Eldorado approach warning

[wotan_of_ballard]

Crossing the North Fork of the Cascade River is rather gnarly now. A 3 foot step across from a bare log to the root wall of an overturned huge tree, with the racing waters below. Kind of like the step across from Jello Tower on Castle Rock, reversing the move is more dicey because its balancey. Blow it and your body will be floating past Marblemount before your buddies could drive there. A tight handline or good extension to the log (well secured board) could significantly reduce the risk.

[Cpt.Caveman]

So what you are saying is bring a large saw and prepare to cut down and throw across some large tree trunks *be prepared for adventure *

 

I aint never been there but aint going now that I heard this

 

[ 06-24-2002, 10:10 AM: Message edited by: Cpt.Caveman ]

[Dru]

Is it worse or better than the Night N Gale or Synchronicity logs. enquiring minds and all that. Maybe we need a L-scale for log crossings where L1 = giant redwood with handrails and L12 = 45 degree incline 3 inch diameter devils club under 2 feet of water at lip of waterfall.

[allthumbs]

"Hey Mabutu, you lazy bastard! Sell a yacht and fix this bridge."

[Moonbeam]

I faced the same dilemma two weekends ago and gained the root system of the tree bridge from the right side. I shimmied along the two small and submerged trees, leaned forward and grabbed onto roots/devils club and summitted the root system from there. Definitely the crux of the climb

 

In hindsight, crampons would have made it "easier" to gain the root system from the log jutting out of the river bank. And less time consuming.

[Mike_Collins]

I crossed the log one week ago wearing crampons and then leaning onto the root ball. Once against the ball you can grab onto the various roots to find the bomber holds. It took a little extra time but wearing the crampons on the slippery log is the key. It was the only time I wore the crampons all day.

[Big_Wall_Betty]

I fell in there once...with my backpack on too! Kind of scary but at least it was on the way out so it was ok that I was wet. Luckily, I caught a branch on my way in, so I didn't get swept away.

 

That's why I gotta stay on the Big Walls...

 

BWB

[klenke]

That root crossing is rated L8. If you had bushwhacked down the river for 150 yards (BW5 rating), you would have come upon the L3 crossing. Up the river about 300 yards (at BW3 bushwhack rating) is the little-known gnarly L11 rope-swing crossing. This is my personal favorite. Also, I've personally never seen an L12. I'm also willing to admit I once fell in on an L2 (but it wasn't my fault; a bee was buzzing in my ear at the time).

[JERRY_SANCHEZ]

You can also avoid the log crossing and go up Hidden Lake traihead approach to Sibling creek. This approach is longer but avoids much of the elevation gain and it is much more scenic.

[Gary_Yngve]

quote:

---

Originally posted by wotan of ballard:

Crossing the North Fork of the Cascade River is rather gnarly now. A 3 foot step across from a bare log to the root wall of an overturned huge tree, with the racing waters below. Kind of like the step across from Jello Tower on Castle Rock, reversing the move is more dicey because its balancey. Blow it and your body will be floating past Marblemount before your buddies could drive there. A tight handline or good extension to the log (well secured board) could significantly reduce the risk.

---

Not any more.

 

Yesterday:

 

Today:

 

 

But I make no guarantees on how long it will last -- the river is high and eroding everything in sight.

 

Oh yeah... the bad thing about the tree

falling there: the second half of the tree fell on the trail.

[Dennis_Harmon]

Thanks Gary, Wayne Wallace and I summited the W arete of Eldorado back in '93, and I don't recall any river problems except for that one about two miles up from where we parked. It was badly eroded then. Is that what you're describing? Dennis

[Matt]

How hard is it to climb Eldorado in a day? It looks reasonable, but Nelson's book makes it sound like a death march.

[Cpt.Caveman]

It does not look reasonable from my point of view unless you are ninja walking lung with light packs.

[Alpine_Tom]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Matt:

How hard is it to climb Eldorado in a day? It looks reasonable, but Nelson's book makes it sound like a death march.

---

I've done it, and didn't think it was that arduous. We hit the trail around 7:15 (this was June, 2000, and that tree discussed above was there then, or one very like it) and were back to the car by 7:00 PM. We didn't push like crazy, and took some breaks. (My partner twisted his ankle, and didn't summit, but this slowed our descent some too.) It's pretty stunning scenery up there; Inspiration glacier would be a great place to camp.

