[TR] Argonaut Peak - Northeast Couloir 5/14/2005

[gyselinck]

Climb: Argonaut Peak -Northeast Couloir

 

Date of Climb: 5/14/2005

 

Trip Report:

A plan to climb the Northeast Face of Stuart, changed into a plan to climb the Ice Cliff Glacier Arête, where we ended up climbing the Northeast Couloir of Argonaut Peak, then traversing over to Colchuck and Dragontail. It has been my 4th weekend in a row into the area, I didn't care what we did, just wanted to climb something.

 

NOLSe and I set up bivies under blue skies in a rock shelter below the moraine of the Ice Cliff Glacier and watched clouds roll in. I had checked the weather that day which showed a 60% chance of rain on Saturday, not what I wanted to here. I then went to a less reliable source which showed a 30% chance of precipitation, more to my liking. We ran into a couple of friends on the hike up who were there to climb the SGC, we all shared the cave.

 

Shit kept falling off the NE Face so we contemplated climbing the Ice Cliff Glacier Arête instead. We awoke around 6 the following morning to rain. Our friends that shared the cave were completely saturated; NOLSe and I lucked out and stayed dry. Weather was poopy, so we decided we would go climb Argonaut Saturday morning. Neither of us had done it before, but both had been eyeing it for some time.

 

Due to the lack of snowfall this year the climbing was a little more interesting then I had thought it would be. There were a couple thin ice steps, but nothing to difficult. We both soloed the entire route, except for one section of rotten ice about 10 feet high. NOLSe soloed it and told me that he would drop the rope. I found this section easier then the first crux lower down the climb. Easy 4th and low 5th class climbing lead out of the couloir and onto the upper face. A quick traverse and class 3 scramble lead to the summit. Time was 5 hours from the glacial moraine below Stuart to summit of Argonaut.

 

I had forgotten my rations back at camp so NOLSe was nice enough to share his. He gave me two bars and one gu packet and kept the same for himself. On the summit we snapped some photos, signed the register (and fixed the date on Klenke and MCash’s note) admired the bad weather, and contemplated what to do next.

 

One rap down the east face (60 m rope) brought us to class 3 ledges where we were able to jump into the east couloir and plunge step down. We left all our gear at the Argonaut/Colchuck pass and ran up the summit of Colchuck. From there NOLSe distributed our remaining rations (3 cough drops each) and we ran to the false summit of Dragontail. A short rock step prevented us from reaching the true summit.

 

We quickly descend and returned to our packs. Easy going brought us back to the moraine below Argonaut where we met a couple of NOLSe’s friends who were going to climb the route the following day. We dried out our feet and returned to camp below Stuart. The plan was to try to climb a route up Stuart on Sunday if the weather got better. Sunday morning we awoke to heavy rain, packed up, and headed home.

 

Good climb, great route, had lots of phun. (NOLSe, you wanna post some pics?)

 

 

Gear Notes:

Brought rock rack, crampons, picket but didnt use any of it. Both had two tools. 60 m rope for a rap.

 

Approach Notes:

easy slog

Edited May 17, 2005 by gyselinck

[kurthicks]

We saw you guys climbing the couloir saturday. Good on ya for doing something with the weather being so crappy. we just went to the moraine, camped in the rain, and went home.

[MCash]

Nice job, post some pics. That is a fun moderate climb. Thanks for fixing our summit log entry too.

[olyclimber]

I had checked the weather that day which showed a 60% chance of rain on Saturday, not what I wanted to here. I then went to a less reliable source which showed a 30% chance of precipitation, more to my liking.

If you ask around enough, pretty soon you'll find someone who will tell you what you want to hear. I employ this method quite a bit myself.

 

Good work, thanks for the TR. Did you figure out the nutritional value of those cough drops?

[John Frieh]

Nice TR Craig. Quick edit: we were looking at NE face (not NW).

 

the moraine below Argonaut where we met a couple of NOLSe’s friends who were going to climb the route the following day.

 

PDX in the house! Pics as requested...

 

NEC from base:

 

Upper NEC (large snowfield) and the descent gulley (on the left... not the route) as viewed from Colchuck:

 

1st rock step:

 

Final rock step:

 

Into the fog:

 

Sorry I didn't take too many photos for the slog over to colchuck or dragontail.

[klenke]

 

What a difference a year makes...

Tod and me in the same NE Couloir section as your 1st rock step photo above. We had no ice, only marshwallow (early May, 2004):

 

Is that a mis-type? Did you leave your gear at the Colchuck-Argonaut Pass or the Colchuck-Dragontail Pass (Colchuck Col) before heading up to Colchuck? Seems like you'd leave your gear at Colchuck Col.

[gyselinck]

Fixed Klenke's goof.

 

 

Klenke, Colchuck/Argonaut Pass... We had to go all the way back to the moraine to get some stuff we stashed there, plus back to our campsite in the upper basin below Stuart.

Edited May 16, 2005 by gyselinck

[klenke]

How do you know that's my writing? (I admit it is my writing.)

It wouldn't be the first time I've goofed. I'm goofy.

[Juan]

Guys:

 

What is the normal approach and bivi spot for that route? Does one go all the way to the basin below Stuart Sherpa Glacier? I'm guessing not -- if that is right, at what point do you leave the valley bottom while you are next to Mountaineer Creek? Any info would be helpful.

 

Thanks,

 

John Sharp

[gyselinck]

Don't bivy, you don't want to have to carry all that shit. But if you must...You can bivy on the moraine just below the route. To get there, go up the standard way up to the Stuart Basin. Follow the climbers path until you look over and see Argonaut directly across from you then cut over. Scramble up a boulder fielf, then some snow covering rock slabs, then jump on the glacial moraine. Beware, don't cut over to early from the stuart climbers path or you will find yourself in a thicket of slide alder, which isn't bad..if your into that kind of stuff.

 

(I would recomend going light, doing it in a day, carrying over to Colchuck and descending that way)

 

edit: I would also recomend post a TR

Edited May 25, 2005 by gyselinck

[John Frieh]

I would recomend going light, doing it in a day, carrying over to Colchuck and descending that way

 

Word word word. But if you are going to bivy do it on the moraine ridge climber's left of the couloir entrance.

[MCash]

Gyselinck is right. The only thing I'd add is to follow the east fork of Mountaineer creek after you enter the woods and cross the creek (before it splits off into 3). The east fork will bring you directly up to the basin below the north face of Argonaut. You will be able to see the entrance to the couloir from there.