its steep and rotten reputation; made worse by a recent slide that has transformed the main gulley into a teetering pile of huge, unstable blocks and dirt. Avoid. This, and the vertical chimney at it’s base, can be bypassed either by some mid fifth climbing on (climber’s) left (our route), or via easier scrambling to the right. There is one good solid half pitch at the base of the summit tower at least.
Hard Man, Hard Mox
Heading back to Redoubt Col from the base of Hard Mox
During the foggy part of our trip we traded beta with Al Ellsworth and Philip Smith, who were also in the area for a bit of a slam, albeit on the opposite schedule.
Satisfied, with the Moxes behind us. From just above Ouzel Lake
Following the Moxes, we established a bivvy at Spickard Pass and climbed Custer and Rahm in bright sunshine. Custer’s S ridge, despite it’s reputation, is actually kind of a neat walk in the sky, with one really crappy little downclimb thrown in. The 400’ climb to the summit is just a standard pile with choss surfing opportunities for the descent.
Headed for Mount Custer, with Silver Lake and Rahm in the distance
The south ridge of Mount Custer, the most solid peak in the Cascades
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Gulley surfing Mount Custer
Just after negotiating the ‘crux’ on Custer’s south ridge. It’s easier on the way down, and, um, don't try to bypass it
Cloud reflections on Silver Lake
Rahm’s easy talus summit is gained via a fun little scramble gulley, well marked by cairns top and bottom. The view from Rahm, particularly of Spickard lording over the amazing Silver Lake, which changes color by the hour, is one of the best in the Cascades.
Silver Lake and Spickard from the summit of Rahm
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“What’s that smell?” Skunky polemonium, Rahm Peak
Our final morning we awoke early to grab Spickard’s summit. Parties wishing to make it a steep neve climb can still slip around the schrund on it’s right and climb on unbroken snow to within an easy 50 foot scramble to the summit. We chose the standard rock route. Well, Don did, anyway. I chose to tree myself on the first spire, wasting half an hour tossing lichen encrusted flakes down the mountain until I’d excavated down to rock that was just extremely horrible rather than outright deadly. I emerged from my ordeal to find Don sitting patiently on the arête, sporting a well deserved shit eating grin. Once on the summit we found that we were not alone. A single deerfly clung to a rock, sharing a somewhat segmented version of our view. Those fuckers really get around.
The Pasayten, from Spickard
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Panorama from the summit of Spickard
Less exhausted on our way out, we were able to better enjoy spectacular, sunlight views of Depot Falls, an 800 foot wonder that blasts out of the swamp above. Every climber should see this spectacle at least once.
The top of Depot Creek Falls
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Depot Creek Falls
A two inch long flathead borer. Depot Creek
In the old growth below we ran into Frith Maier and Susan Ernsdorff, headed in for Redoubt and Spickard. It’s a relatively popular area this time of year, but one that somehow absorbs parties so that they rarely encounter one another. Well worth the grunt to get in there, for sure.
Gear Notes:
A single 60 meter rope advisable for rapping off of Hard Mox. The 2 raps we did on EZ Mox could easily be done with a shorter rope. We didn't employ ropes on the other peaks except for glacier travel. We used a light rock rack for Hard Mox only. Crampons were used only on Spickard, although the approach to Custer or the Moxes could require them after a cold night.
Approach Notes:
Last 2 miles of road requires a high clearance 4WD. An Outback made it with some bottom dings.
Go to the END of the Chilliwack Lake Road. Take the 2nd to the last diagonal turn off on the left for the Depot Creek access. Lie to the border guard about where you are going; a mysterious special permit is needed to reenter the U.S. via trail. Altruistic souls with extra time on their hands may wish to bring loppers, a tree saw, and a chain saw. The trail is blown down and brushy.
Unfortunately, the deep screshies of the upper gulley gave way to thin stuff over boiler plate. We had to 'four point' the rest of it; face in on hands and toes for those sudden drops. Coulda used a pair of work gloves.