JasonG

Holy crap. That is an incredible amount of climbing in 4 days!

Glad you guys like the report! Hey Phil!!! We dropped low, since the snow was very firm and Zak and Brad weren't that excited about steep side hilling. It probably added a bit of time, but it was pretty fast both up and down with the snow. I agree that all options would be quite tedious without snow. And I have to give you many thanks for turning us on to the col camp years ago- one of my favorite camps, period!

Trip: Fernow and Seven Fingered Jack - Standard Scrambles Date: 6/21/2014 Trip Report: Conditions were pretty ideal on both Fernow and 7FJ around the solstice - enough snow to make travel efficient, a consolidated snowpack, and no bugs. My brother and I had been weathered off this trip five years ago and finally got around to getting back to it, along with his friend Brad. We camped at the scenic col to the west of 7FJ, which has space for a couple small tents and views that are hard to beat. Fernow turned out to be a surprisingly worthy adversary for a "class 2" scramble and while the Beckey description is more or less accurate, you should expect to use your hands and be ready for firm, steep snow. I went up 7FJ by myself (easy scrambling, minimal snow) in the evening after we climbed Fernow and enjoyed the sunset and summit all to myself. It was the last 9K peak for me in Cascades so that was a pretty fun way to end the trip. The Chelan Mountains are always beautiful, one of my favorite areas in the range. Crossing one of the creeks en route to the Leroy Basin trail: Camp! Unnamed gendarme on the ridge between 7FJ and Fernow: Glacier Peak at sunrise from camp: Hard snow in the morning, climbers take warning: NF of Maude: Scrambling near the top of Fernow: Skiers on the traverse to the NF of Maude: Skiers on the NF of Maude: Copper and beyond from the summit of Fernow: Exposed Class 3 on the way back to camp: Fernow from 7FJ: Sunset Panorama from 7FJ: Agnes, the dark horse of the Cascades. You can't resist her allure! Zak looking to Buck and beyond: Camp was sublime: Gear Notes: Crampons, ice axe, helmet. Approach Notes: Leroy Basin trail. Expect some major avi carnage in the forest on the Spider Meadow trail. The creek crossing may be high, but we didn't get our feet wet.

Ah, so they are a different kind of asshole than you are Bob?

That's quite the trip in ski boots! I could be wrong, but I am pretty sure that the schrund/crevasse below the rap off Torment wasn't there in July of 2009. I seem to remember just walking over to the rock after the rap. That avi scar on the snow traverse is pretty spooky looking as well.

The storm years! Impressive string you've been on; it is cool to see what motivation and persistence will get you up.

Most folks don't want to spend much more than $100 for Clampons.

The traverse over to Luahna isn't bad from Clark. I've gone both ways (glacier and south side of ridge) on two separate trips, and the south side route is faster if you are tagging both peaks. You descend a gulley that faces Luahna, a bit south of Clark's summit . I think it is only an hour or two between the peaks. You do need to be careful on the final scramble bit of Luahna- it killed a good friend of mine a few years back. That area is really cool, glad you had a fun trip!

Well, I am pretty special.

yeah....I'm not going to sign up for FB anytime soon.

One of the best TRs ever on this site, thanks Joe! And thanks to SS and Loren for the added details/stories- good stuff.

Oh, and I climbed it with my wife and a friend awhile back and three people worked out fine, or at least I don't remember it being a pain.

Choss Dawg Success!! So glad that you guys had a good climb! Juan can fill me in on the dirty details when he comes along on our trip in July. Is the Paisano/Burgundy link up next? That approach is pretty steep, but at least your boots were wet.

There are other areas of life?

Fantastic Lowell, thanks for keeping the spirit of Dwight alive. Dwight had originally told my father that he wanted him to have the movies when he passed on. However, it was a good thing that Gino (estate executor) donated them to the Mountaineers. When I showed my dad your page on the Traverse, he remarked "If I had gotten the movies, they would just be sitting in a drawer somewhere collecting dust". Well done!

Very cool link-up, thanks for the beta!

Interesting that you guys went back and forth on the ridge. Given that it took us at least three hours to get from the north peak back to camp, that might not be a bad way to go if the snow conditions stay firm. Of course, as Gary's group demonstrated in 1975, it can take awhile to do it that way as well!

