[TR] Mount Kent- North Face 4/5/2006

[catbirdseat]

Climb: Mount Kent-North Face

 

Date of Climb: 4/5/2006

 

Trip Report:

North Face of Mount Kent, April 5, 2006

 

Summary: Mount Kent is located off I-90, about 3 miles to the south of Exit 42. We climbed the main snow couloir to the right center, except for a WI3 variation on the first pitch after which the main couloir was joined about three pitches up. Easy, but long descent was via the East Ridge. Conditions were marginal, as it was too warm, with either wet snow or water running on rock beneath thin ice. Except for the first pitch, most of the climbing was 45 degree firm snow with running belays using trees as anchors.

 

Detailed Report: My partner bailed on a cragging trip with another partner, so I agreed not to publish this person’s name because a lame excuse was used. We hit the McClellan Butte Trail at 6:30 am with the first light and hiked up to the last logging road crossed by that trail. We turned left on this logging road and found a pickup truck parked there. No sign of its driver. This is the furthest you could drive in (via Exit 38) with a high clearance vehicle.

 

After crossing Alice Creek, we took the spur that branches off to the right. After a short distance, we started punching through the crusty snow and elected to don snowshoes. We reached a switchback in the road that seemed pretty close to the face, so we removed snowshoes and booted through the woods, crossing a couple tributary streams on the way. We learned later that we should have stayed on the road and that the switchback was not shown on the map.

 

Emerging from the woods we descended through a clearing with views of the face and we chose a couple of lines we thought we might try. We still had to cross the SE fork of Alice creek which was guarded by a dense stand of young spruce trees. We took a sinuous course through these trees and found out later that, had we stayed on the road, we would have bypassed these completely. Just before we emerged, we heard a rumble of a small avalanche, but we weren’t able to ascertain where the slide was. There was ample evidence of two or three day old slide activity, but nothing new we could see. To play it safe, we stayed to the right below trees as we ascended, again using snowshoes.

 

We cached our snowshoes and poles at the last trees below our chosen route. My partner argued in favor of carrying everything over, but I didn’t want the extra weight. It would later be proven later that was the way to go. Since it was decided I would lead the first pitch, I got to chose, so I picked a steep start that looked like WI3. We chose to belay from a big root that emerged from a crack in the rock. The naturalist in me noted that the root must have been in soil when it first grew, but now about 10ft of it is exposed. That means a tremendous amount of soil must have weathered away and that the tree that grew that root could be quite ancient.

 

Considering that I am not much of an ice climber, this 60-70 degree ice pitch was the most serious thing I had yet done. Protection was mighty sparse. There was no ice good enough for a screw, so I had to make do with what was available, which was a fluke at the top of the snow cone, a tied off root, a so-so angle piton (w/ screamer), and a picket at the top where it eased off. It was about 15 meters more of 45 degree snow to a nice tree belay. We were forced to simulclimb the last 20 meters or so. When I looked at my watch I discovered it had taken me an entire hour.

 

My partner got the next pitch, which was two pitches of simulclimbing on more 45 degree hard snow with several tree tie-offs. I was brought up on belay to the edge of a large couloir. We could see several more direct and steeper routes to the summit to the right of the main couloir, but we felt that as the conditions weren’t optimum and our skill set was limited, it would be best to take the couloir and just get to the top by the easiest way.

 

After a short, but wet and sloppy traverse I was in the couloir. This next pitch was a long one- about three pitches of simulclimbing. It was easy climbing on firm snow, if I stayed to the middle. I was able to dodge the occasional ice chunk that came down the chute. It was possible to keep at least one tree tie-off between us at all times, and when that wasn’t available, a fluke. Eventually, I ran out of slings and also needed to eats something, so I brought my partner up to a tree belay after which we polished off the last pitch and-a-half to the ridge. This featured a bit of 50-60 degree “snice” with tree tie-offs at the end. I thought one of my partner’s tie-offs was pretty resourceful. It was this long springy branch, tied off using a Kleimheist, so the sling would not slide off.

 

It was 4 pm, so we elected not to make the easy slog to the true summit. Instead we followed an old set of snowshoe prints down the East Ridge. This was easy plunge-stepping down soft snow. We knew that we needed to stay left as much as possible to make the traverse back to our snowshoes. We were so afraid of dropping down too much and having to slog back up through goopy, wet snow. We managed to avoid this, but even so, it was a seemingly endless, plodding traverse to get back to “home sweet snowshoes”.

 

Had we carried over, the logical return route would have been the logging road, but we decided to follow Alice Creek back to the road directly. It wasn’t too bad, actually. There was one big slide gully, choked with debris, that forced us up hill a little. Then we plunged into dense forest where there was some log-hopping and some devil’s club to contend with, but not as bad as I expected. We followed some old ski and boot tracks most of the way.

 

Having reached the road with daylight remaining, it felt really nice. We hiked the remaining trail back to the car, just as the first raindrops began to fall. Dinner at the North Bend Bar and Grille never tasted so good. It was beer for the partner and coffee for me, as I was driving.

 

Gear Notes:

Slings: 5 single and 5 double

3 pitons- used one baby angle

4 ice screws- didn't use

3 pickets, 2 flukes, used both

3 Screamers, used them(!)

Brought a few nuts and a pink tricam but didn't use.

 

Approach Notes:

McClellan Butte Trail from Exit 42. Snow starts at last logging road that is crossed by MB trail.

 

View of First Pitch, WI3

CBS coming up the belay on the second pitch

Edited April 7, 2006 by catbirdseat

[TrogdortheBurninator]

Nice work. Way to protect the identity of the quilty.

[MCash]

 

Nice job. So you didn't follow my approach advise, eh?

[catbirdseat]

We tried to follow your advice, but oh, well...

[Weekend_Climberz]

Nice outing!

 

I guess you weren't kidding when you said you always bring the pinky.

[catbirdseat]

I tried to place the pink once but gave up. The crack was the right size, but it was too smooth. There was no recess for the stinger.

 

By the way. I just added some pictures to the report above.

[willstrickland]

Just curious, why a rope on 30 deg snow? Is there steeper terrain somewhere on the route? And where is the WI3 in the first pic? I only see low angle snow and trees.

 

Not trying to slag you, just though maybe you posted the wrong pic by accident or something.

[catbirdseat]

Pictures can be deceiving. Most of the climbing was about 40-45 degrees. The first pitch was 60-70 degrees with a couple of vertical bulges.

[G-spotter]

Most of the climbing was about 40-45 degrees. The first pitch was 60-70 degrees with a couple of vertical bulges.

 

First pitch from bottom

 

[Squid]

Good for you for getting out there, CBS

[MCash]

Just curious, why a rope on 30 deg snow? Is there steeper terrain somewhere on the route?

 

The route is definately steeper than 30 degrees. Have you been on it before? Here is a photo of the face and their route from 3 weeks before. It looks steeper than 30 degrees to me.

 

[willstrickland]

Nope, never been on it, otherwise why would I ask the question: "is there steeper terrain on the route somewhere?". Nice job CBS.

[Toast]

CBS at the base of Mt Kent.

 

[TMO]

I'm no detective but it looks like CBS went climbing with Toast.