Matt_Anderson Posted August 5, 2002 Posted August 5, 2002 Looking for whatever helpful beta any one has beyond the Beckey book . . . Partners and I plan to hike up Baring from the Barclay lake trailhead Friday night, camp near the top, play on the north face on Saturday, and come down Sunday. The following questions may sound a snivelling little wimp, but I'd rather improve the work to fun ration as much as possible; I anticipate being pressed for time on Friday night, even though we will be leaving work early. Would very much like to know if there is any water high up so we don't have to lug a couple of gallons a piece the whole way. Our Packs will be heavy, (couple of ropes a piece, couple of gallons of water a piece, rack, food, yadda yadda . . .). Any specultion on time to the top? How long did it take you and what were you carrying? Any spots where its easy to get lost? Any spots that are technically difficult (as opposed to just steep and tiring hiking? Any sweet bivy spots to recommend? Anybody have updated beta or helpful hints that aren't in Beckey? spray appreciated on everything but the water issue . . . Quote
TimL Posted August 5, 2002 Posted August 5, 2002 http://www.cascadeclimbers.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=3;t=000058 Post a TR after your climb. I've been wondering about the NF for a while. Quote
Matt_Anderson Posted August 5, 2002 Author Posted August 5, 2002 Thanks - very cool sight, but I didn't see Baring on it. Did I miss it? Quote
Bronco Posted August 5, 2002 Posted August 5, 2002 I went up to the notch this spring in about 3 hours traveling solo and pretty light. 3rd - 4th class to the summit from the notch. Brush may be encountered up to and along the ridge. There is a good bivi spot below the gully leading to the notch where water a plenty should be. It's pretty typical steep forest terrain for the skykomish valley. [ 08-05-2002, 02:25 PM: Message edited by: Bronco ] Quote
bobinc Posted August 5, 2002 Posted August 5, 2002 Did this about ten years ago in early April and it rained/snowed much of the time. Made the final climb up the gully more sporting! Seem to recall two sections of steep hiking through trees with a ridge connection in between. These get you up to a notch then a small bowl below the gully that takes you up near the summit. This would be a good place to camp; not sure on water, however. The overall elevation of the thing isn't great, so it's unlikely much snow is left in the gully. You may have to hedge bets and carry more water than you would like. Distance/time to the camp isn't extreme (3-4 hrs?) so this shouldn't be too bad. Quote
Matt_Anderson Posted August 5, 2002 Author Posted August 5, 2002 Just to be clear, we are hiking up the back side . . . All right, all right, I'll stop posting more than anyone else on my own request . . . Quote
Bronco Posted August 5, 2002 Posted August 5, 2002 Matt: Here is a few TR's on the climb from the Barclay lake Trail Head. Becky's description is pretty good too. http://www.cascadeclimbers.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=2;t=000028 I'd bet you a beer there is still water up to the high camp where me and bobinc are both suggesting you bivi. Quote
chucK Posted August 5, 2002 Posted August 5, 2002 Hiked up there with the wife a couple years back. Did it door to door from Seattle in under 10 hours I think (babysitter window). I would bet there is snow/water up in the notch considering our winter and the fact that it probably snowed up there yesterday. There was snow and lots of dripping in the notch when we did it, but I don't remember what time of year it was. The summit is awesome terraced flat. Can bivy just about anywhere up there. There is lots of old garbage (batteries?) from previous despoilers. Have fun. Bring a cellphone in case the weather comes in overnight. [ 08-05-2002, 02:53 PM: Message edited by: chucK ] Quote
Off_White Posted August 5, 2002 Posted August 5, 2002 Please chucK, get rid of that nasty little animation, bring back the skull... Quote
chucK Posted August 5, 2002 Posted August 5, 2002 quote: Originally posted by Off White: Please chucK, get rid of that nasty little animation, bring back the skull... Oh all right. How's that? Quote
iain Posted August 5, 2002 Posted August 5, 2002 quote: Originally posted by chucK: Oh all right. How's that? 4 little robots who need to take a leak that'll get me in stiches every time. Quote
klenke Posted August 6, 2002 Posted August 6, 2002 I'm not going to bother reading some other TR's, but I will add what I remember to the climb (I climbed Baring on 8/10/97): At the trailhead a logging road almost parallels the Barclay Lake trail from the beginning. I took this road for a while until a semi-obvious trail (keep an eye out for it) cut right up the bank almost in a bee-line for the ridge crest. From there the climber's trail followed the crest for a while then eventually dropped to the south side of the ridge into a forested depression. I say depression because as I recall it wasn't quite a ravine or gully but definitely had a concavity to it. At about the middle of this concavity the trail climbs in short switchbacks practically straight up the forest slope where you eventually come upon a clearing that provides a view of the summit and the narrow talus basin west of the summit. Right of the summit massif will be an obvious notch. This notch will probably have snow leading up to it. This snow was steep and made for slow going for me because I lacked an ice-axe and the snow was hard. However, this snow should at least provide water--if not by run-off then by stove melting. Once at the notch, turn left and climb the short, steep slope (should be snow-free) that gradually levels off the closer to the summit you get. The other side of the notch is exposed (it will probably have a snow finger in it), so don't climb to the summit too far right of center...unless the rock climbing's good over yonder. The summit provides an excellent view. I believe 6,200 feet is an optimum photography elevation for the Cascades. Barclay Lake is also WAY DOWN THERE--PRACTICALLY STRAIGHT DOWN!!! If the weather's clear and the time of day is correct, the mountain will cast a huge shadow across the lake. It's not easy to get lost when you know the trail follows the ridge for a while. Just be sure to mark the point where the trail comes up from below to meet the ridge crest so you don't walk past it. There are no technical parts harder than class 2 before the snow slope leading to the notch. From the notch to the summit is class 3 then later class 2. A bivy spot near run-off from the aforementioned snow slope might be nice if you can find a non-talus flat spot. Don't know your climbing speed but it shouldn't take more than three hours to get to the basin (two hours with light pack). Quote
