Maude & 7 Fingered Jack

[Pencil_Pusher]

Leave the rope at home if you're headed up the walk-ups. Light scrambling at best (worst, depending on your view) but both routes can be done in your jogging shoes.

Plenty of running water for 7, out of 6000ft camp follow trail to stream crossing with disappearing footpath going upstream and then take that (main trail heads towards Icicle Lake) once up on top of hump (big one, you'll see it) traverse on scree to left shoulder on up.

Maude was drier for ascent and beats me where the heck the route is. We did hear from a group not to follow the cairns and this is true a little after you cross this big ravine with yellow/orange dirt. Either go up towards shoulder (8100+ feet) once reaching other side of ditch or follow cairns to path going under 25 foot tall cliff band. Then hang a left up big scree gully.

We scrambled a bit when we went to the right of the big scree gully and even coming down didn't know where the route was. Fast descent skiing on scree.

Both routes were three hours each from camp unless you're CascadeClimber.

The route descriptions I've given were because we spent a significant amount of time discussing such for each climb and met two climbers coming off wrong finger of Jack, looking for actual summit.

[Tod]

Were you up there this weekend. I was up there putzin around and ended up making the traverse on the old Carne Mtn. High Route. I camped in the Leroy Basin/Meadow Saturday night and headed out Sunday afternoon..

I went to go check out Fernow, but was unmotivated and mostly enjoyed the scenery and sun.

Tod

[mark]

Tod, do you think that the carne mountain high route would save any time getting to ice lakes compared to the leroy creek approach?

Any chance you're the Tod from Everett?

[Tod]

The Carne High Route will not save any time. Because most of the trail is not even there anymore it can take a lot more time to go this route. For example, it takes me about 1.5 hours to get to the Leroy Basin from the car, whereas it took me 6 hours to take the high route back. I could probably do the high route much quicker if I were to be up there again since i know the route now, but it wouldn't get me to Ice Lakes any quicker.

Best bet, take the Leroy Creek/Basin trail and then traverese over to the notch accessing Ice Lakes. Probably the fastest way to Ice Lakes from any direction....

Tod

[mark]

Thanks Tod. I took my 13 year old son up Carne mountain a month ago and it looked pretty direct to get to ice lakes from there. I had no feel for the time, though, because we were going at a 13 year old's pace.

1.5 hours to Leroy basin! Damn boy, you’re fast! My best has been 2 hours.

Thanks again.

[This message has been edited by mark (edited 07-26-2001).]

[lisa]

Heading to Fernow this weekend, will trail shoes suffice, it looks like you can skirt around the glacier?

[Tod]

Your'e probably going to run into some patches of snow up high (maybe not though). The terrain is rough so light hikers maybe a better option....

Let me know how it goes and which route you go up....

Tod

[lisa]

Thanks for the info from Tod and Mark. I left Friday and took my mtn. bike for the approach. What a blast it was coming back, to the car, only 20 min, and no work, gotta love it. It took about 40 min. to the creek which could be done faster if you're a go lite fanatic and pack under 20 lbs.

I hate to say that the rain found me, I thought I would escape it, maybe the clouds would burn off, but no.

There was some fresh dusting of snow on both Maude and 7 Finger when I awoke this morning. But that brief clearing didn't last, no fun climbing in the rain so I retreated.

[Tod]

Great idea!! I never thought of bringing my bike on that trail, but it sure seems like a nice trail for it.

How far up did you ride?

[lisa]

I rode to Leroy creek where the trail begins up and stashed the bike there, took 40 min. from the car. It's a great way to speed up the approach, wish it could be done in more areas.