klenke Posted March 22, 2006 Posted March 22, 2006 Climb: Bedal Peak-Northwest Route Date of Climb: 3/19/2006 On the last day of winter an ennead of Northwest climbers was treated to a little bit of Heaven right here on Earth… The destination was Bedal Peak (6554F, 1194P). This is the craggy mountain roughly two miles north of the “Matterhorn of the Cascades” (aka Sloan Peak). Our route was the one from the northwest (from FR-4096, which is not shown on the USGS map). I thought we would be in for a long day. But this was not the case. This is Bedal Peak from the west (from Twin Peaks) And from the south on the way to Sloan Peak Annette D., Dave C., Greg K. and I met Stefan F., Jeff R., Juan L., and Don & Natala G. at the base of the mountain. What I initially thought would be merely four of us was now nine. Yep, another standard Stefan contingent. The first auspice was the road access. We were able to drive farther up the road than we expected. Our stopping point was a few hundred yards before the second switchback where the boot path cuts into the woods (c. 2,100 ft near Merry Brook). This already saved us 500 ft of elevation gain. There was a green Subaru parked where we parked. We wondered what they were up to. Their tracks continued up the road beyond that second switchback. They were probably heading into the Bedal Creek basin. The boot path was followed until we lost it in snow. We then wallowed in sloppy snow angling up and through some cliff bands (this was the only time all day in which I led and those kicked steps sure did wear me out [that’s an excuse, people]). Once above the cliffs the snow got more consistent and the terrain easier. We eventually donned pods and continued up the ridge then to a leftward traverse at about 4,600 ft above Nels Lake (which we never saw) to access the gully that leads up to Bedal’s wide open north slope. The forest scene was hiemal with just the right blend of blue sky and snowcover on the ground and on the tree limbs. There was a short, icy step up to get into the gully, but almost everything else was dreamy powder. It was at about this time that I lamented the type of floaters that were on my feet. I wished I was on my skis. In the gully with Mt. Pugh behind Near the apex of the gully (photo by Annette Day) When we hit the apex of the gully we commenced munching on more nice view treats. Here we observed the second auspice: glistening “diamonds”—ice crystals in the snow reflecting the sun’s light. We took a break just so we could make fun of Juan and his Slim-Fast food choice. He said he was on a diet. A hiemal dream scene at 5,500 ft The views would get better and the terrain more dreamy. We floated up to the north slope proper. Annette commented that our snowshoe tracks looked like someone had stitched up the mountain with a sewing machine. We could see the summit up ahead. We had to traverse below it to a shoulder on the northeast side whereupon we could make the final 200 vertical foot chug to the top. The Saukdolager Sewing a line toward the summit The summit from the final shoulder What’s the matter with this horn? Nothing. The day was gorgeous and moderately warm with only intermittent gusts to remind us it was still winter. The views were gorgeous too. The spire of Sloan Peak and its North Face slackened our jaws. Annette said it was so incredible looking that it couldn’t be real, that it was merely a painting. It might have been. We couldn’t get close enough to touch it but we sure could sense its presence. Did we have ESP like those smarty pants members of the Giga Society? We spotted tracks leading up to and back from Sloan’s West Face. These tracks no doubt belonged to the owners of the green Subaru we parked next to. Had they attempted that unclimbed winter ice route on the face? They had already left by the time we got back to the cars. It turns out this was W____ _____e of CC.com doing a little recon. Sheltering the Buddha from the sun We had made the summit in 4 hours (at least an hour shorter than I expected). We stayed an hour or so…or until we ran out of film, which was not even hard to do for those among us who suffer from digitalitis. When you’ve got views like this, you can see why: Big Four Mountain featuring the Dry Creek Route Did Phil F. and the Hummels just ski that couloir? Yes—yes they did. Or watch the video (warning 25Mb, 7:33 minutes). This video is a must see for those of us who were on Bedal who climbed this same route (but not on skis): that means you Greg, Stefan, and Juan. We got back to the