Mt. Shuksan North Face approach?

[joejr]

Looking to do the North Face of Mt. Shuksan at the end of the month. We have a lot of beta on the mtn routes but are a little worried with the hike to base camp. We really only have USGS and a Green Trails maps to go on.

 

http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?z=10&amp...amp;layer=DRG25

 

Beckey has details on the approach but it's hard to tell where he's talking about on a map. The other trip reports we've read aren't much help either.

 

It would be nice to be able to roughly plot our course ahead of time on a topo. If anyone could provide some basic directions it would REALLY be appreciated.

 

Thanks,

 

Joe

[Gary_Yngve]

http://terraserver.microsoft.com/image.aspx?T=1&S=12&Z=10&X=748&Y=6766&W=3

 

Walk down the road to just before the first clearcut. Walk downhill on the past of least resistance (shouldn't be bad). Cross the creek where convenient. Go up the other side (there might be a little brush for the first 100 feet, but then it's just steep timber). Keep on going up by the past of least resistance and soon you'll break through into the alpine.

 

Basically go down and up. I think it's better than traversing or heading too close to the head of the valley.

[mattp]

Start at the White Salmon day lodge. Walk up the ski run maybe 100 yards and follow a cat track exiting left. Walk a quarter mile, and reach top of old cut overlooking valley of heawaters of White Salmon creek.

 

Drop down the old cut or proceed straight ahead, dropping slowly. If the snow is melted from the basin and the leaves are on the brush, do as Gary suggests and head into timber on the the other side of the creek. If there is still snow, follow the path of the creek, on massive piles of avalanche debris, toward the upper basin which is below the White Salmon Glacier, and continue to climb snow slopes leading to the base of the North Face.

 

In May, I think there will still be plenty of snow to follow the standard spring approach. By late June, you might want to take the summer route. Make the call when you get there.