[TR] Warrior - NE ridge 06/01/2025

[JasonG]

Trip: Warrior - NE ridge

Trip Date: 06/01/2025

Trip Report:

 

After talking about it for several years, @olyclimber and I finally got out in the hills together to climb Warrior.  It started, like all good Olympics trips, in the rain, wondering if the forecast for fair weather was ever going to materialize.  Thankfully it did and @olyclimber and I headed out into the dripping forest along the Dungeness, marveling at how green everything was and how beautiful the waters were.  It was going to be a good trip!

 

Boulder shelter:

Within a few hours we were at Boulder Shelter, one of the CCC era structures still in use today in the Olympics.  @olyclimber , as his name suggests, has a long history with the range and regaled me with stories of his youth, scouting trips, and other entertaining adventures and misadventures in the Olympics.  Before I knew it, we were under the cirque on the west side of Warrior, ready to leave the trail and head upwards to a scenic camp perched next to a tarn still buried under winter's snows.

It was clearing off nicely and we decided to sleep out in the chilly breeze to admire our surroundings.

It got cold during the night and dawn brought a hard freeze to everything, but thankfully our water was only slightly iced.  It would be a very firm ascent to the col separating the two summits of Warrior, but thankfully the day was clear without much wind.

@olyclimber ascending to the col:

Inner Constance and the Rotten Rockenspiel:

At the col we started the traverse NE on steepening snow, barely getting the frontpoints of our aluminum crampons into the hard neve.  I offered to head on up and "have a look" while @olyclimber hung back.  It never got really very dad friendly and I contemplated turning around at nearly every weird snow/rock transition.  The abundant snow/ice on the summit rocks made it much more challenging than expected, but for better or worse I continued upward.  @olyclimber wisely stayed back and enjoyed the sun at the col while I hemmed and hawed my way to the top.

Constance and Inner Constance from the summit:

The view west to Mystery and Deception from the top:

The summit rocks.  The easiest route starts left of the photo and works up and right. The direct route is supposed to be low fifth?

We had some miles to cover and driving to do and so I didn't linger on the summit long, and we carefully descended the still rock hard couloir back to camp:

Admiring Constance along the way back to camp:

along with Mount Mystery as we descended from the high country and out the Dungeness trail:

Thanks to @olyclimber for keeping the dream of Warrior alive for me these past few years and making the trip happen!  We are quite fortunate to have so many adventures waiting for us just a few hours away.

Gear Notes:
ice axe, crampons, helmet

Approach Notes:
Dungeness trail past Boulder Shelter then up into cirque by small tarn, west of the summit. Climb prominent couloir NE to saddle between Warrior summits and then traverse steep snow to the NE until you can ascend up and right to gain the NE ridge. Follow up and right via exposed and steep scrambling. Best if snow free, which is likely by late June.

[olyclimber]

Thanks for the company and I’m sorry about your ear which endured all my tales of my misadventures. 
Dang summit still eludes me, but I’m at peace with that. My crampons were not cooperating and it was too late once I figured them out. 
it was really nice spending time up there with you. 
Since those mountains are my home turf I will probably make another attempt some time. Goes to show how conditions can make it a cakewalk versus a more serious endeavor with a little temperature variation.

Onward to more adventure.

[olyclimber]