Juan Posted July 29, 2005 Posted July 29, 2005 (edited) Climb: Dragontail Peak-Serpentine Arete Date of Climb: 7/27/2005 Trip Report: Kevin from Bellingham (Quazimoto) and I were rained out of Buckner last Friday, and had one day to make good this week. A very recent TR on Buckner caused us to look for something with more climbing and less walking. Buckner's N. Face looks a bit past its prime this year, though I am sure it is a great route. Neither of us had done Serpentine, so we decided to give it a go as a day climb. I'm out of practice on rock and 17 years his senior, so I made Kevin promise to lead the crux pitches. He led them, with style. I killed the 3rd and 4th class, as always, and cheated through a few mid-fifth class moves for good measure. We left the parking lot at 6:15 a.m. and topped out at 3:15. We spent an hour on top (15 minutes of which was spent futzing around looking for the quickest way off the peak), and arrived back at the car at 8:00 p.m. On the second crux pitch, we caught, and later passed, one other pair that slept at the lake and left their bivi at 6:00. They were kind to let us pass. Nothing special to report except that: (1) TeleRoss and Sky are really fast and must run a lot or use jet packs (see their Complete NR of Stuart Report); and (2) you don't need crampons to get to, or off of, the Serpentine Arete for the rest of the year. Beyond that, it is a super fun route by any measure, and I am sick of almost falling asleep while driving home after a long day in the hills. Fucking dangerous. Gear Notes: Std. rack of cams and nuts to 3"; 50 meter rope; Ice axe optional for snow on descent; Helmet (for sure); and Bug Spray recommended. Approach Notes: Trail to Colchuck Lake Edited July 29, 2005 by Juan Quote
thelawgoddess Posted July 29, 2005 Posted July 29, 2005 nice work! that route looks nice. but damn, a long day, eh? Quote
TeleRoss Posted July 29, 2005 Posted July 29, 2005 Nice work I hear ya about the drive home. Coming back from Stuart I actually had to stop and sleep for about 20 minutes. Quote
gyselinck Posted July 29, 2005 Posted July 29, 2005 Good to run into you again Juan and Quazimoto. Quote
Dr_Flush_Amazing Posted July 29, 2005 Posted July 29, 2005 ...(2) you don't need crampons to get to, or off of, the Serpentine Arete for the rest of the year. You didn't do a descending traverse on a steepish snowfield (icy in late season) off the backside? Quote
Juan Posted July 29, 2005 Author Posted July 29, 2005 Hey lawgoddess: Say "hi" to Jeff Minzel (your boss, right?) for me. Re: the long drive home -- we stopped for a bit too -- Kevin was snoring in the fetal position and I dozed for about 30 minutes. Not enough, but better than nothing. Re: crampons: Even on the snow descent from the big saddle, it was just plunge stepping. We had axes out, but it wasn't slippery and it's not very steep. G'nick: Did you do the balanced rock route??? John Quote
thelawgoddess Posted July 29, 2005 Posted July 29, 2005 Hey lawgoddess: Say "hi" to Jeff Minzel (your boss, right?) for me. well, i could say hi ... but i don't work there any more! Quote
skykilo Posted August 3, 2005 Posted August 3, 2005 John was absolutely right about no 'poons or ax. Thanks for the word, bird. Sweet climb, especially the pitch in the awesome right-facing dihedral with fingers, hands, and then chickenheads everywhere. We had serious home-driving issues, too. F'n dangerous no doubt. Quote
tyree Posted August 4, 2005 Posted August 4, 2005 Dude go up ther in Sept or Oct with no poons or ice axe and you will FUCKING DIE!!!! Quote
skykilo Posted August 4, 2005 Posted August 4, 2005 Classic. I always love the YOU WILL FUCKING DIE! admonitions. YOU CAN'T DO THAT! You should go post on homeboy's Mt Hood NF Gully TR; that's a really prime spot for the YWFD genre of post right now. Quote
TeleRoss Posted August 4, 2005 Posted August 4, 2005 (edited) Hey wait a minute...I was up there last October without crampons or an axe and I didn't die....WTF? I feel cheated now. I thought I was supposed to be FUCKING DEAD!!! Wanker Edited August 4, 2005 by TeleRoss Quote
skykilo Posted August 4, 2005 Posted August 4, 2005 That's 'cuz you did Backbone Ridge you f'ing chump. Dude was talking about Serpentine. You know NOTHING. Quote
TeleRoss Posted August 4, 2005 Posted August 4, 2005 We pussed out, we didn't think we could handle Serpentine... Quote
jimmyo Posted August 4, 2005 Posted August 4, 2005 So how was the routefinding? Any tips/major problem areas? gonna do this in mid-august. obviously would rather drop the weight of ice axes (esp as we'll be in enchantments basin 4 days so we'll have plenty to carry) the back side gets plenty soft by afternoon so that we won't need em? but there's enuf snow that we can stash a couple of cold pbrs on our way down in the morning? sweeet! Thanks, JimmyO ps will we f'ing die if we wear cotton but have helmets? just wondering... Quote
TeleRoss Posted August 4, 2005 Posted August 4, 2005 Just don't forget a shiny new windshirt or you'll be super f'd. Quote
Alasdair Posted August 4, 2005 Posted August 4, 2005 Dont take an axe. If you cant go down the glacier safely because it it icy (which does happen later in the year), you can continue along the ridge and descend from the notch next to Little Annapurnna. It adds a mile or so to the hike, but it is not that bad. Quote
dbb Posted August 4, 2005 Posted August 4, 2005 I've discovered these secret weapons for the drive home: can also help on the drive there Quote
cook Posted August 5, 2005 Posted August 5, 2005 Yeah, those beers behind the energy drinks are what I use to stay awake while driving also. Quote
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