Black Peak to Goode

[bedellympian]

Anyone ever tried to approach NE Butt on Goode from the approach trail/ridge to Black Peak? 

Any thoughts on how awful or not it might be?

[bedellympian]

Blue line = black peak approach (approx 10 miles and 8k' gain)

Red line = standard PCT approach (approx 16 miles and 4k' gain)

[olyclimber]

I haven't travelled either but 6 miles versus 4K elevation.  I'm probably putting in my ear buds, zoning out, and doing the 6 miles.

[Bronco]

Haven't been in that way but remember how heinous the brush is along Bridge Creek and thankful for the trail.  It could be pretty slow going cross country.  

[Rad]

I did Goode last year and have done that stretch of PCT a few other times. It goes fast and you get to talk to PCT thru hikers, which is interesting.

General comment is that longer trail is almost always faster than x-country. Half a mile of dense alder could take many hours to travel and sap your energy and damage your sanity. That said, the E side of the range around Stehekin offers some great x-country travel opportunities if you find the right line. If....

If I were contemplating this, I would look carefully at the satellite imagery. Open alpine > mature forest > short forest >>> brush. On the satellite, brush will be lighter green w few or no trees. An example is the green where you ascend from the N Fork Bridge Creek to Goode. There is a climber's trail through the alder that makes life bearable. Without that trail, that segment would probably be impassable. So if you see a segment that looks similar on the satellite imagery stay away from it. 

Final comment: this late in the season you may not find snow to melt on top of Goode. That could be a significant hazard/inconvenience in its own right.

Good luck! Bring your light saber.

 

[lunger]

I have been roughly your proposed way -- on skis -- a couple times in April and May. With snow, it was a very agreeable way to go, mostly skiing and occasionally poling to cross and contour above Woody Cr and then Grizzly Creek. We crossed Falls creek at 4200'. Seems to be mostly old growth, and pure speculation is that in summer it would be a reasonable way to go, at least until the exit of Grizzly Creek to Bridge Creek; and even then (where the snow thinned) there was still some forest and limited alder. However, not sure what other brush might pop up there once the snow is completely gone.

All to say, would definitely recommend that way in the winter and spring, but unsure about the efficiency gain in current conditions.

(As an aside: we returned via climbing the Falls Creek drainage to Last Chance Pass, a recommended exit on skis -- some scenic touring in part through an old burn.)

Hope this info. helps.

[robertm]

Fred always said that the established trails are always the way to go unless you just want an adventure... and most will just do the adventure once.