Beck Posted October 7, 2002 Share Posted October 7, 2002 The plan was hatched at last weeks' Pub Club- an overnight trip into Colchuck Peak from the west side. Treadtramp and I left Sat, morning, following a Friday night Bob Dylan concert that Treadtramp had been given some tickets to at the last minute, (one of the best trip kickoffs I've had, way to go, Treadtramp!) We pull into Leavenwurst at 10:30AM and, dutiful and law abiding climbers we, stopped into the ranger station in hopes of scoring an open permit for the Colchuck or Stuart zone. We were pleasently surprised to find that the area we intended to camp was out of any zone and did not require any permits. Hitting the Stuart Lake trail with a strict Mediterranean start time of noon, we hiked to past the Colchuck Lake junction about 15 minutes and found a likely spot to cross the bog. A couple minor stream crossings and then it's up in a traversing bushwack to some likely camping spots around 5600' Our navigation brought us up to a nice sheltered bench with water by 4 and we set camp. After dinner a little recon revealed an nice egress to the next day's route. Sunday morning showed with blue skies and we head out by 8. The north west route proved to be an enjoyable scramble. Head up into the basin S of point 6991 then up to remnant of a pocket glacier and up its' lateral moraine to entrance onto scree and broken rock 300', then traverse right along gravelly ramps to more solid rock for the last 500 feet or so to the summit. Just below the summit block you find a catwalk of rock on it's west side; here step around the NW ridge at a big chockstone and walk the last 20' on sand and heather to the summit rocks. An enjoyable climb, we hit the summit by 11:30. We had brought the rope but didn't need it. After lunch we retraced our ascent back to our bivy site and packed up. On the downhill bushwack Treadtramp had a run in with a hornets' nest but he came out of it luckily with only a half dozen or so stings. Otherwise stayed on course and dropped back to the bog crossing and arrived back at the trailhead by 6:30. It was on to an appointment with Doctor Hidelburger in Leavenworth before heading home. Summarizing, this is a wilderness route with some easy scrambling on fairly solid rock, very enjoyable, moderately strenous, 3,000 feet m/l from good camping in the basin(no permit required!), very managable Cascade Bushwack Grade II on the approach to a not often visited side of Colchuck Peak. [ 10-07-2002, 11:50 AM: Message edited by: Beck ] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
COL._Von_Spanker Posted October 7, 2002 Share Posted October 7, 2002 Gotta love the alpine start. Did I see you in the lot? We also had the same departure schedule, and bumbed into a party of two going up that route (we were heading up prusik). We sure got lucky with the weather up there Huh? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beck Posted October 7, 2002 Author Share Posted October 7, 2002 Oh , yeah, fine weather this weekend in the Enchantments. How did Prussik Peak go? Did you see many other parties? We must've seen you at the lot if it was the NW route Colchuck, there was nobody else up there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tread_tramp Posted October 7, 2002 Share Posted October 7, 2002 Aw yes,Col Von Spanker, it was I that you spoke with at the trailhead. I believe you said that you were a lurker, but would never stoop to the level of posting on this site. Now we see your true colors; another dirtbag like the rest of us. [ 10-07-2002, 02:21 PM: Message edited by: tread tramp ] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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