Meray

3.5 miles to the Lake Constance Route from the Dosewallips Washout. Initial elevation is 600'. Lake Constance Route starts on the old road @ 1300'. Parking permits are not required as of this trip. Restrooms and water on approach are at Dosewallips State Park 1 mi south of Brinnon. 24 hr gas at Brinnon Store on Hwy 101. Lake Constance Route is 2 mi, 3400' gain. Water is available from Constance Creek for most of the way. Losing the trail is easy sometimes. Watch for route markers on trees from about 1/2 hr up. Route ends at Lake Constance, 4700'. Continue along east margin of lake to talus/scree slopes. Traverse up and ahead to find variety of way trails toward Avalanche Canyon. Camping quotas by NPS at Lake Constance. Bear cans not required due to bear wires in place. Continue into the mouth of Avalanche Canyon to just south of South Chute. Camping on snow is generally possible. Water obtained from creek descending from west side of canyon or melting snow. Time to Avalanche Canyon camp from lake is about 1 hr. Start up slopes above Avalanche Canyon camp before actual South Chute. Traverse up and east toward Cat's Ears on steep dirt, talus, and scree. Enter gully and climb to its head at Chute's Notch. Traverse left and down about 300 yds to next major gully. Followed moat next to rock until blocked by steep rock and hard snow/ice. Used ledge system back left, then up and right to circumvent snow. (Crampons later in season may be useful at this point.) After regaining moat, steps cut across narrow section of ice to gain access to scree and dirt of gully system. Stayed generally left against rock slopes for better footing. Climb to head of gully trending to east near top. At top of gully system, turn left and find a short steep chimney which accesses the correct notch in the ridge. Descend 50 yds to snowfield or slopes. Turn left/west and cross low angle snow or rock to upper slopes. After descending from the notch the route to the Terrible Traverse is directly north across a steep gully and climbing on to a ledge. Access to the Finger Traverse and alternate by-pass is higher and west. To find the route to the Finger Traverse, look for the large block perched on a ledge above and west of the snowfield. The route to the Finger Traverse goes right by the right/east side of this large block on easy ledges. After going around the side of the block, follow easy ledges straight ahead/west to near the ridge crest. Where a down-sloping ledge turns to the right, find the anchor boulders for the actual Finger Traverse. After descending the sloping ledge, locate a solid piton in the face of the rock buttress that defines the beginning of the exposed moves on the FT. Slide around this small buttress to find an ascending slab with a large hand crack next to the face. This is the FT. Follow the slab to its conclusion (100') and another good belay station. May be useful to rig a safety line for prusiks. Alternate to Finger Traverse is to follow ledge to ridge crest. Turn left to a notch, down-climb right and find a short, steep chimney. Down-climb the chimney to a ledge and turn right. Either of two ledges will gain the snowfield north of the FT. Cross the snowfield and walk up rock slopes to the left and find a gully that descends toward the large basin. Down-climb the dirt and loose rocks until able to gain rocky ledges on the left. Continue across ledges or descend to the head of the basin heading north. It is unnecessary to descend 200 yds to the obvious ramp and ledge to gain access to the summit plateau area. Descend 50 yds down north side of basin margin until a low angle ledge system can be accessed that aims toward the top of a gully. Follow this 3rd class ledge system to the head of the gully until it intersects near the top of the gully. Be able to locate the ledge system from the top of the gully on your return. Don't descend the gully to the basin. Once on the summit plateau, follow the ridgeline north on easy slopes and rock ledges. Follow the ridgeline around to the west side of the summit block. Continue around until scrambling up to a small pillar and step-across to a sloping face that accesses a platform 20ft below the actual summit. Permits required? Yes National Park permits required to camp at Lake Constance area. Camping at lake has a quota during summer season. Driving / parking notes: Washout is about 10 mi from Hwy 101. Parking permits not required at this time. Some may wish to ride bicycles up road to Lake Constance route. Definitely would save feet/time on return trip.

Kitsap Branch of The Mountaineers Kitsap Mountaineers Basic Mountaineering starts Jan 8, 2011. Cost: $250 for members; $325 otherwise. Focuses on skills to climb in the Olympics and Cascades. Great way to meet other climbers just starting out. Course runs through June 2011. Organized classes, field trips, and required summits.

Day 1 was TH to camp (9:30-1:30). Day 2 camp to summit to TH (5:45am-6:00pm.

Trip: Olympics - Warrior - SW summit, Rt 1 Date: 7/11/2010 Trip Report: Kitsap Branch of the Mountaineers trip - 9:30 from Upper Dungeness TH. Seen route descriptions from class 3 to class 5 for one pitch but unprotectable. Weather was stunning, warm with cool breeze. Started at 5:45am. Snow most of the way with some minor talus/scree crossings. Lots of snow up here for this time of year. Made our way to the saddle between the peaks around 9am. Worked up to the face of the summit block. Ran a line straight up and set up anchor (new slings and rings now in place). Definite class 4 for 20'. Others prusiked up to belay. Easy scramble left to summit. Rappeled from aforesaid anchor. Great trip. Gear Notes: Two ropes, axes. Approach Notes: Amended Mtnrs route to the following: left trail at 1st major creek S of park boundary (4700'). Ascended snow, dirt, scree toward route diagonally S in open. Turn up first major/wide snow or scree gully. This gully will intersect the main chute to the saddle referred to in the route description about 500' above the tarn. Continue to saddle from here. Climbing route: Climb snow to ridge crest S of saddle. From the ridge rocks climb and scramble up from here. Use of a safety line/prusiks up to the rappel station made efficient for followers. Scramble up left, then right toward the easily accessible summit.

Yep...been there. 'bout half way up through Surprise Basin turn right and wind your way up to the ridge between Sundial and Clark, the farthest peak in the Northeast corner of Surprise Basin. Work toward the peak but drop over to the east side down a cracky slab. Work north again until you can 4th class it up toward the summit block...I blank out there but it wasnt' too tough. Definitely 3rd from there.

Ahhh...a classic Olympic ascent. Have done it twice. Bushwacked both times. Got to get on the high side of the mossy boulders first. There's a climber's path up there earlier than you think. Last time I was there, a section of the lower mountain had just sheared off and had caused a monsterous slide down the westerly basin toward Jeff Creek. Once above that we worked across a couple nice easy snowfields to the aforementioned ridge-y arete and on to the summit. Good job!