Hmmmm, I remember it being a little harder than the rest out of the notch but more mid fifth or so. My memory isn't good enough to provide specifics other than go where it looks easiest. I know, not helpful.

We saw your name in the register! With more snow it would have been even more classic, and I can imagine how sporty it felt without a rope. I was a bit surprised how good the the traverse was, given the lack of recent TRs out there. Hopefully more folks get out each spring and experience it for themselves.

I agree with Kyle. I've gone up the S. ridge twice and down the SE face once and the South Ridge is certainly the way to go. The thing is on the south ridge is to not go too high too fast and traverse climber's left into a shallow depression after coming up out of the notch from the Taboo. If you do this, I've found the climbing pretty mellow.

You're probably going to get the full spectrum of responses here. They are a bit old-fashioned, but I took several courses with them (late 1990's, early 2000's) when I was starting out and thought them a great value. I met some motivated and skilled climbers whom I learned a lot from by doing climbs outside the club. I even met my wife in a Mountaineers course! Maybe that is why I have fond memories, now that I think about it.....

Damn. I've got no excuses. Impressive!

Trip: The Brothers - Traverse South to North- FSA Date: 6/1/2014 Trip Report: Trent's triumphant return to alpine climbing, post stomach removal, has been an amazing thing to watch. Aside from having his pockets stuffed with food, and a few more snack breaks, you wouldn't know that he is nonchalantly notching FSAs across the land. At least, I can only assume. Is anyone else out there climbing without a stomach? I know I am only able to haul myself above treeline by ingesting large meals at frequent intervals. If I had to limit myself, I think I would be much closer to the fridge. But I digress. This is a TR about the Brothers Traverse, a route that has very little in the way of info in the cc.com database aside from an ancient TR from RobertM from some years ago. It's a shame, because Kit, Trent and myself all agreed that this trip could be considered an (relatively) unknown classic. While it is described in the Olympics climbs guide, and the Mounties have long led it, it doesn't make the all important select guides out there. You can see the effects of this in the summit register. Placed in 1974, the register (a cool old brass one) records many ascents annually through the 80's and early 90's. Lots of familiar names in there- Skoogs, Brill, Kloke, Pullen, Venema, etc.- and then about 1996 onwards there are big gaps. Lately, the North Peak sometimes goes years between recorded ascents, and usually only gets climbed once a year. It might be because these type of mountaineering trips aren't really en vogue anymore. It isn't very technically demanding (steep snow and 4th class rock), nor is it on an imposing peak. But the ambiance of the ridgeline, the solitude, and the mystery about passing the gendarmes makes for a memorable outing. I won't spoil it for you, but I will offer a bit of advice. I think it is easiest, from a routefinding perspective, to go from South to North. Getting out of the Great Basin is a lot easier than getting into it, and it is better to get moving along the snowy ridgeline (climb is best in the spring) in the early AM. Even topping out on the South Summit a little after 0600, the snow was getting very soft by the time we got over to the North Brother. I think it took us about 3 hours to traverse the ridge, but a lot will depend on conditions. It's a lot of fun, the whole way from the South to the North Peak. Just don't expect to get the FSA. The Brothers (on the left) from the Kingston Ferry Beware the Goats! The NPS should've culled these bastards years ago. Just ask Kit. Brothers shadow at sunrise (Trent Photo) The Traverse to the North Brother! (Trent photo) Kit and one of the steep snow downclimbs from the South Brother Alpine climbing at its best You can't see the big drops off either side of the ridge that are present along the traverse. Between Kit and Trent is a hole that drops through the ridge with hundreds of feet of air beneath. The North Summit is the right hand rock. Climbers on the South Brother View NE from the summit of the North Brother Downclimbing the North Brother Devo downclimbs (Trent photo) A few of the Silent Men Erraticism Gear Notes: Crampons, Ice axe, light rack (tri cams, chocks), 1-2 pickets. Gun for the goats, rocks are ineffective. Approach Notes: Follow the masses to the South Brother. Bivy ~5500'. Climb to the top of South Brother, stay on the ridge to the North Peak, dodging gendarmes on the path of least resistance. Sniff your way back across the great basin to camp.

Your quote pretty much sums up cc.com, and that's the way we like it Harassment aside, I do hope you have a good trip on Hood- come back and post a TR!

Good to know, I will have to check that out. Thanks!