[TR] Eldorado- East Ridge 8/26/2005

[ckouba]

Climb: Eldorado-East Ridge

 

Date of Climb: 8/26/2005

 

Trip Report:

 

I'll let the pics do most of the talking.

 

Kenn on the forest trail:

 

Talus field (find and stay on trail- climber's right for bottom half, left for the top half):

 

Upper Eldorado Creek basin and Johannesberg:

 

Looking onto a very dry and receding Eldorado Glacier:

 

Kenn slogging the bedrock toward the Eldo Gla.:

 

Kenn on the Eldorado Gla.:

 

Sunset, with our bivy in the right foreground:

 

Sunrise:

 

Sunrise over the Inspiration & Eldorado Glaciers:

 

Kenn moving toward the summit:

 

Goode(?), Buckner, Forbidden, Boston, Torment, Sahale...:

 

Catching a break before the summit ridge:

 

Kenn on the ridge:

 

I love this place (me on the ridge):

 

Me on the summit:

 

Me contemplating the descent:

 

Gear Notes:

8mm x 30m glacier rope

crampons

axe

 

PS - The upper basin and its waterfalls are very dry. Carry enough water to get to the glacier.

Edited August 30, 2005 by ckouba

[olyclimber]

Beautiful. thanks.

[MisterMo]

Looking onto a very dry and receding Eldorado Glacier:

 

Kenn slogging the bedrock toward the Eldo Gla.:

 

 

 

 

 

Goode(?), Buckner, Forbidden, Boston, Torment, Sahale...:

 

 

Wow! Global warming =

 

I couldn't find anything taken quite this late in the year but the photos below show in my notes as being August 1984. I think they're probably July, though. Whatever.........that's a lot of missing ice.

 

 

 

 

 

Nice (and educational) photos. Thanks for posting.

[kurthicks]

Looks awesome Chris. J'Berg's arete looks a lot more unpleasant now than a month ago.

 

Good thing you have the approach memorized now...I hear the NW couloir calling!

[thelawgoddess]

ahh ... mountains!

[ckouba]

I was quite shocked to see all the rock without snow/ice. It was my 3rd time up it and both previous times there was significantly more snow. The glaciers all around Moraine Lake were all dirty and the snow seemed to be almost completely melted off. Lots of dry exposed rock.

 

All the other peaks in the area have lost their snow pack and it's predominantly glacial ice which is exposed now.

 

Kurt- As you noted, the J'berg arete is virtually dry and that last pitch to the summit ridge would be INCREDIBLY spicy right now. Especially with no axe. That crevasse (you know, THAT crevasse...) goes ALL the way across now and looks like it'd be "interesting" to get around...

 

But bring on the AI for the couloir. I sense another coming of the cc.com "flavor-of-the-month" merit badge route.

 

Til October...

 

CK