NodR

Trip: Luna - SW Ridge Date: 8/21/2010 Trip Report: Hey all! This is my first post on CC ever, so hopefully it'll all make sense and that the pictures will actually show up! Bear with me here... The Plan: Climb Luna via the SE route and Fury via the Luna-Fury ridge in 4 days from Big Beaver. Skip to the end if just looking for beta... Day 1: We caught a boat at 1030AM and started on the Big Beaver trail at 11. Our plan was to camp at the head of Access creek our first night. Unfortunately, the Pickets had different plans for us. We ran into a duo that got cliffed out in "Access Creek" and misguidedly listened to their exact beta - cross the Big Beaver 50 minutes from Luna camp at a rock with two trees growing out of it (they even showed us a picture!). Unwisely going against the beta of Beckey and Nelson fame, we trusted these two unfortunate souls and ended up schwacking up the unnamed drainage (we coined it the Cirque of Despair - COD) just north of Access creek. The schwacking wasn't too bad but after 3 hours of battling through unwieldily Devils Club and Slide Alder through increasingly steep slopes, we realized that we were in the wrong drainage and decided that climbing over the ridge and rapping into the head of Access creek in the dark wouldn't be a wise move. Defeated, we headed back down to Big Beaver and camped on the west side of the river, not wanting to ford in the dark. Clear skies on the Ross Lake boat taxi Our last bit of civilization before hitting the trail Harassed by bugs before crossing the Big Beaver Fording the Big Beaver The Cirque of Despair Day 2: Waking up at 9AM under beautiful blue skies was just enough medicine for us to forget the previous day and attempt another schwack up Access creek. We figured that climbing up to Luna col, making camp and climbing Luna with Fury tomorrow was still possible and thus begun another optimistic day in the Pickets. After fording the Big Beaver and regaining the trail, we hiked to what we assumed to be a spot slightly north of Access creek. No log crossing was to be found so once again, we forded the river and started searching for Access Creek. After more than an hour of searching through terrible devils club, we found Access and started up the hill. The going wasn't too bad and this time we decided to listen to Beckey and all other successful Picketeers. The drainage levels out around 3,300 ft and the going is pretty reasonable until you encounter slide alder at 3,800. As recommended by Nelson, we crossed Access Creek where the talus field starts on the south side of the Creek. It was starting to get late and the prospect for reaching Luna Col and climbing Fury was approaching nil. Sadly, we stashed our rope and technical gear and headed toward the head of Access, which we could now see. What should have taken less than an hour if we traversed low, took more than two. The slide alder higher up on the boulder field was thick enough that we couldn't see the ground through our steps. Traverse low! Reaching camp at 6, we leisurely ate dinner and watched the Perseids with Prophet going to sleep in the distance and Luna guarding our back. Ahhh, out of the brush and into the alpine with starry skies… Andrew crossing Access creek at 3800'. Paddy relieved to be finished with the schwack Getting ready for the Perseids Prophet going to sleep Day 3: At 630, we were off for Luna. We headed up the obvious mostly dry creek drainage/gully on the left. It forked about 1/2 up and we took the right fork in which it turned into a bowling alley. We did try to scout out the left fork on the way down but it requires a steep heather traverse below the ridge to access. I had my eye on the col the entire time - a view that I had been waiting for, for a long, long time! Cresting the col to marmot whistles, out came a view of the southern Pickets that easily trumped any other that I have seen before. Another seemingly obvious traverse appeared but then again, it was anything but. We traversed high which ended up being quite fun but involved some 3rd class downclimbing that slowed us down. It's better to stay low on the traverse (about 6,100 ft until you clear the cliff bands above). Once we were on continuous snow up until the col, there was no stopping. Travel became obvious and fast and an hour later, we were on the summit, 3.5 hours from camp. After all our routefinding mishaps and unnecessary dances with devils club and slide alder we decided that staying on the summit and soaking in the views on a windless, bugless, cloudless day was more worth it than trying to get down Access creek today. We stayed on the summit for 3 hours wondering how far the closest humans were from us. Not a soul was to be seen after our unfortunate run in with the COD rappers. A leisurely stroll down the ridge in complete awe towards the north ridge of Terror, boot ski of the snowfields south of Luna, meander through steep but pleasant heather slopes and boot ski of loose talus down the bowling alley brought us back to camp and another relaxed night watching the Perseids. Steep going up to the notch Our woodland friend At last, the southern Pickets More of the southern Pickets The last 1000' to the summit Picket Panorama from the summit OK, OK, last shot of the Pickets... Downclimbing more directly back to the notch Traversing late snowfields Andrew traversing heather and having a last gaze into the mighty range Downclimbing choss back to camp Day 4: Wanting to ensure not missing a boat ride and pick up of my girlfriend from the airport later that night, we woke up early for the way out. The way down Access creek was dare I say, far too easy. Taking the talus fields low brought us to the creek crossing in less than an hour where we stashed our gear. A marmot decided to leave everything alone save our new 60m rope, core shot, in the middle. We crossed the Creek and took the path of least resistance down the north side of the Access Creek drainage. Although we were out of sight of Access Creek most of the time, it was always within earshot. Two hours of mild bushwaching brought us to a huge log jam across Big Beaver where we took an extended break scratching our heads wondering how in the world we missed this! Andrew didn't have any lunch left but saved his cranberry oatmeal breakfast in his (unused) blue bag. Seeing him shovel heaping hot mush with cranberry bits from a blue bag into his pie hole was sickening enough to ruin my appetite for a couple of hours. The next 11 miles of trail was spent dreaming about jumping in Ross lake, cataloging our schwacking wounds, laying out on the dock and insuring that we didn't kill the little frogs hopping about. Mmmmm, lunch Lots of these little guys on the trail Ahhh, back to maintained trail... The guy driving our boat was none other than the Big Lebowski which capped off a wonderful trip with three great climbing partners - Andrew, Scott and Paddy - in some of the most awe inspiring terrain I have ever been in. Would I do it again? Most definitely, which is a sign that the last two days were pleasurable enough to start forgetting unsavory schwacking and the horrible route finding woes encountered. After running into another party that was attempting to climb Fury (it had been 25 years since their first failed attempt with numerous repeat attempts foiled by weather and navigation issues first back after 17 years) we started to hypothesize that many Picket stories end up more like ours, with unpredicted and unexpected challanges, than perfectly planned trips. In any event, back to the urban and possibly more unsavory than devils club and slide alder jungle that is Washington DC to wait out my time until next summer or when life allows me to move back to the beautiful PNW… The dude: Beta: It took us exactly 23 minutes from Luna Camp to get to the turn off for Access creek. There is a monstrous log jam across Big Beaver after schwacking north westerly through marshy forest. Follow the rib just north of Access creek through open forest until about 3500'. Traverse above the Creek until about 3,800. Rather than traversing high to avoid the slide alder cross the creek to the first prominent talus field at 3,800 ft. Traverse low on the south side of the drainage (within 100 vertical feet of Access Creek) through talus and slide alder to the head of Access creek. Take the obvious dry creek gully on the left to a fork and climb the steep right fork to the col at 6,100 ft. Traverse low through heather benches (~6,100 ft) until you reach snowfields that take you up to Luna Col. From Luna col, the route is obvious boulder hopping to the summit. Great bivy spot about 100 yards to the right of Luna col with enough room for a large tent and a great view of the southern Pickets. Water trickling from the snowfield at Luna Col.
 Safe and happy travels! -Nodair Full panorama from the summit of Luna