[TR] "A" peak, by Ellinor- Millimeters of Verglass 11/28/2004

[wayne]

Climb: "A" peak, by Ellinor-Millimeters of Verglass

 

Date of Climb: 11/28/2004

 

Trip Report:

Its fun to go chasing after rumors of ice. "Washinton Ice" suggests a route on the north face of Ellinor called "Acres of Diamonds. I couldnt resist checking out the possible line of it, but here in the Olys you have to also recon the approach to these areas as well. Needless to say, I couldnt even get in the cirque from where I thought I might be able to. I went to Ellinor-Washinton Col and saw only large cliffs below . It was then I realized you would have to approach from the other side altogether- The Jefferson lake way. Is there a trail in there?

 

Not to be shut down, I found a gully leading up to the summit of the peak just south of the saddle- "A" peak offered an interesting 60 feet of mixed in a gully /dihedral followed by a long section of steep almost icy snow all the way to the summit pinnacle. Fun as well was the traverse from there ot the summit of Ellinor.

 

Has anyone done the Ellinor-Washington Traverse? What time of year?

It looks cool and what little I did was very fun.

The route I did here was cool, but nothing I would call significant at all. It did start the stoke for me and winter climbing and I am sure we are ready to hack away!

Heres to a good season ahead!

 

Gear Notes:

2 tools, crampons

 

Approach Notes:

Head towards Ellinor-Washington col and go p gully left of saddle basin towards summit of "A" peak. Then traverse along ridge to summit of Ellinor

[Blakej]

Cool I just got some tools and was wondering about the prospects in the olys. There is suppose to be a steep col on pershings that is steep hard snow/ice in spring and I think there are random reports of ice else where let us know if you find it.

[klenke]

Eric Hoffman has done the traverse. Click here. The traverse is mentioned in the Olympics Mountain guidebook.

 

The guidebook shows a trail in the Jefferson Lake valley. There is apparently a road (FR-2401?) that goes up Jefferson Creek form Hwy-101 NE of Mt. Washington.

 

How far were you able to drive? I may do Mt. Washington next weekend if I can get suitably close to its base on that logging road that cuts across the south side.

[Macson]

Need a partner Klenke?

[mattp]

Wayne-

I think the easiest way to get into the cirque behind Ellinor and Washington might be to climb Ellinor and descend a gully down the backside, near the summit. The gully is prominent in this photo, from Eric Hoffman's TR.

 

 

 

The road up the front side to the Mount Ellinor trailhead is well-maintained, and even in the winter you will often find a trail to the top. When the road is blocked by snow low down, you may find a reasonable shortcut up a wooded ridge (old timber) between the forks of Big Creek, avoiding about two miles of switchbacks. It may take a recon to figure this out.

 

You seem to do well with the exposed-crappy-rock-poorly-protected kind of thing, so you might well like the traverse. I've tried it and never managed to stay actually on the crest for the entire way - and I have never heard of anybody else doing so. It occasionally rimes up in the Winter.

[David_Parker]

I agree with Matt. That gulley is the key and close to the summit. I've skiied it!

[Tweezer]

Klenke, if you head up washington, see if my log box is still there. Just curious if it survived the wave of summer climbers. Should be a fun climb this time of year. Todd

[Stefan]

I have done the Ellinor/Washington traverse and doing A peak in between the traverse. Did it in early August.

 

I recall dropping down to around 5200 feet on the east side and traversing in a northeasterly direction until I hit the well travelled climbers path that leads up to the summit of Washington.

[mattp]

The two peaks can easily be connected via a shelf high in that back-side basin, too. You get more of a sense of being in the wilderness back there than if you traverse along the "front" side.

 

Washington is an excellent winter climb. Both the SE Face (ramp) and the "standard" route make easy day climbs.

[Lowell_Skoog]

In 1994, two friends and I did the Ellinor-Washington traverse this way:

 

 

We made several out-and-back flights from Ellinor to Washington, looping around them like pylons. Here is a story:

 

http://www.alpenglow.org/paragliding/writing/indian-summer.html

 

I haven't been back since then. My wife and I did the traverse on foot one October and enjoyed it very much.