CM3 Posted June 17, 2003 Posted June 17, 2003 June 15th Approached via Stuart Lake trailhead and Mountaineer Creek to North Ridge notch. Hiking time was 6 hours, snow encountered in the swamp below the bowl. Snow conditions were perfect, able to kick steps with wimpy leather boots until the upper glacier and then crampons were needed. We packed light, no tent, bivy sack, pad, fleece coat or pants, gaiters, poles, or gore-tex. Only bivy gear we had was light down bags, a space blanket, and a pocket rocket canister stove with a titanium pot. The gulley to the notch was snowed in and steeper than I remembered. We found a great bivy spot up and around the corner that provided dry and wind free conditions. Most of the bivy ledges are snow covered. Used a snow drift drip to get water, did not need the stove to melt snow. NO BUGS!! We slept on the rope, runners and packs for a decent night sleep. June 16th Woke up at 5:00 a.m. started climbing by 6:00 a.m. The ridge mostly snow free, all snow was avoidable until... the crack slab near the end of the upper ridge to the gendarme was a sheet of snow. 40-degree kick stepping in rock shoes and ice axe for 50 feet got us back on the dry ridge, which led us to the gendarme. The gendarme was dry and clean, we hauled packs on both 5.9 pitches. The offwidth pitch has an over cammed #4 Camalot that is welded in the middle of the pitch. More climbing and traversing took us to the summit. We descended the Sherpa Glacier with much glissading. We lost the trail heading out and thrashed in swamp and brush for an hour being eaten alive by mosquitoes. Arrived back at the car by 5:00 p.m. and had to push start the car because the starter had a bad connection. Weather and snow conditions were perfect. The Sherpa Glacier is in good shape, but won't be for long. The lower North Ridge looked dry and snow free. The Northwest Face had snow slabs below and above the "Perfect Crack" dihedral. Ice Cliff Glacier is still in good shape, Girth Pillar had a patch of snow on the top of it, but the cracks and face looked dry. It was a great trip and a stellar route. Best part, no crowds!! Quote
catbirdseat Posted June 17, 2003 Posted June 17, 2003 Nice job! How much do you think your packs weighed with your boots in them? What did you use as a haul line? Quote
Bug Posted June 17, 2003 Posted June 17, 2003 CM3 said: June 15th We lost the trail heading out and thrashed in swamp and brush for an hour being eaten alive by mosquitoes. Yeah. No shit. Who knows where that trail goes through there anyway? Quote
erik Posted June 17, 2003 Posted June 17, 2003 nada there used to be all sorts of scattered flagging in the swamp..... i got some info once that recommended following the flagging. soo random. Quote
CM3 Posted June 17, 2003 Author Posted June 17, 2003 I don't know what the packs weighed. About as light as you could go with a planned bivy though. We did not bring a haul line. We pulled the rope through the gear and dropped an end and hauled, then dropped the rope for the second. Quote
j_b Posted June 17, 2003 Posted June 17, 2003 erik said: nada there used to be all sorts of scattered flagging in the swamp..... i got some info once that recommended following the flagging. soo random. don't go through the swamp. stay west of it and catch the stuart lake trail in large timber, 5 minutes past the beginning of the climb beyond the swamp. Quote
Bug Posted June 18, 2003 Posted June 18, 2003 j_b said: don't go through the swamp. stay west of it and catch the stuart lake trail in large timber, 5 minutes past the beginning of the climb beyond the swamp. OK so as I unsderstand what you said, continue up the Stuart lake trail 5 minutes past the swamp. If that is the case, I did that once but still had some bottomland BW2 between there and the hill up into the basin. Is there a semblence of a trail through there? Quote
j_b Posted June 18, 2003 Posted June 18, 2003 yes, i usually go past the swamp, up a couple switchbacks in the woods before i leave the trail. there is a 5-10 minutes trail-less minor bushwack across a stream before reaching a rocky knoll (straightforward beyond this point). i did the swamp once a long time ago (toward argonaut) and it was much worse. Quote
JoshK Posted June 19, 2003 Posted June 19, 2003 what up, trav. I bet if there is any snow left in the SGC it'll be great. the rock should be free of snow on the WR making for a fun and much easier ascent. that would be a great route if more straightforward than it was in may! Quote
CM3 Posted June 19, 2003 Author Posted June 19, 2003 The SGC had a shrund at the base and looked like a narrow mixed snow and rock route. Snow at the base and rock at the top. Quote
JasonG Posted June 21, 2003 Posted June 21, 2003 "Ice Cliff Glacier in good shape" - Could you see if the shrund was open leading to the upper couloir?? Thanks Quote
Ade Posted June 23, 2003 Posted June 23, 2003 I think so. The weather wasn't that good and we were well below camped at around 6000'. Judging by the condition of other similar slopes it would be unlikely for there not to be a schrund there by this time. Both SGC and Sherpa Gl have pretty substantial schrunds now. The lower ICG looked very straight forward although quite a lot of junk fell off if Sat afternoon/evening from the right hand side. Quote
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