Rahm, Custer, Spickard

[Superman]

Climbed Rahm, Custer and Spickard Sunday from a camp at Ousel Lake (approach was made Saturday afternoon via Depot Creek). Rahm was fairly straightforward, and offered excellent views of upper Ross Lake and the Devil's Thumb. We opted to traverse Custer Ridge rather than drop back down into the nasty scree below to climb Custer. This proved very worthwhile. The ridge is comprised of relatively solid rock and offers views into Canada as well as the peaks of the Northern N. Cascades. The traverse took about an hour and a half and soon we found ourselves under the SE Ridge of Custer staring at a big pile of choss. The reported route on the SE side of Custer looks impossible (without rope) from afar, but is actually quite easy once on route. We followed a series of steep gullies (class 3-4) and traversed a few false summits before finally reaching the true summit. The views of Redoubt from Custer are phenomenal. The NE Face of Redoubt looks very ugly right now, and I would not recommend trying it. Bring some kahunas and a rabbit's foot if you do! We were thinking about making a trip out of NE Face Redoubt on this outing, but decided against it due to a TR found here on cc.com .. thanks for the warning!

 

From Custer we dropped back down into the Silver Lake basin and picked up our glacier floss, and crampons that we had stashed earlier. We then ascended Spickard's N. Glacier and exited to rock about 400' below the summit. The rock on this side of Spickard is relatively solid and fun scrambling (class 3-4).

 

The best part of the trip was the Custer Ridge traverse -- lots of fun with extraordinary views. Another fantastic trip into the N. Cascades.

[ncascademtns]

Excellent!

 

Rahm is on my list.

Did R-S-C a few years ago.

 

I had a new pair of OneSport Spires on that trip and when we went up Custer the Choss shreaded the boots. I took the boots back after the trip and the guy at REI looked at me funny. New boot laces, new Vibrum sole, Boots shot.

He could not figure it out.

Those boots sucked!

[Ursa_Eagle]

nice TR! So long as you're gonna make the hump up to that basin, might as well pick off a few peaks.

[klenke]

A while back I created a thread asking what were are the chossiest high peaks in Washington. Well I can say now that Mt. Custer takes the cake (for me at least so far in my climbing endeavors). What a heap of shit!! Rahm was only marginally better. By the time we got to Spickard, its semi-chossiness felt as solid as diamond.

 

On Mt. Rahm it was interesting to see only about 15 parties had climbed the peak (and signed the register) since 1995. Most recently it was our very own mattp and AlpineK (and their friend whose name I forget). That's two parties this year. Only one last year. None in 2001. One party in 2000 (Roger Jung of the Jung Climbing Machine). Other notable names were those of the Top 100 peakbagging crowd.

 

No register on Mt. Custer so no way to know just how many have been up there in the last decade or so. And no way to read all the cuss words shouted at the mountain. It would be interesting to know how many have done the Rahm-Custer ridge crest traverse. If you want to do both those peaks (say if you're a Top 100 kind of climber), then that's the only way to go. The views of cerulean Silver Lake from the traverse are incredible.

 

Due to an easy basin WSW of Custer, it would be possible to climb Custer and Rahm in a day from the Depot Creek trailhead (after a car camp). If any of you Top 100 guys want beta, let me know. If you are not a Top 100 climber, then my advice is ABSOLUTELY DO NOT CLIMB MT. CUSTER. It should be spelled Cuss-turd.

[Dru]

Coming in from Maselpanik Creek is faster and shorter than coming in from Depot Creek even if there is some bush to cross.

 

How was Devils Tongue and Toothpick looking? Or could ya see it over "mcNaught Peak" (8200)? I guess you could see it from Spickard. Please post pictures if you got em.

[klenke]

Agreed that the Maselpanik Creek approach would be shorter (in terms of distance on foot) so that would also be an option. However, there are reasons that make the Depot Creek approach better: 1) no technical equipment needed (the Maselpanik Glacier may require a rope), 2) one gets to admire the truly spectacular waterfall at the Depot Creek headwall, 3) the drive to the Depot Creek trailhead is shorter from the west (Vancouver, Seattle, et alia) than Maselpanik Creek, 4) trailhead access can be guaranteed (closure of Maselpanik Creek to vehicle traffic is apparently a possibility), and 5) the end of the Maselpanik Creek road is somewhat overgrown (according to mattp or Alpinek or both) thus requiring unpleasant road bushwhacking. I think we're only talking about an extra hour of hiking going the Depot Creek way.