While we were up there, another group of about a dozen people (not Mountaineers)were also doing a one-day climb, and we saw a few others doing it too.

 

The catch is that (I think) you'd need to do the approach in daylight, and so by the time you're heading down, the snow is really wet and sloppy. That was my experience, anyhow.

Crevasse danger was non-existant, so far as I could tell.

 

If you're interested, you can read my account at http://www.nwog.org/reports/060400eldorado.htm

[Cpt.Caveman]

Tom,

 

Was that your first climb or did you climb it before knowing the way and all? A valid question not a smart ass one. I find it easier to do that way most of the time. Just curious.

[Alpine_Tom]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Cpt.Caveman:

Tom,

 

Was that your first climb or did you climb it before knowing the way and all? A valid question not a smart ass one. I find it easier to do that way most of the time. Just curious.

---

It was my first time up there. The route wasn't at all hard to follow, once we found the trail across the river. (That was the tough part, we probably wasted twenty minutes wandering around looking for anything that looked like the real trail.)

But once you're on the trail, it's not difficult to follow. For us, there enough others heading up and down that routefinding wasn't much of a challenge. Overall, I'd say routefinding was similar to Sulphide Glacier.

[Cpt.Caveman]

Cool. It looks like a long ways. I am not sure my fat ass can do it. Maybe though

[Matt]

Alpine Tom--

 

Thanks for the beta. That is what my partner was telling me-- it is not so hard if you are in reasonable shape. Then again, he is a burly marathon runner who was pissed when he only got 3:12 in his last marathon.

 

I think we will try it in a one day push this weekend.

 

Question for Gary:

 

How bad were the mosquitos? I was in the Enchantments on Wednesday/Thursday and the only thing that kept me sane was the bug net I brought for my head and the bug repellent I applied every hour. Even on the summit of Prussik the mosquitos were swarming.

 

Caveman:

 

I think you are a ninja KGB smoking lung. Smoke more and you too will think Eldorado in a day is reasonable. I myself no longer smoke-- trying to treat my body like a temple and find the way This is the natural cycle of things. Om.

[Alpine_Tom]

Actually, as I think back on it, the first challenge was figuring out where exactly to go from the parking area. I mean, do you head up the road a mile, or down, or what? This is where having someone who's done it before helps. The answer is, you cross the river pretty much at the parking area. The log is (was) about 50 feet downstream from where we parked.

[Gary_Yngve]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Matt:

How hard is it to climb Eldorado in a day? It looks reasonable, but Nelson's book makes it sound like a death march.

---

I don't think it would be too bad. We pushed from 2100 to camp at 7200 casually in 7 hours, and the next morning, it was only an hour to summit. Without bag, bivy, pad, stove, pot, doing the remaining 1600 feet the first day would have been no big deal.

 

The main problem is the terrain is kinda hairy.

Climbing through the forest (the first 1700 feet or so) in the dark would take longer because of the roots, muddy spots, trying to stay on-trail, etc. Maybe you could start at 7:00 and be at the talus before sunset. The talus isn't actually so bad because after the lower talus field, there is a trail to the right that mostly skirts the rest of the talus. Maybe take the rest of the route

at an easy pace to top out around 4 AM?

 

I prefer the two-day version because the sunrise

and sunset are so spectacular up there.

[Matt]

Gary:

 

You mean top out at 4 PM, right?

[Cpt.Caveman]

The slog over to Austera looks pretty cool. I would like to do it on skis next spring. Not necessarily touching Eldo summit. I saw some stuff on Cascadeclassics that looked like a good exploration. However I am slow and horrible skier. Might need to plan extra days if I try that!

[Lambone]

How does the approach compare to the Boston Basin approach. My fiance and I may give it a go this weekend.

 

Any good bivi site recomendations?

Thanks

[hollyclimber]

Bostin Basin-short and not hard (even in this years avy debris).

Eldorado-long, steep and kicked my ass.

 

I would never compare the two...

[Gary_Yngve]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Matt:

Question for Gary:

 

How bad were the mosquitos?

---

I didn't get bitten up at all. But you know how the mosquitos are -- a new batch might have hatched by the weekend.