Crystal Pass Traverse....

[Tom]

Anyone traverse Crystal Pass from the Avalanche Canyon side? We want to do the Finger route for Inner Constance, and then traverse over for Warrior, and go out the Dungeness. Everything I've looked at on paper looks cool, looking for live beta though.

[Tom]

Thought I'd provide the beta myself then!

 

Ths was a wonderful traverse, especially since we didn't have to decend the f-ing Constance Creek Trail... Started out Thursday evening, getting to the trailhead, excuse me, washout around 6:30... 3 and a half miles up the road to the Constance Creek trailhead, and then up about a thousand feet... I was getting tired, it was getting dark, so we camped in one of the few flat spots on the trail. On Friday, up at 5, and out by a little after 6, we made the lake by around 8. The trail is in pretty good shape, no snow until the lake. After a rest, we headed up Avalanche Canyon on terrific snow. Thankfully, the weather was semi-overcast with spot showers, otherwise it would have baking!

 

We stopped for a bit to decide on which pass shelf to go to, and decided on the one on the left. Scrambling opportunities looked the best there with Desperation right there. We made the pass (6500 feet) about 1, set up camp, and just napped and baked in the now clear skies. The views of Constance, Inner Constance and Warrior are great. After dinner, a friend and I scrambled Desperation, and then scouted a place to watch the sunset. From the top of Desperation, the views extended deep into the southern Olympics to Brothers, Pershing, and to the west for the Gray Wolfs and Needles. After sunset, a dicy decent under headlamp, and some great sleep - no wind, and beautiful night skies.

 

A lazy morning on Saturday, and we broke camp around 8:30 to head over to an alternate pass to drop down to the southwest of Warrior. We made this pass (6800 feet) around 9:30, and hung around to let the snow soften a bit for the steep decent. In the meantime, we were entertained by a two person team climbing Constance on route 1A. Roped, the leader looked pretty comfortable, the person on trail looked less... Having climbed Constance on this route a couple years ago - it's a wonderful approach, but a bit exposed for the squeamish. It was still in pretty good shape, just starting to open up in a couple places. After they made the notch, a little after 10, we decided to head down to the Warrior approach.

 

Once down, we spot a shelf to the west, on the far north side of the Inner Constance arm, and decide, what the hell, that looks cool. So we head over there, and have camp set up by 1 again. We're about 500 feet below the wall we watched the sunset the night prior, and about 1,000 feet directly above the Home Lake valley. To play, we found a 30 foot snow wall where the upper 15 feet was vertical, and the bottom gradually rolled flat. So now it's an ice climbing contest with standard ice axes and boots! Then we turned out attention to some chutes, and had standing glissade contests (I suck)!

 

The next day, we pondered Warrior, but decided to just head out. Down the standard approach, and then wrapping north around the west side of Warrior, we dropped down and met the Home Lake trail a couple miles from Boulder Shelter. The trail was mostly clear here, but still covered with snow towards Constance Pass. After a break at Boulder Shelter, a leisurely stroll out the Dungeness and we're done...

 

I'll get some pics up on my web site as they get processed. That was fun!

[thelawgoddess]

not afraid to go out and get your own beta live-like ... way cool. sounds like you had a good trip, too! constance was my first climb so your report brought back a few memories.

[Norman_Clyde]

Very cool. I have contemplated a one day loop up the Dose trail, right turn to Constance Pass, down toward Home Lake, then over the saddle S. of Warrior, up to Crystal and down Avalanche canyon to the road ( I know, long day, thinking of this in later season when the snow is firm and fast). I had wondered what the pass S. of Warrior was like, and now I know! Thanks.

[Tom]

There are three passes to enter Avalanche Canyon from the Warrior side, a high and low pass between Constance and Desperation, and a high pass bewteen Desperation and Inner Constance. The approach to the first requires you to make a nasty notch adjacent to Warrior Arm, that would probably add an hour or two. The pass we used is higher (6800 feet vs 6400), but much morew direct, and had great snow. Just head up the standard approach to Warrior, and then turn right as if to head up Inner Constance.

 

I bet though, when you get to the area we camped the second night, you'll want to stop for the night, the spot is that good!

 

Have fun!