Off_White Posted August 6, 2002 Posted August 6, 2002 quote: Originally posted by chucK: how's this? Its a thing of beauty, thanks (its much better when that guy is smaller, he doesn't make me fidget in the chair nearly so much) Quote
Alpine_Tom Posted August 6, 2002 Posted August 6, 2002 I tried this a few years ago, with the first edition of CAG. He lost me with "leave the trail at the clearcut..." There's a book that just came out last fall, called something like "75 Scrambles in Washington" that has a route description for Baring. All the route descriptions in the book include GPS readings, I think. [ 08-07-2002, 11:52 AM: Message edited by: Alpine Tom ] Quote
tomdav Posted August 6, 2002 Posted August 6, 2002 The 'easy way' is a pretty simple. At the Baring Lake trailhead follow the abandoned road a short distance until you hit a creek and a faint trail going straight up. If in doubt follow the creek (as opposed to bearing left into the second growth forest). Upon reaching the ridge line there is a well beaten path to the saddle (looking back to the saddle from the gully). From there is an obvious route to the gully, notch, and summit. The notch was the only tricky part (due to a steep snow wall when we did it) but I'm guessing it's something most here would not consider technical. I don't think finding water will be a problem. It took us 4.5 hours up and 3.5 hours down - we were carrying day packs. => 360º Panorama (6/15/02) [ 08-06-2002, 04:08 PM: Message edited by: tomdav ] Quote
Matt_Anderson Posted August 6, 2002 Author Posted August 6, 2002 Good Gravy! Seek and you shall find . . . Thanks All! Quote
mneagle Posted August 7, 2002 Posted August 7, 2002 Here's my TR from last year: http://www.cascadeclimbers.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=3;t=000058 What I left out was the approach from Barkley Lake. What I remember is heading off to the right just before the lake, over a bunch of downed trees towards the heavily vegetated slope. The slope it full of holes and prickly brush and we eventually found it easier to climb along the right side through the trees. There are several rock bands that we skirted underneath, generally trending up and left until we hit the slabs I mentioned in the TR. If you go too far, you will come out of the trees and have some views down a few gullies. The snowpatch we found was on the right side of the first step and may be visible from the lake with bino's. If it's not there, take lots of water. Make no mistake, from Barclay Lake to Dolomite Camp is classic Cascade bushwhacking horror, but the bivi/views are awesome and the climbing from there on is great all the way to the summit. Good Luck. Quote
Bronco Posted October 21, 2002 Posted October 21, 2002 I've been getting spanked in the mountains this year. A LOT! My quarterback rating would be somewhere around .03 if I was one. I really felt the need to "redeem" myself this weekend so I passed on the Rope up festivities in hopes of getting E. Wilmans Spire off my back on my 3rd attempt. Good forecast all week turned to crap Friday afternoon So much for getting another notch in my holster (ego). Being rained out of our original plan (again) me and my buddy Brian decided to scramble up Mt. Baring as it was reputed to be a nice hike and we wouldn't need rope and pro or much of anything exept a jacket and lunch. We summited the N. Peak shortly (in a cloud) and with time to kill (and being bored) decided to scramble up the "Class 2"* gully to the South Summit and see what that was all about. It started steeply but, with only 50' of visibility we figured the angle would change once we were beyond the initial 10' rock step. We just kept going, rock step after rock step, with 60 degree cascade sponge bush (heather) in between, passing 2 rap slings. After 300' or so, we were having a hard time, but, reached the final difficulty of a rock step to the summit. And another rock step and another. Whoops, looks like the summit's over there. Peering thought the cloud we saw another lump in the distance could it be higher? better check it out. It Definetly was not higher. Oh well, now where was that gully we came up? Hmmmm.. follow 3 wet brush filled gullys to large cliffs. Brian's starting to get that "look" like he is wound up and ready to snap. I nervously glance around at 10 different possible gullys and announce "there it is, oh now I see it, heh heh" trot over praying that it is it and dreading telling him it isn't. What's this? a nice blue rap sling? Hooray! now we just have to down climb the entire thing but, it's no problem since it's only "class 2"* To my surprise, Brian had replaced the "look" with a big assed smile (full of Copenhagen) and even let a few "Yee haw" slip out as he swung down soaking wet rock slabs on small protruding roots of nearby trees. I thought maybe he had lost his mind. He finally admitted that the event reminded him of "hunting" trips turned into mountain exploration sesions years ago. We laughed about the rap slings verifying our suspicions of the "class 2"* gully and discussed the prospect of climbing it in the winter, with a rope! By the time we reached the truck, I had forgotten that Mt. Baring wasn't worthy, or hard enough, and the sucky, wet weather. We just had a great time in the mountains rediscovering why we all climb in the first place, it's kinda hard and scary but fun at the same time. You know. *per CAG vol.2 BECKY! Quote
Bill_Gates Posted October 22, 2002 Posted October 22, 2002 This is Bill Gates. I say unto you, try Mt. Baring in the winter! Bill Gates has spoken. Quote
gapertimmy Posted October 22, 2002 Posted October 22, 2002 quote: Originally posted by Bill Gates: This is Bill Gates. I say unto you, try Mt. Baring in the winter! Bill Gates has spoken. Quote
Alex Posted October 22, 2002 Posted October 22, 2002 quote: Originally posted by Bill Gates: This is Bill Gates. I say unto you, try Mt. Baring in the winter! Bill Gates has spoken. I am sorely tempted to create an avatar named Larry Ellison or Scott McNealy right about now... Quote
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