Kyle_Flick Posted September 16, 2003 Share Posted September 16, 2003 Steve Tift, John Plotz and I only partially completed an enchanting traverse of the peaks in the Enchantments this past weekend. There's much more to do. We made a commitment of no alpine starts on this trip which resulted in us not climbing everything we had planned. Nevertheless, a wonderful trip that we'd highly recommend to anyone interested. We came up the south side of the Enchantments via Crystal Creek, and climbed Pennant Peak, but had to skip the Flagpole due to time constraints (2nd failed attempt on my part) and ascended the south face of Little Annapurna as the sun was getting low on the horizon. The next day we moved north and climbed the South Face of Prusik, but ran out of time for Box Top and High Priest. Instead, that evening we continued the traverse northeast to Toketie Lake. On Sunday Steve and John couldn't find the Firey/McCarthy route on Toketie Wall, but climbed two pitches of 5.9 that veered up and left of the prow before retreating. I scrambled up and cairned a nifty walkoff route back to Toketie Lake from the top of the wall. An area worthy of more exploration. The descent down Toketie to the Snow Lake trail is now easier to find than years prior due to use since the '94 fire. Other than Prusik Peak, we had the area to ourselves. The larches were just beginning to change color. There was some new snow on the north side of Prusik. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klenke Posted September 16, 2003 Share Posted September 16, 2003 Ha Ha, an Enchantments enchainment. How catchy! OK, Kyle, so was that your guys' gear stashed on and in the rocks of upper Crystal Creek on Friday afternoon? I was descending from Crystal Lake around 5:00PM and came upon a green sleeping bag airing out on a rock and sundry other climbing paraphenalia tucked here and there. I wondered where these people were. I figured they were climbing something technical nearby. If it was you, then you may have been up near The Flagpole at this time. From time to time I heard voices but could never pinpoint their source. This occurred while I was descending from the north side of McClellan Ridge and again while I was on Little Annapurna and, I think, again while I was in the upper Crystal Creek drainage. If you were on The Flagpole in the 3:00-5:00PM timeframe, then this might explain it. However, when I looked down at The Flagpole from LA, I did not see anyone. I thought they were voices in my head or snafflehounds or both. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
telemarker Posted September 16, 2003 Share Posted September 16, 2003 That was us, and my bag airing out. Hopefully not too offensive. I'll post some pics I have of the climbing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rollo Posted September 16, 2003 Share Posted September 16, 2003 heading up there this weekend. Are the bloodsucking bugs dead yet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erik Posted September 16, 2003 Share Posted September 16, 2003 rollo said: heading up there this weekend. Are the bloodsucking bugs dead yet? THEYVE BEEN GONE SINCE THE 1ST FREEZE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klenke Posted September 16, 2003 Share Posted September 16, 2003 Nary a bug. On Friday at elevations above 7,200 ft there was a fresh dusting of snow (half-an-inch deep in drifts) that lingered on north slopes and sunless areas. Probably getting more up there as I type this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klenke Posted September 17, 2003 Share Posted September 17, 2003 A picture of The Flagpole Needles Group. Size limitations on this site have reduced the resolution such that The Flagpole is not as obvious. Click here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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