[TR] Ulalach Peak and Higher Squire- from Clear Creek side 4/2/2006

[klenke]

Climb: Ulalach Peak and Higher Squire-from Clear Creek side

 

Date of Climb: 4/2/2006

 

Trip Report:

A late report. I’ve been busy this week doing, among other things, new car research. My old mountain car pleaded the 5th when it refused to work in 5th so I drunk a 5th. And now it’s after the 5th so here’s my report…

 

On Sunday, April 2, Stefan Feller, Jeff Rodgers, and I climbed in the area of Squire Creek Pass east of Three Fingers. Our original plan to climb Liberty Mountain and Big Bear Mountain was avalanched into oblivion by poor snow conditions (i.e., poor avy conditions). So we made a back-up plan on Saturday night. Actually, it was Stefan’s plan and Jeff and I went along with it.

 

We drove up Clear Creek Road for about a mile past Frog Lake until snow blocked us. We were somewhere in the vicinity of Asbestos Falls. 2.5 miles of road walking later we were at the Eightmile Creek Trailhead [an aside: did you know there are six Eightmile Creeks in the state?]. This trail ascends east past 3 O’clock Rock (still quite damp) to reach Squire Creek Pass (4,070 ft) in maybe three miles.

 

At around 3,600 ft a few hundred yards south of the creek Jeff and I headed left to climb the peak south of the pass while Stefan went right on his own toward the peak NNE of the pass since he had already done the one Jeff and I were headed to. Jeff and I would catch up with Stefan later…at the car.

 

From 3,600 ft Jeff and I simply continued uphill to just below the summit of Pk 4879 {“Higher Squire”} (799P). Instead of on snowshoes, we booted up the last couple of hundred feet, some of which traversed along a narrow snow arête. 3 hours up from the car, roughly 3,200 ft of gain.

 

The views were amazing from this peak. It has gone by the name “Higher Squire” for at least 16 years and was named by Steve Fox and David Fish. There is an interesting crag with slabby south side to Higher Squire’s immediate west that has been called “Squire Spire.”

 

The light on Three Fingers and Whitehorse Mountain was outstanding. Liberty also looked good and I was glad to see there is indeed a viable traverse to Big Bear via Liberty’s east side. Higher Squire resides in a nice central position to view the peaks of the Whitehorse Mountain and Helena Peak quads. It sits right in the middle of the Clear Creek and Squire Creek drainages.

 

Jeff and I bid our adieus to the bijoux views and headed over to the peak to the north. We snowshoed across nice parkland just below the pass then up to the ridge whereupon we ran into Stefan’s tracks. We sincerely hoped he wasn’t going to try Ulalach’s SW Ridge because, although it looked viable from Higher Squire, it became more and more hairy looking the closer we got with much slabalanching potential. Blessingly, Stefan traversed right under the south face so we could continue the climb on the southeast side (past a slab zone) to the east ridge.

 

We encountered Stefan just coming off the top and he said we were close. We told him we’d be about half-an-hour if he waited for us. Well, Jeff and I made the summit of “Ulalach Peak” (Pk 5040+, 440P) and were promptly delayed. Higher Squire might have good views but Ulalach’s are even better (partially because HS has some obscuring treetops). Our half-hour promise of return to Stefan turned into twice that as Jeff’s digitalitis and my celluloid fever overwhelmed us. I exposed practically a whole roll of film.

 

Great views of: Liberty Mountain, Big Bear Mountain, Three Fingers, Mt. Bullon and environs, Whitehorse Mountain, Squire Creek Wall, North Mountain, Jumbo Mountain, White Chuck Mountain, Mt. Pugh, Voodoo Peak, Exfoliation Dome, Helena Peak, the Big Four Mountain area, the Long Mountain area, Gordon Ridge, Fletcher Peak, and Higher Squire.

 

Here is the satellite view of the Squire Creek Pass area.

 

On descent Jeff and I never saw Stefan but we were able to follow his tracks all the way back to the trail, which we re-located near 3 O’clock Rock. On the way we made two cumbersome creek crossings, the second featuring an exciting leap across a slabby watercourse to a minimal patch of clinging snow on the slabs. I made sure to go first ahead of The Eraser (aka Jeff) else I would have had no snow with which to make snowshoe purchase. Snowshoes don’t stick too well to rock—especially inclined wetted rock.

 

The road walk back sucked. But, hey, it was the price of admittance to the wonderful world of the Boulder River Wilderness*.

As Stefan wryly summarized: ”It this area were in Michigan it would be a national park.”

As Matt P would reply: “Indeed.”

 

* the namesake Boulder River is actually on the west side of the Three Fingers-Whitehorse divide.

 

 

Gear Notes:

None of note. There is steep and slabby terrain but it can be avoided with diligence.

 

Approach Notes:

Drive to Darrington then a few miles south of town to Clear Creek Road. Drive as far as possible to Eightmile Creek Trailhead (goes to 3 O'clock Rock). You can drive all the way there in summer. Take the trail as far as needed to access these peaks.

[klenke]

Here is a picture of Ulalach Peak (from the west) by John Roper. Click on the picture to go to his report for the mountain. He climbed it with Dick Michelson in 1999. The FA of this peak goes to Herman Ulrichs in Autumn 1933. Harry Majors has Ulrichs pictures proving this (Herman's photos were corroborated with mine).

 

Here is a slideshow from Jeff for the day

 

And here are my pictures

Ulalach Peak from the trail near 3 O’clock Rock and from Higher Squire:

 

Higher Squire from the north and the summit spine of Ulalach Peak:

 

Gordon Ridge from Higher Squire and Stillaguamish Peak and Big Four from Ulalach:

 

Three Fingers’ East Face and Whitehorse from Higher Squire:

 

Liberty Mountain from Higher Squire and from Ulalach Peak:

 

Three Fingers from Ulalach and Whitehorse Mountain from Ulalach:

 

The East faces of Three Fingers and Whitehorse from Ulalach:

 

Big Bear Mountain and Jumbo Mountain from Ulalach Peak:

 

White Chuck Mountain and Mt. Pugh from Ulalach Peak:

 

Squire Creek Wall from Ulalach:

 

Exfoliation Dome from 3 O’clock Rock and from Ulalach Peak and also Voodoo Peak:

[DirtyHarry]

Nice pics! That one of Squire Creek Wall with WH above is shweet.

[archenemy]

Ulalach is Chinook jargon. You could probably ask Tyee (I am assuming he picked that name b/c it means chief)

[Off_White]

Nice, thanks for the pics Paul. Of course, inquiring minds want to know if you got a look at that shaded wall in the lower left of the first photo...

[klenke]

If you're talking about the Roper shot the answer is no. We didn't get a look at it since we came up the other side.

 

Roper's shot is pretty cool. All that slippery slabbery.

[Stefan]

You forgot to mention the truck at the Darrington Shell station and the humungous chicken breast you had. Remember, some of the best fried chicken in the state is had at that Shell station.

 

The truck. It was beat up! A dead cow head was on the grill. Side was totally impacted. The guy I think was using paper towels as the windshield wipers. Totally busted canopy. Awesome truck for a trailhead!

[klenke]

I told Jeff to take a picture of that outrageous jalopy of a truck and you never backed up for him to get a better angle.

 

You're right, though, that was the biggest chicken breast I ever done et.

[cdrbond007]

Nice trip report! I liked the shot of Three Fingers and the one of Liberty - I set it as the new primary image on the Liberty Mtn. page