Cpt.Caveman Posted July 1, 2003 Posted July 1, 2003 I dont want to read any TR's. Just tell me how good or shitty it is getting to Cub Lake. Info from the last year or so is what I am looking for. Remember some shit about the avalanches or something last season. DIE infecting rodents of death- OFF subject but needed comment to the left. Feel free to supply beta about the routes on Gunsight too if you have them. I'm not looking at the Diedrich Nelson route... Kill. - again off subject to the left. Quote
JoshK Posted July 1, 2003 Posted July 1, 2003 I've done it twice in the last two months. it sucked both times, but sucked much more the second time due to rapid blossoming off the slide alder and the addition of skis to my pack. trail is fine to bachelor creek turnoff, and fine for about the first 2 or 3 miles after that. after that the trail becomes somewhat hard to follow in places, but not all that bad. about 1/4 or 1/2 mile before the "trail" crosses to the other side of bachelor creek it becomes a bushwhack. what is left of the trail through the slide alder sucks balls. be prepared to swear, esp. considering the fact that their are now probably lots of bugs in there. the slide alder continues for a while on the other side of the creek before you head back into the forest. a little ways after that you'll hit the avalanche you mention. last year (I think?) a big ass slide came down from upper bachelor creek basin and fucked shit up. the trail is now pretty much covered with avy debris from this point until the basin right below cub lake pass. from that area to the pass itself was still covered with snow when I was there, so I'm not sure what that'll look like. If you've gotten that far, somehow I doubt there is much you'll find there to stop you anyway. The moral of the story: Unless somebody has seriously cleaned up that trail since I was in there, I would classify the approach as pretty sucky. Despite all that shit, I still thought it was worth it both times, cause once you hit cub lake the area is just so amazing. Quote
Cpt.Caveman Posted July 1, 2003 Author Posted July 1, 2003 Thanks. I'll consider bringing a tank and machete. What's the BW rating? Quote
JoshK Posted July 1, 2003 Posted July 1, 2003 It felt like a solid BW4 with the skis, but I think a lot of that was due to the skis catching on shit. It's probably only BW3, and since I wouldn't count the first 8 or 9 miles of easy trail in the grade, probably a grade III. Quote
Cpt.Caveman Posted July 1, 2003 Author Posted July 1, 2003 With today's technology do you expect to need kb's and shit? I'm probably too scared to do it anyway but let's hear it. Thanks a bunch for approach info. DIE dog pestering infedels. <--- ignore this section. How about the first ascent routes? Do they look good? It seems Beckey returned over 20 years later to climb an aid route.... The rocks must be good. If you ask Beckey he might tell you "it's in the book". Lotsa beta from him huh Quote
Cpt.Caveman Posted July 1, 2003 Author Posted July 1, 2003 klenke said: Corp. Caveman, try here. Yeah I'm readin the next 15 links Thanks anyway. Quote
JoshK Posted July 1, 2003 Posted July 1, 2003 Paul, you called it with this line: "in May, the "growth" rate of the brush may make it more formidable but I don't know" The difference between May and June for us was huge. May wasn't all that bad, but by June the fully mature alder sucked. From your description, maybe we got off the "trail" at some point, cause we had worse 'whackin. Quote
slaphappy Posted July 1, 2003 Posted July 1, 2003 JoshK said: It felt like a solid BW4 with the skis, but I think a lot of that was due to the skis catching on shit. It's probably only BW3, and since I wouldn't count the first 8 or 9 miles of easy trail in the grade, probably a grade III. No way, not a bit over B1+, It has a trail. The avalanche path sucks after the snow melts out, stay just right of center, seemed to offer the least resistance. Good stuff! Quote
erik Posted July 1, 2003 Posted July 1, 2003 ray i think robert said one of the routes on gunsight fell off.....he also did a nice looking .8 route on the snow'something' in the vicinity... Quote
terrible_ted Posted July 1, 2003 Posted July 1, 2003 CC: We did the route last year in August. I'll check my travel times when I get home tonight and post them. BW 2+ or 3. The salix and slide alder on the upper part of Bachelor Creek were pretty annoying, but it doesn't last forever... The avalanche field is pretty impressive. When we went through, the logs still hadn't stabilized, so you'd find yourself walking along a log, look down and see you're 12 feet off the ground, when it starts to teeter-totter... It was a semi-mature forest that went down - some of those tree boles were >3' in diameter. The slide must have hit from hell of far away - there's a big bowl just above the slope. It's funny, because you look at it and think that it was probably the kind of forest you'd be hiking through in order to avoid avalanches... Do it - it ain't that bad and the camp on Itswuit ridge kicks ass. I wish we would have done the (Dome) traverse, though, because I'm never going back that way... Bring a fishing pole - there were some nice looking fish in Cub lake. Sushi! -t Quote
JoshK Posted July 1, 2003 Posted July 1, 2003 slaphappy said: JoshK said: It felt like a solid BW4 with the skis, but I think a lot of that was due to the skis catching on shit. It's probably only BW3, and since I wouldn't count the first 8 or 9 miles of easy trail in the grade, probably a grade III. No way, not a bit over B1+, It has a trail. The avalanche path sucks after the snow melts out, stay just right of center, seemed to offer the least resistance. Good stuff! shit grows you know. go in there now, and let me know if you can find a BW1 route on a "trail" through the alder. there were remnants of this trail but that was it. If you do find it, get a GPS log and bring it back for me. Quote