car in about 2.5 hours. Glissading in the woods was again fun. Another good time shared by nine! As a broken record among us repeated often on the drive home, “What a great day…what a great day…what a great day!” And that it was…it was…it was…it was… Don served us Amstel Lights out of a box...while wearing an OSAT cap! A little (Amstel) Light moment at the cars (photo by Greg Koenig) If someone is looking for a leisurely ski ascent, this would be it. One could yo-yo the north slope a few times at roughly 1,500 vertical feet per run. The conditions on Sunday were outstanding for skiing. Did I say I wished I had my skis? ~~Paul K. Information taken from the Tacoma Public Library’s online resource: "This [peak] was named for James Bedal, founder of Bedal mines in the area. Bedal married a daughter of Chief Wawetkin, a leader of the Sauk Indians and their son, Harry Bedal, worked for the U.S. Forest Service for many years. (Cardle, Snohomish County, p. 7)" Gear Notes: Used: Snowshoes, Camera Abused: Views My skis were in the wrong place: cozy in my home. Approach Notes: Take FR-4096 south of Bedal Campground. Take this to second switchback (c. 2,100 ft) and find boot path cutting into the woods. Quote
Weekend_Climberz Posted March 22, 2006 Posted March 22, 2006 Nice story and the pictures that show up are good too! Quote
klenke Posted March 22, 2006 Author Posted March 22, 2006 All formatting issues have been resolved. Other scrumptiousness from the day Pugh-Spring-Breccia, Pugh, Chokwich-Forgotten, Forgotten: Breccia, Glacier: Quote
archenemy Posted March 22, 2006 Posted March 22, 2006 aus·pice ( P ) Pronunciation Key (ôsps) n. pl. aus·pi·ces (ôsp-sz, -sz) also auspices Protection or support; patronage. 1. A sign indicative of future prospects; an omen: Auspices for the venture seemed favorable. 2. Observation of and divination from the actions of birds. Nice shots; what a beautiful day! Quote
catbirdseat Posted March 22, 2006 Posted March 22, 2006 Stefan, I hope everyone got their chance to break trail! Quote
JoshK Posted March 22, 2006 Posted March 22, 2006 So you guys forming a group to compete with the Mounties or something? Remember - maximum party size is 12 within most wilderness areas... Quote
AllYouCanEat Posted March 22, 2006 Posted March 22, 2006 Thanks for the photo of the Dry Creek Route! It looks even better than when we were there. Quote
klenke Posted March 22, 2006 Author Posted March 22, 2006 So you guys forming a group to compete with the Mounties or something? Remember - maximum party size is 12 within most wilderness areas... Funny, I joked about the same thing when 12 of us did Twin Peaks up the N. Fork Snoqualmie a few weeks back. There's no such thing as solitude on a Feller-Klenke climb. Instead there's lots and lots of comaraderie, ridicule, and laughter. Quote
knotzen Posted March 23, 2006 Posted March 23, 2006 Sewing a line toward the summit I love this shot! It's my new desktop wallpaper at work. Quote
Jim Posted March 23, 2006 Posted March 23, 2006 Nice! Haven't been up there in the winter or early spring and I'm thinking that will have to change; an involve skis. Quote
Gary_Yngve Posted March 23, 2006 Posted March 23, 2006 Sweet! That looks like a great place for a summit bivy and photoshoot. Quote
plexus Posted March 25, 2006 Posted March 25, 2006 why so many switchbacks? Because cutting switchbacks leads to errosion. Don't you read the signs at the trailhead? Quote
olyclimber Posted March 27, 2006 Posted March 27, 2006 Damn Klenke! I take back 1/2 the bad things I've said about you...those are some unbelievably good pictures. Quote
klenke Posted March 28, 2006 Author Posted March 28, 2006 More Bedal Peak ocular mayhem Kyes & Cadet, Foggy, Gemini Peaks, Sheep Deadly Dickerman, Kololo Peaks, Painted, Portal-White Indian Head Peak, Pk 5740 Looking up Bedal Peak's NW Ridge Quote
Trent Posted April 3, 2006 Posted April 3, 2006 How did you get past the gate at Deer Creek (just past Silverton) on the Mtn. Loop Hwy? We were out there this weekend and were turned around there. The Snohomish County website states that the road was closed there in Jan, but this was the first time that I knew of it. Quote
dmarch Posted April 3, 2006 Posted April 3, 2006 Trent, You have to go in via Darrington from the north. Quote
JoshK Posted April 4, 2006 Posted April 4, 2006 Great pics, Klenke! Makes me want to get in the Monte Cristo group for some skiing like I did a few years back. It's a truly great area. Quote
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