PVD Posted November 29, 2005 Posted November 29, 2005 (edited) Climb: Thorson Peak (attempt)- Date of Climb: 11/26/2005 Trip Report: I took a break from a holiday weekend with my girlfriend's family in Port Townsend to head up Thorson Peak on Saturday. I didn't have time to summit due to road conditions, but it was great to get up into the alpine on a sunny day. I encountered hard snow around 2400 feet on Road 2401 and parked at a turnout about a half-mile before the takeoff point for the Mt. Pershing Jefferson Creek routes and two miles short of my destination: Goober Pond. I knew the extra four miles of snow hiking probably meant I would not have time to summit, as I left my car at 10:30 and had to be back in town at 5 for dinner with the in-laws. But I decided to give it a shot anyway. The climbing guide's Thorson "Route 1" follows an old, alder-choked logging road to a clearing with a view of the peak. From there, a short and pretty tame forest bushwhack leads to the rocky slopes. There was consolidated snow on the old road, and the forest floor was mostly bare (about 3000 feet). I climbed boulders, loose talus, then scree before traversing to the left above a big stand of alder and arriving at a wide chute below the saddle left of the summit. Hard snow coating the chute provided great cramponing conditions. Near the saddle, some areas held at least three feet of snow; others were bare. It had snowed the night before, and there was snow and melting ice on the rock ledges that made the scrambling a bit sketchy. I didn't have time to scout around for a feasible path to the top, and headed down about 15 minutes after my set turnaround time. It took me about an hour and 45 minutes from pond to saddle. The views of Mt. Washington and Mt. Rainier were very cool. Washington and the other surrounding ridges and peaks were pretty white. I'm not sure how often Thorson gets climbed, but I saw no cairns, flagging, boot path or tracks. You'd think it would be visited fairly often due to the short approach. It seemed like it would make a great spring trip, so I'll head back up there in May. Gear Notes: crampons, axe, helmet Edited November 29, 2005 by PVD Quote
Off_White Posted November 29, 2005 Posted November 29, 2005 I did it a couple years ago in May, it was a great outing, and on a day that Ellinor was likely crawling with folks, we saw no one else. Quote
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