fenderfour Posted June 30, 2004 Posted June 30, 2004 Climb: Mt Shuksan -North Face Date of Climb: 6/26/2004 Trip Report: Other Participants: Doug S., Paul C., Jim S. The route goes around to the right up a creek through scree field to a shoulder just below the North Face at 5500 feet. We found a great biv site on some dry rocks. We were up and climbing by 4:00 am on Sunday. The face was in great shape. The snow was perfect styrofoam for kicking a trail. There was no noticable rockfall and little evidence of recent rockfall on the way up. We got to the shoulder in about 4 hours. We decided to go 'round the pyramid to the South Gulley to gain the summit block. About half the gulley was still in snow. The summit was dry with a 30 foot scramble to the top. White Salmon descent: Found Hell's Highway to get to Winnie's slide - note: Winnie's Slide is mislabled on the USGS topo. Downclimbed to the lower White Salmon Glacier, went left on the lower White Salmon. It would have been easier to go right and descend the slopes to the base of the glacier. As it was, we had to navigate through some cliffbands, moats, and minor crevasses to get to a scree field leading to the base of the glacier. Not a whole lot of fun. The very bottom of the glacier is icy. The bushwhack out is even more fun than the bushwhack in. Leave at least 3 hours for this. We got back to the cars at 9:00 pm, 17 hours after we started. It was a great climb on an excellent route. I would recommend it, but the bushwhack is a real trial. Gear Notes: Pickets, second tool (did use) crampons, rope Approach Notes: The high approach really sucks. We had hoped to find snow in order to make the traverse easier, but it just wasn't there. The bushwhack was a good way to start what would become a North Cascades classic. We cut down through alternating heavy timber and clearcut devil's club fields. The basin was plastered with slide alder and talus. Quote
AJScott Posted June 30, 2004 Posted June 30, 2004 grrrrrr.....that was my plan for this last weekend. with the exeption of descending the white salmon. We even drove all the way up to chair 8 but just couldnt get it together to drop into that basin and risk not having good weather...that is a fucking hainus bushwack...my last attempt on the north face was halted to a stop with a large avy that came down within 50 ft. of myself and my partner that would have swept us all the way down to price lake, the slide was a good half mile wide when it came to a stop down there. I was unable to coax my freind into continuing, which was probably wise...it was the first REALLY warm day of spring and shit was poppin off all over the place. someday I will get up that north face. And back down it. Quote
fenderfour Posted June 30, 2004 Author Posted June 30, 2004 I'm working on resizing some pics now. Quote
fenderfour Posted June 30, 2004 Author Posted June 30, 2004 Pics!!! The start of the route taken from our bivy site. The route goes under the bulge then heads straight up the hill. Paul C, Doug S, and Jim S. (whitetrash) ahead of me on a traverse above a crevasse. Mt Baker from high on the North Face of Shuksan My camera is starting to crap out. This was a cool artistic shot of the summit block that it produced for me. Quote
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