[TR] Mt. Watson- North Face/Ridge 8/15/2004

[Bill_Simpkins]

Climb: Mt. Watson-North Face/Ridge

 

Date of Climb: 8/15/2004

 

Trip Report:

Myself and Chuck Eaton went up this little peak 3 years ago and decided to spend the afternoon exploring it a little more.

We talked about finding a short, old route that was put up by Dallas Kloke years ago. However we opted for something else. This may be a new route. Don't know for sure.

 

When we go to the little glacier we were pretty amazed that it was littered with crevasses.

 

 

After taking a nice break, we skirted around the north side to look for the route and see if we could descend down from the col. on the snow.

 

Do NOT decend this way! There are many sketchy melt-outs under the snow with many crevasses ( couldn't believe it for such a small, low peak).

So we scrambled up and left our boots and poles at the base.

I started out on the short, steep headwall, but after a few placements I saw a fate of gardening and poor rock. So I headed left onto the mellower slab, which left almost no pro and maybe no chance of a belay.

After reversing back to my original position, I decided to head up this corner than sported occasional cracks and lie backs. I followed this corner until I ran out of rope (not even an inch left) and was lucky enough to find a well-protectable belay spot with a place to sit. I only had a couple of pieces left, but they fit in perfect, but the setup was still a little getto. Actually...very getto. But there is a solid #1 camalot and a slung chockstone out of view.

 

 

 

Chuck followed up.

 

 

I then continued up a brushy ramp to the top. Lots of heather smearing and pulling. The trick is to get as large as a handfull as possible before you move up.

Chuck handled the shrubbery just fine.

 

We scrambled east off the top then rappelled down the South gullie and crossed back over at the col to the SW.

Decending this small glacier with rock shoes and a stick was very entertaining.

 

 

The Mounties would cringe. Kicking steps in the hard snow with rock shoes was very painful.

 

Chuck went back up and got our stuff at the base then we took a long break and hiked out.

 

The route we did seems different than 5th class route explained in the Beckey guide. The book explains low fifth slabs on the W flank of the North side. We went up a corner and ramp to the summit. This may be a new route.

 

Route. Go to Toe of the north side. Cross moating and scramble up crack and features then head left when it flattens out. Around the left 3rd of this area is a corner/ramp thattend up and right, steepish at first. P1 starts here.

P1: continue up corner with good holds and liebacks. There is pro every 20 feet or so. There is 60 meters before a good belay spot. Watch for drag. Low 5th class.

P2: continue up carner to heathery ramp and take this to the top. There is a good belay on the right side just below the summit. 4th class. A little exposure.

** Basaically, stay between the slabs and the steep wall. Or if you would like to call it the ridge crest, you may.

 

 

 

Descent: Scamble down the "reverse Z' ledge system on the E. side as described in the Beckey book. Then rappel or scramble down the sout gullie then head right to a col and decend snow.

 

we had a good time overall.

 

 

Gear Notes:

A few small and large stoppers. Cams 1/2" to 3.5".

Red tri-cam. I was lucky to have just enough gear at the belay. A #1 camalot was my best friend at the belay. Bring many shoulder runners and few doubles. Many trees to sling on the second pitch.

Bring a Stick, pole, or ice axe. due to the icy nature of this small glacier.

 

 

Approach Notes:

Head up watson lake trail. Take the fork to Watson Lake. After taking the fork and gaining the hill, head down for a couple hundred yards and a path splits off right through the brush. Take this to upper Anderson Lakes. At the N end of the first lake, take a mellow grassy gullie to the top of the ridge, then turn right. Follow a boot path up to the small glacier.

[dberdinka]

Nice work Bill! Thats one of the more sublime summits in the Baker Lake area. Worth checking out by any route.

[whiplash]

Thanks for the TR, I remember looking at that face a couple years ago when climbing the “reverse Z” and wondering what it was like.

Glad to hear it was fun.

[plexus]

Hmm, I climbed this with my friends about five years ago and I don't remember there being any crevasses on the glacier. I remember doing the West Peak in one cruddy pitch, rapping off a small tree, hiking back up to the col, crossing over (kinda nervous since it was rather steep) and getting over to the main route that Kloke put up. I remember the pro being spread out and the rock quality being less than desired. But hell, any day in the mountains is better than a day in the office.

 

It must be because of the low snow year that they were opened.

 

Still, great views from that peak. I remember we practiced our z-pully skills on the way back. It started snowing on us as we crossed the lowest rock band, and I don't think it stopped snowing until the next May.

 

Always meant to get back and do the Watson/Bacon/Hagen/Blum circuit.

[Bill_Simpkins]

I was very suprised to see crevasses up there. There were dozens of them.

[catbirdseat]

You might want to invest in a cordellette one of these days, laddie.

[Bill_Simpkins]

Didn't you read the disclaimer above the photo? heheh

 

I have a cordelette, thank you, but this works just fine.

It is a home made web-o-lette. Works just as good. Plus, it's lighter, takes up less space and you can cut it up for rappel anchors.

Just for the record, when that was weighted it was very equalized. It however was not ideal, but that was all the gear I had left on me. I was completetly out of any rope to build an anchor with, and all of the slings were used except for one on a chalkstone which is out of the picture on the left. The biner on the closest strand of webbing was to refine the equalization even further. There was a solid #1 camalot out to the left by the chockstone in a crack. The runner from the chalkstone also was cliped to the camalot and my harness. When pulled taught the setup was very clean and solid. Shockloading sucks, but the position I was in and the gear I had left didn't allow a perfect setup. I also had a solid stance, which helped. I could have taken his weight without an anchor.

I posted this picture because it WAS NOT an ideal setup. A picture of a perfect anchor would be boring.

Cheers!

[ncascademtns]

Did this one in 1999. Not a bad climb.