 

Re: Devils Toothpick and Tongue

We saw both these and McNaught Peak (Pk 8200+) while there. The Tongue and the Toothpick look quite nefarious, as the names imply. I will post a picture tomorrow afternoon. The South Face of the Tongue plunged way down in the Silver Creek drainage along way below the outlet of Silver Lake. In fact, I don't know if we could ever see the bottom of that face from Rahm. The Toothpick and the Tongue would be worthy objectives for serious alpine rock climbers. Go for it Dru!

Edited August 5, 2003 by klenke

[Dru]

actually what I am interested in is the couloir rising up to the U shaped notch west of Toothpick, from the north. It looks In in the Austin Post photos from the 1960's, but it was fully melted out when I scouted it last September.

 

int'l glacier is below mcnaught and toothpick/tongue. rahm n glacier is on n side of rahm. no?

[klenke]

Yeah, you're right. Not the International Glacier but the east side of the Maselpanik Glacier, particularly up the glacial finger extending up to the summit. Will edit my previous post.

 

Hey, it's raining outside here in Seattle! No way!

[ncascademtns]

I left a film canister on Custer and as a top 100 go getter, I won't be going back. I remembered Skiing the Choss down the gully to the ridge.

Bag, Tag and Exit without return.

[mattp]

Klenke-

I've been up both Maselpanik Creek and Depot Creek and for a hit-and-run peak climb sort of trip, I would recommend Maselpanik as an approach to Rahm. There is some truth to what you say, and not only is the waterfall pretty cool but so too is that upper valley above it, but in actual fact I don't think the drive to Maselpanik takes all that much longer, I believe the overall effort required to get from car to summit is way less and, unless somebody has recently done a lot of brushing in Depot Creek, you go through as much brush at the start of the Depot Creek trail and in the swamp above the waterfall as we did in Maselpanik Creek this Spring. The Maselpnik Glacier is scenic, and that gully/ice tongue is pretty cool. In addition, you are much less likely to run into ranger rick who may send you back from Depot Creek to get a customs permit and wilderness permit. Of course, if you want to hang out in an alpine area with a couple of high lakes, and knock off Spickard and Redoubt or Custer while you are at it, Depot Creek would be a better way to do.

 

If you choose Maselpanik, it'd be a good idea to call ahead and find out if the Maselpanik Road is going to be open. I would guess it would add 4-5 miles of road hiking if they gated it back down at the Silver-Skagit main line.

[klenke]

Pictures for this outing have been put in the gallery. Click here.

Dru: I don't know if what you're wanting to see is represented. It's all I've got for Devils Tongue/Toothpick.

[Tod]

Wow, the glacier coming off of Spickard seems to have receeded even further in the last few years. I remember heading down from the gap/pass to Silver Lake and having crevasses on both sides of me. Now it looks like the glacier is only above you on the right as you head down to Silver Lake.

 

I've got some closeups of Devil's Tounge & Toothpick that I'll try to post for you Dru.

 

Tod

[Dru]

...i only wanna see the NORTH side. and recent pix.not that the south side isnt cool and all.

[klenke]

Tod said:

Now it looks like the glacier is only above you on the right as you head down to Silver Lake.

 

There is actually a remnant of glacier on the Custer side of the glacis that leads down to Silver Lake. You can kind of see it in this picture: Spickard from Rahm. Look for the schrund (gaping crevasse actually) just right of center. You can get down to the lake without even having to walk on neve but you'd have to traverse down a moderately angled boulder/talus field (seen at center).

 

We saw wands sticking high out of the moraine debris field below the North Glacier and about halfway up the glacier. We figured these were for glacial movement mensuration (akin to what the scientists are doing on the Middle Cascade Glacier).