Gunn Peak Quickie TR

[mvs]

Last Sunday:

 

This is a craggy peak left of Mt. Baring if you are gazing east from the Index town walls. Spring/early summer is the best time to climb it because brush is covered in snow. Well, some of it, anyway.

 

We parked at the Mt. Baring trailhead, walked back down the road to a spur, crossed the creek on some logs, and followed a compass Baring [har har] north through thick brush. Stay on this bearing, and you'll intersect a good climbers trail that climbs 1000 feet up a clearcut into old growth forest. A rock buttress bars the way at 4,000 ft. Follow a traversing route to the right and then up to lower angle snowfields. Climb to the low point in the ridge straight ahead. Only now can you see Gunn Peak on the left.

 

Traverse on easy snowfields (or tarns and meadows later) to a broad gully and climb 3rd class rock to a shoulder. From here, we took a more direct route (4th-5th class) to the summit ridge, but a class 2 way exists to the right. The summit ridge was spectacular, with steep snow, towers and cornices. Curse our names in the register for being first of 2002!

 

Look down on Index and the puny walls. Admire Heinze Graupe, who climbs this peak 4 times a year. Contemplate the brushy descent. Be glad that you climbed this intriguing mountain.

 

Shush louse!

--Michael

[Bronco]

Nice, TR Mr Stanton.

 

However, I was there sunday and saw no tracks...

 

just kidding, (I guess that is getting old by now, huh)

 

how long of a day was it? did you get a ticket for no trailhead pass? Inquiring minds need to know!

[mvs]

Oh yeah..."Quickie", shoulda known!

 

I'm amazed we didn't get a trailhead ticket. My car was naked in the Baring parking lot on a sunny Sunday for 11.5 hours! (That's how long the climb took us, cuz we're slow and bad). Would have shaved time by gaining the ridge in a non-technical way. I don't think we could shave any time from the brush wading. We were pretty efficient in there, methinks.

 

Maybe the rangers are "lying low" due to the day of protest? Tryin' to take the wind out of our sails?

--Michael

[Bronco]

I dunno, I've used that trailhead a fair amount and not seen tickets on anyone else's windsheild, (I have a permit through the summer, ha ha ranger), despite the ranger station just up the road a bit. The skykomish rangers are always nice anyway.

 

Your time sounds pretty good to me, I am planning an expedition up there to check out that line up the south face and wondered if I need a chainsaw yet. Sounds like a fun overnighter to me.

 

Of course "fun" is relative to being used in the N. Cascade Mtneering context.

[robertm]

has anyone tried the gunnslinger route (5.9) on this peak? If so what was your opinion of it.

 

thx

[klar404]

a buddy an I tried gunslinger last august. O.K. rock ( for the cascades ) for the first two pitches. Third pitch was a #4 camelot crack ( I say two pieces) for about 20 feet with a slab fall. Biggest we had was a #3. You can have the gear we left rapping off . Ouch!

[robertm]

Thanks for the reply and the info KLAR...

[Cpt.Caveman]

For a minute here I thought I was gonna read about some porn on Gunn Peak

[mvs]

I have pictures and a long boring narrative at http://www.mountainwerks.org/cma/2002/gunn.htm

 

but the pictures are nice, thanks!

--Michael

[klar404]

nice shots of Gunn an' shit. I' heard tales told that peak 5760 is also provisonally named Black peak. Never climbed to the summit, but did some nice tower climbing between Merchant and "Black" 'bout ten years back. The se face of Merchant is a fine winter climb with plent of vairiblity and 01% brush.

cheers

[mvs]

quote:

---

Originally posted by klar404:

...did some nice tower climbing between Merchant and "Black" 'bout ten years back...

---

Yes, the right skyline of 5760 (as viewed from the south-facing basin to approach Gunn) looked like pretty steep and interesting climbing.

 

No brush, eh? Hard to find in that area. That is worth making a trip for!

Thanks,

--Michael

[wotan_of_ballard]

Gunn is in fashion as there was another ascent on 6/15 and 2 parties of 2 on 6/20. 4 hrs up, 3 down. Defintely the funnest and most challenging of the "Barclay Trilogy". Good preparation for the bigger challenges in the Enigma Range. Michael's description is very good , forget the Beckey mumbo. A bit of detail on the approach to minimize the bushwack:from end of spur road go up stream to the world's most slippery logs. After that thrash N about 10 minutes of Grade II-III brush to a barely discernable old logging road. walk this relatively easily westward until a few bits of flagging tip you to to the climbers path, which cruises to the alpine, and is quite interesting in its bypass of cliffs. go soon before snow no longer covers alder at 4500'.

 

Hey, Heinz, how about cutting a little brush at the start, in the long run it would save you time and blood? Honorary membership in the Ballard Alpine Club and all the lutefisk you can eat to anyone who brushes out those bad 200yds.

 

Wotan has spoken.