[TR] Welch Peak- SE Face 12/24/2004

[Dru]

Climb: Welch Peak-SE Face

 

Date of Climb: 12/24/2004

 

Trip Report:

Shaun, Dave and I wandered up Welch Peak on Xmas Eve Day. Nice view of cloud seas in Chilliwack Valley. Snow was rock hard crust that supported the weight of a truck; we drove to end of Williamson Lake road.

 

Lots of spindrift blowing around, high winds, very amusing, also cold. But it was sunny. Nice ice formed up in Williamson Cirque, kinda white and sun rotted where south facing, blue where east facing.

 

We trudged up to below the Welch-Foley col and up into the SE bowl on Welch. Shaun and I made it partway up the final SE face but Dave was going quite slowly and not enjoying soloing the steeper conditions on the final face so we decided to turn around about 150-200m below the summit. Just the top of Old Settler was showing over the clouds when looking north.

 

Made it down to the truck just at the time it started snowing, and home to Chilliwack by dark. A great day out with excellent views of Chilliwack Valley peaks wearing winter coats.

 

 

 

Gear Notes:

Crampons, mountaineering axe.

 

Approach Notes:

Drove Williamson Lk Road to ~1200m.

[PaulB]

Did you follow the summer trail to the lake, or was there enough snow to head straight up from the parking area?

[Dru]

Summer trail. Snow was patchy on steeper S facing slopes below lake. Wore crampons across slippery grass.

[Dru]

Sea of clouds