[TR] Picket Traverse- Easy Ridge to Access Creek 8/14/2004

[Phil_Smith]

Climb: Picket Traverse-Easy Ridge to Access Creek

 

Date of Climb: 8/14/2004

 

Trip Report:

Pickett Traverse Secrets

 

Here are some details I would have found useful. Feel free to contact me if you want to talk over your route or plans.

Phil Smith

posmith@comcast.net

 

Chilliwack crossing:

The trail to the Chilliwack crossing to Easy Ridge is easy to find. It's a brisk 45 minute walk from Copper Creek Camp and 4 minutes walk from the first significant stream crossing east of Copper Creek.

Easy Ridge

The Easy Ridge ascent trail is easy to follow and brush is not a problem. The route’s reputation for spectacular scenery is well justified. There are no camping sites until timberline; after gaining the ridge there are many camping opportunities but water may be hard to find in late season. There is reliable water on the north side of Peak 6000+ NNW of Easy Peak. We cut across the face of Easy Peak to avoid the last 200 feet of elevation gain, but disliked the steep sliding scree traverse. When I go back, I'll go over the top.

I think a trip from the Chilliwack to Perfect Pass is too long a day. Many parties I’ve known have either not made it or arrived with headlamps. We liked our camp on rock slabs ¾ miles west of the Impass.

 

 

Perfect Impass Ledge route

The Impass gully is not crossable at scree level. The only ways around are 1000’ down and around or up the buttress two short leads to a grassy ledge invisible from below. I’m not saying that the ledge route will save time, but here’s the route.

The buttress has two toes. On the west side of the east most toe, an obvious white dike cuts the buttress. Starting at the junction of the east toe and the dike, climb the east toe to a heathery ledge. A second 4th class lead gains the top of the toe; a short exposed knife edge leads to a grassy horizontal ledge. The ledge leads to a short wet gully (also a dike) which exits to steep heather, then scree.

Viewed from the Perfect Pass descent, the route is clear but looks impossible. The white dike is rappelable, although it would require a 150’ rope to get beyond the short vertical portion near the base.

I suggest the ledge route only for a confident party of two. The easiest route is unquestionably 4th class, with belay essential.

 

 

Perfect Pass

Descend to Challenger Glacier by ledges at the north end of the pass.

Luna Cirque

Good camping and water at the 5900’ camp one mile ENE from the summit of Challenger.

Keep between trees and scree as you walk SSW, keeping above 5000’. There is a ramp that leads to scree and willow at the westernmost corner of Luna Cirque Got to go swimming with calving icebergs at Luna Lake; another great camp.

Luna Peak, Access Creek

There is a great camp on “Luna Arm” at 6400’, ¾ mile SE of the summit. Instead of watching shooting stars that night, we sat up watching flare ups of the McMillan Creek fire. It was mostly smoke but several trees would flame like Bic lighters every hour. Water may be a walk late season. Traverse the top of a steep heather gully to enter the Access Creek drainage.

Going down hill, a way trail crosses Access Creek to the north side, before the first serious band of brush. The trail continues about a mile before disappearing. We encountered only about 3 hours of non-malignant brush, but I’d hate to go uphill through it with a week of food.

 

 

Picket Traverse Times

 

The following are the travel times for my party of four, a fit, somewhat slow, average age 50 group with packs for an eight day trip. You can probably do a bit better. Whole day times include lunch.

 

Chilliwack crossing to Easy Ridge Camp, ¾ miles west of Perfest Impass 9 hours

 

Ledge Route around Impass (two belays of four climbers) 2 ½ hours

 

Top of Ledge to Perfect Pass 2 hours

 

Perfect Pass to Challenger Summit (Full packs to Challenger Arm) 5 ½ hours

 

Rocky Knoll 5900’ Camp to Luna Lake 9 hours

 

Luna Lake to Luna Pass 4 hours

 

Luna Pass to Luna Arm Camp (6400’, ¾ mile SE of summit) 2 hours

 

Luna Arm Camp to Access Basin camp, 4400’ 2 hours

 

Access Basin Camp to Big Beaver Creek 4 hours (includes lunch, 3 hours in brush)

[iain]

better hope you didn't leave the keys behind on that car shuttle!

[LoneGeezer]

 

Went up that way with a week of food in July, on the way to Fury. Actually not that bad, I would agree that Access Cr is pretty non-malignant as bushwacks go. Found the Northern Picketts in general to be as relentlessly wild a place as I have been.

 

I'm curious about the traverse from Challenger Arm to Luna Lake. Since you didn't comment on it I would guess that it was more straight-forward than it looks from the South. My impression from Fury was that picking the right descent point from Challenger Arm could be a cliff-ridden crap shoot

[Skeezix]

Another option is Wiley-Eiley R. to Beaver Pass.