[TR] Porcupine Peak- swamp creek trail 9/12/2004

[layton]

Climb: Porcupine Peak-swamp creek trail

 

Date of Climb: 9/12/2004

 

Trip Report:

Note to climbers: the north face of porcupine peak is huge, granite, slabby, and mostly worthless. There are a couple really steep (vertical) 700 cliffs WAY up above some exciting slabs and gullies. Then there is the "see-tru" couloir, which is a vertical gully that is see-thru about 1/2 way up. Good views of Tower, Hardy, and Golden Horn, and of course Goode across the way.

 

BUT....there is HUGE ice potential in winter.

 

There is a great trail up swamp creek not marked on any map that I could find. Besides being a trail, it has liberal amounts of blue flagging tape. Actually, a ridiculous amount. The trial starts on the far west end of the Swamp Creek Pullout. It's about 1500' and 2 miles to the cirque and is pretty neat.

 

Gear Notes:

remote vision

[layton]

oh, porcupine peak is one peak west of Hardy on Hwy 20 just pass Easy Creek.

[dkemp]

Nice, thanks. I was near Black Peak last weekend, backpacking with my spouse. Our camp looked right out over at Porcupine - looked at it all weekend! Was wondering about that sucker.

[klenke]

Porcupine Peak (Pk 7762) is SE of Mt. Hardy, across Swamp Creek.

 

Last summer when I climbed Tower I wondered about north-side routes on Porcupine. The center buttress on that rivaled many in the area in terms of angle and height. Are you saying you climbed up it a little, Michael?

[layton]

no, it was too steep to scramble around solo.

I hate to say it, but bolts would seem to be the pro i'd want if I was gonna climb that. There also are no lines that "stand out" pretty wandering.

 

Anyway, I'm glad that others had noticed this wall and I saved some folks from scopin' in vain.

 

I won't be able to for a couple years, but somebody should go here in winter on when it's very cold. lots of smears and gullies. only an hour from the road (if you can get to that point on the road...)

There is one upper tower (i'll post a pic in october when I develop my film) that may be good, but it's on top of 600' of shitty slabs and dead vertical. Looked blank, but I didn't have binocs, so it may have something on it. Looks exactly like the W.face of N.E.W.S. except steeper.

[klenke]

Here's the best I can do. From Tower Mountain in Aug. 2003. The summit of Porcupine is in the foreground:

[jordop]

Here's the best I can do. From Tower Mountain in Aug. 2003. The summit of Porcupine is in the foreground:

 

Whats the shit on middle horizon at the very left?

[klenke]

I'm not positive what the dark cliffs are in front of Kololo Peaks. Based on straight-line & angular measurements, those peaks are in the vicinity of Sitting Bull Mountain (7,759 ft) near Suiattle Pass.

 

At right is Agnes Mountain (8,115 ft). In front of Glacier is what I believe is Bannock Mountain (7,760+ ft). Corteo Peak is closer to the camera at extreme right. Gunsight Peak is at extreme right on the horizon.

[layton]

wow, nice photo. kinda misleading since the bottom 2/3 is slabby schwag. The rock looked great for the last 500' or so. It's a huge face and it extends around the whole swamp creek basin. Ice or bolts, or if you are REALLY bored...aid.

[philfort]

In all its winter glory...

 

[specialed]

Looks like better skiing than climbing

[layton]

yeah, nevermind what I said about the ice i guess. maybe early season. awww fuck it. go to the Canadian rockies for ice.

[cakeo48]

I think to do that route justice someone who's a mix between a Yosemite free climber, and a Cascadian Mountaineer, no ice, no bolts, a few cams, and 9.2 mm 50 meter rope. Then you would end up with a route to rival maybe even Hozomeen Southwest Buttress, if done right it should be grade IV+.