[TR] McClellans Butte - Northeast Gully 4/23/2007

[chesterboo]

Trip: McClellans Butte - Northeast Gully

 

Date: 4/23/2007

 

Trip Report:

It was about 2 years ago that Brian (Bones) and I (Chesterboo) last did this route. We both remember it well, because as I was doing the last pitch up to the summit, I kept hearing this buzzing sound on the back of my pack, and not being able to figure out I kept going up as it got louder and louder until I reached Brian and he shouted "Shit dude that's electricity coming off your poles"! He stood up and his helmet started buzzing too. We coiled the ropes and jogged off the backside very scared and more than a little spooked. So, when Brian called, I said, "Sure, lightening never (almost) strikes twice."

 

We left the car at 6:30 am and soon hiked up to the 3400 ft. and traversed north into the gully and began our trudge up the wet, calf deep snow where we took turns kicking steps up the gully.

We arrived at the base of the headwall after about 2000 feet of kicking up through the slush. Near the top it hardened up a bit but on the hole it was very soft.

 

We roped up and finished with 2 pitches over 3rd to 4th class chossy cascade crumble and wet snow to the summit.

 

Descent was down the southwest ridge off the rock and then we plunged down knee deep, steep snow off the south face to the 3800 foot level and traversed north to pick up the trail down.

 

Gear Notes:

We broght: 2 pickets, 1 screw, 1 lost arrow, 1 baby angle and some nuts up to #5

We used: 3 nuts .

 

Approach Notes:

I-Pod shuffle

Edited April 23, 2007 by chesterboo

[chesterboo]

Sorry for the multiple pictures. I can't get the picture thing right. Mods, could you correct. I have some other pictures that I wanted to include but I can't seem to get them to transfer from my photopost. I am truly pathetic.

[philfort]

I had assumed there was a climber somewhere in your rock shots, and it was an action sequence Where's Waldo?

Edited April 24, 2007 by philfort

[catbirdseat]

It appears that the summit block has somewhat less snow than it did when we climbed the route last year. Same postholing in the couloir though.

[AlpineMonkey]

How many hours round trip did it take you guys. I'm thinking about running up there and doing it on my way to Seattle this weekend. I have wanted to go up that for a couple years now.

 

-Craig

[chesterboo]

AlpineMonkey, It took us 7 hours.

We moved steady but slow through the soft snow. We roped up on the rock section which you may or may not want to do. I think with good firm condition we could knock off a couple of hours on our time. The descent was a pain in the ass off the south side. We went down some steep, soft snow (45 deg) on the south face after scrambling off the summit rocks and finally heading north to northeast back around to the trail where you left for the gully around 3400 feet. Descent down the route could be done but would require some tedious, exposed down climbing to a suitable rap tree that could get you back to the top of the gully. Skiing the gully would be very fun.

[Jens]

How many hours round trip did it take you guys. I'm thinking about running up there and doing it on my way to Seattle this weekend. I have wanted to go up that for a couple years now.

 

-Craig

Craig, only because you are asking for a time...

I soloed the above route to the summit after work this afternoon. I left the car at 3:30pm and got back to the car at 6:08pm. Some of the holds on the rock finish have some new snow on them.

Gear: alumiunm axe, 1 GU.

--------------------------

As a sidenote, I was saddened for nature up their today.

The people making the new trail up on McClellan's are hurting the land. The old trail is in super shape and is going to be right next to the new one (more trees and folliage ripped out). Why does every time a trail organization go in, they always make a new trail that is way slower and flatter when the original trail is in perfect shape? And the erosion or run-off argument isn't often a legitimate argument in many of the cases i've seen. Then they wonder why so many people cut switchbacks on these new trails that switchback like 45 times to gain 200 vertical feet.

[JasonG]

My wife and I climbed the route today mostly inside of a cloud. the snow cover down low in the gully is melting fast and a few glide cracks are opening up. Probably in another week or two, it won't be continuous. Fun climb, even if I made the last rock bit much harder than it needed to be . . .

 

I'll second Jens displeasure with the new trail, except I'm mainly upset that they wasted a bunch of resources on a trail in otherwise great shape. What about all of the other trails that could use some work in the North Cascades or Monte Cristo areas? It would be nice if those who purchased trail park passes could vote on where the funds were to be used. Although, now that I think about it, that probably wouldn't get any more money shifted out of the I-90 corridor.

[Jens]

I wonder if it is the WTA?

I'll bet so.

[richard_noggin]

I had a girlfriend named Debbie McClellan ...died in a motor cycle accident, always think of her when anything about that summit is mentioned...like the slab scramble at the top!