Ptarmigan Traverse - July 2nd - 6th

[pete_a]

Becky and I hiked the Ptarmigan this past week. It was tough for me to leave skis behind as I always thought my first time doing the traverse would be on skis, but after the previous week of hot temperatures we figured the on again off again routine with skis would make walking the traverse a little more practical. And especially after seeing Bachelor Creek in all its slide-aldery glory, I was kinda happy to not have boards with me this time around.

 

Anyways...current conditions on the traverse:

 

Traverse to Cache Col is mostly snow and getting over cache col is an easy scramble on the left side of the cornice.

 

Descent to Kool-aid lake is on rotten snow with plenty of hollows near rocks and the traverse towards the Red Ledges is alternating snow and heather.

 

There is a hanging snow patch and a moat at the entrance to the ledges. Of the four parties we saw doing the traverse at the same time, only one successfully pulled off the scramble on the right side of the moat to gain the ledges (they also brought some nuts to protect it, none of us did). We opted to descend a bit and climb a straightforward snow gully that gained the ridge and although we hiked further, we topped out right around the same time the Red Ledges party topped out. Probably still in shape for a couple weeks or so.

 

The traverse towards the Middle Cascade glacier is alternating gravel ribs and snow, and the walk up the glacier is fine, no nearby crevasses or saggy snowbridges.

 

The snow tounge off the back side of Spider Col was an easy glissade. Among the parties also doing the traverse this week was a group of four with skis, and from Spider Col to Yang Yang lakes was one of the few times that Becky and I were truly jealous of their boards as the flew past us heading for camp. Only a couple short heather patches between Spider col and Yang Yang lakes, but the snow is very thin lower down and won't last long at all.

 

About 5am Tuesday morning at the lakes it started to thunder and pour rain but it was short-lived and by noon we were all dried out and packed up. The goat path to pass through the cliffs just south of Yang Yang lakes is still covered in snow and was a steep, but straightforward climb to the ridge below Le Conte.

 

The Le Conte glacier is well filled in and we didn't have any troubles getting up to the col towards the South Cascade glacier.

 

The long descending traverse towards White Rocks Lakes was another spot where Becky and I were envious of the four skiers as the scooted past us and beat us to camp by about an hour.

 

White Rocks Lakes has to be one of the most beautiful campsites I've ever been to....what a dramatic view of Dome and the Chickamin glacier!

 

Wednesday morning we headed for campsite either on Itswoot Ridge or the Dana glacier so we'd be in position for a climb of Dome on Thursday, but upon reaching Spire Col we had a view to the south of the incoming storm...a large thunderhead and grey clouds marching up from Glacier Peak. Not wanting to be in the alpine when the thunderstorm hit we bagged our Dome Peak plans and headed for Cub Lake.

 

A party up there a week and a half earlier reported continuous snow to Cub Lake, now its melted out significantly and we were off the snow after 1300ft of descending from Spire Col.

 

Within about fifteen minutes of us setting up the tent at Cub Lake the thunder, rain, and hail started up and we were consumed by clouds. After a very dreary evening surrounded by slowly damper and damper gear in our little single-wall tent we packed up Thursday morning and headed for the car.

From the ridge above Cub Lake the main trail appears to veer into the massive avy slide path. Taking the advice from a friend who'd been in to climb Dome the week before we headed down on the south side of the slide path through mature forest and quickly found the climbers path at around 4700ft without ever setting foot amongst the slide debris.

Once we hit the trail we just put our heads down, tried to ignore our saturated rain gear, soaked-through boots, and just chug our way out to the car.

 

Very happy to have finally seen all the terrain around the Ptarmigan, maybe one of these days I'll feel up for bringing skis along.

 

pictures:

snow coverage towards Red Ledges, and the snow finger on the right that we climbed to by-pass the ledges.

view to the south from spider col

Dome Peak from White Rocks Lakes

Thunderhead and rain working up from Glacier Peak

A very soggy night at Cub Lake

[ryland_moore]

Nice work Pete! Somebody had to finally go do the thing! Now that you knopw the route, are we taking boards in next year in June? Looks like a beautiful trip in the alpine regardless of summits or boards.

[olyclimber]

Nice work Pete! Glad to see West Seattle reprezenting! We should go send a sick new route on Schurman Rock sometime.

[pup_on_the_mountain]

Nice pics!! Thanks for sharing.

[summitseeker]

Nice! Congrats. Yes, the class 4 scramble to the right of the hanging snow block is a bit sketchy, particularly at the top where there are few handholds. There's a picture of mean downclimbing it in my Formidable TR on July 1st.

 

That's cool the snowfinger was a good bypass... I was looking at that on the way out. Wonder what that is like once it melts out?

 

--Scott

[still_climbin]

Had the same experience at Cub Lake a few years back. I still remember one of our party washing nude at the lake edge when walnut sized hail started to fall. It was like a dozen naughty boys with sling shots and a can of dried beans raising welts on his pathetic body. He set a speed record to his tent.

Edited July 11, 2006 by still_climbin

[John Frieh]

Right on Pete!

 

Glad to see West Seattle reprezenting!

 

Pete was an OR kid well before he moved north

[pete_a]

yeah, the good ol' days workin for peanuts at McKenzies with you and all the other Eugene screwballs

 

(by the way, nice work on Gunsight!)

[John Frieh]

Man I loved those days... getting all you guys to buy me

 

If you think about it that was almost a decade ago!!! I am getting OLD!