Stefan Posted July 1, 2003 Posted July 1, 2003 You guys have it all wrong in going up Bachelor Creek. Do not cross to the south side of Bachelor Creek where the trail disappears. Instead of going through the brush of Bachelor Creek and then up through the avalanche debris here is what we did: Where the trail disappears and just before you cross the stream we went 150 yards NE to the old growth trees. We stayed in the old growth trees always remaining about 40 yards to the north of Bachelor Creek. Once you reach the bench at 5400 feet (which is now above the avalanche debris) head SE and you will meet up with the trail. Probably BW2. The only bad part was the 150 yards of brush from leaving the trail before the old growth forest. Probably BW8. No devils club or slide alder in the old growth trees. Quote
Stefan Posted July 1, 2003 Posted July 1, 2003 Gunsight. I did the easiest route. Went down the glacier to the couloir per Beckey. The toughest part of the climb was the very beginning. I think I was off route. I think you are supposed to go up the couloir and traverse climbers left into the gully. But for some reason I went straight up into the gully thinking that was the easiest. It was NOT and unpleasant. This pitch is about 3/4 in length. Once in the gully it is class 3 up to the high notch on the ridge between the two peaks. From the high notch move to climbers right (class 3-4) and then solid climbing on solid rock (5.3) with lots of places for pro in a chimney system which takes you back up to the ridge proper. Beckey is right in his description where a chimney system leads to a good rappel rock. From the rock to the summit is more climbing along the ridge but probably 5.0 climbing. Quote
klenke Posted July 1, 2003 Posted July 1, 2003 Stefan: we went up the way you did but it wasn't BW8 for us but something like BW4. Going this way through the forest, we eventually "stumbled" upon the trail higher up in the basin. The forest route is not that bad, just BW1 and 2 off-trail hiking. In coming back, we found the trail on the south side of the creek through the alder and salmonberry quite easy to follow. And in hindsight, we should have gone up that way by crossing over the creek where the trail "disappears." Of course, this was in late August/early September, so who knows. Quote
ncascademtns Posted July 1, 2003 Posted July 1, 2003 You guys have it all wrong. Do the P.T., bag Dome and exit down Bachelor Creek. Much easier going down than it is coming up. Quote
JoshK Posted July 1, 2003 Posted July 1, 2003 Yeah, but the P.T. is much better with skis, and skis make going out through bachelor creek hell. Quote
slaphappy Posted July 1, 2003 Posted July 1, 2003 JoshK said: slaphappy said: JoshK said: It felt like a solid BW4 with the skis, but I think a lot of that was due to the skis catching on shit. It's probably only BW3, and since I wouldn't count the first 8 or 9 miles of easy trail in the grade, probably a grade III. No way, not a bit over B1+, It has a trail. The avalanche path sucks after the snow melts out, stay just right of center, seemed to offer the least resistance. Good stuff! shit grows you know. go in there now, and let me know if you can find a BW1 route on a "trail" through the alder. there were remnants of this trail but that was it. If you do find it, get a GPS log and bring it back for me. You are correct, shit does grow. I was there last August (met Klenke on the glacier ) and I doubt it grew that much. I crossed the creek midway through the alder and continued on the trail (yes, there was a decent trail) to the base of the avy path. I do lots of shwackin and I would not consider that any harder than BW1+ (on a scale of 1-5; never heard of an 8), as I stated, it was too easy to remain on the trail. GPS? wouldn't know how to turn one on. Now the black flies on the other hand... Quote
Cpt.Caveman Posted July 2, 2003 Author Posted July 2, 2003 erik said: ray i think robert said one of the routes on gunsight fell off.....he also did a nice looking .8 route on the snow'something' in the vicinity... I'm not looking at the Nelson route anyways. I mentioned it already. I know about Robert and Mark's route on Snowdome and apparently you can buy the new beckey green book. I dont know where but was told it was out already. Their route is already in there...... Quote
Cpt.Caveman Posted July 2, 2003 Author Posted July 2, 2003 Stefan said: Gunsight. I did the easiest route. Went down the glacier to the couloir per Beckey. The toughest part of the climb was the very beginning. I think I was off route. I think you are supposed to go up the couloir and traverse climbers left into the gully. But for some reason I went straight up into the gully thinking that was the easiest. It was NOT and unpleasant. This pitch is about 3/4 in length. Once in the gully it is class 3 up to the high notch on the ridge between the two peaks. From the high notch move to climbers right (class 3-4) and then solid climbing on solid rock (5.3) with lots of places for pro in a chimney system which takes you back up to the ridge proper. Beckey is right in his description where a chimney system leads to a good rappel rock. From the rock to the summit is more climbing along the ridge but probably 5.0 climbing. THanks stefan. Quote
terrible_ted Posted July 2, 2003 Posted July 2, 2003 From last August: 7.5 hrs to Cub Lake, another 1.5 hrs to Itswoot Ridge camp (weather really got shitty about the time we hit the lake, so we wandered about on the snow for a bit trying to pick up the line to the ridge) 8hrs from Itswoot Ridge back to the trailhead. -t Quote
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