[TR] Mt. LaCrosse / Mt. Anderson (attempt) - Sibe

[PVD]

Trip: Mt. LaCrosse / Mt. Anderson (attempt) - Siberia / Route 3 (northeast aspect)

 

Date: 9/2/2007

 

Trip Report:

 

Last week, I spent a few days at the center of the Olympics after a long hike in on the Enchanted Valley Trail. I climbed Mt. LaCrosse from Camp Siberia, and attempted to ascend Mt. Anderson via its northeast aspect (Climber’s Guide Route 3).

I crested the Anderson massif north of the summit, somewhere between 7,250 and 7,300 feet, but did not find passage to the top. My failure on Anderson was disappointing, but this still was one of my best and most scenic mountaineering trips. And it just gives me an excuse to return to this amazing region.

 

I backpacked 10 miles to Pyrites camp, on an elk-browsed terrace along the Quinalt River, late Thursday. I came upon a herd of at least 60 elk between Pyrites and Enchanted Valley the next morning on my way up to Anderson Pass. I felt privileged to witness this:

 

 

As I arrived at the pass, about 18 miles in, it began to rain, and I took shelter under my tarp. I had planned to climb Mt. LaCrosse that afternoon, but the weather kept me under my shelter reading and sleeping the rest of the day. The next morning, I heard rustling in the bushes above my camp, and emerged from my shelter to see a black bear. We made eye contact, then he sauntered off.

I hiked the path to the Anderson Glacier lake, admiring awesome views of Mt. LaCrosse and White Mountain.

This was my first visit to Anderson Glacier; the view of the peak from the moraines beyond the glacial lake is truly spectacular:

 

 

I climbed over the ridge to the northeast and descended to heather- and meadow-covered benches that lead to the pair of beautiful tarns southeast of the peak (it is easier to follow a faint path around this ridge -- which I did on my return).

The two lakes, with Mt. LaCrosse in the background:

 

 

There's also a nice view of the peak from this area:

 

 

I headed north past the tarns, crossed a little drainage, and bushwacked through steep forest before popping out onto a snowfield and climbing easily to a minor pass. I descended on more moderate terrain past another creek cascading off Anderson, and continued along a snowfield down to a point where I could enter the basin on the mountain’s east side. There’s a beautiful green tarn in this basin, along with a large snowfield.

 

 

I climbed low-angle snow toward the low ridge northeast of Mt. Anderson. The snowfield steepened quite a bit as I approached the rock. At this point, the start of the route seemed obvious. I crossed a snowbridge onto moderate rock, and headed up west-southwest, as described by the climbing guide.

Although the guide says to “follow moderate snow to the summit,” I assumed easy snowfields would not deliver me to the top. However, I had hoped they would take me higher than 5,800 feet, which is about where I stepped onto rock. The terrain over the next 1,400 feet or so alternated between decent ledges and steep, down-sloping features coated with loose rock. Mostly, it was the sketchy latter. To avoid a cliffy section at the start, I veered too far west, and eventually an arete prevented me from heading southwest. I hoped that I could find a way to traverse over up high. No such luck. I topped out on the Anderson ridge north of the summit to awesome views but little hope of reaching the top. The views from this massif were the most impressive I have witnessed in the Olympics:

 

West Peak:

 

Mt. Olympus:

 

Warrior, Constance

 

Mt. LaCrosse, Mt. Stone, etc.

 

 

Mt. Bretherton, Mt. Rainier (pretty washed out)

 

Eel Glacier

 

I should have spent more time enjoying the summit scenery, but I decided to down-climb a bit and check out potential routes to the top. Finding none, I began the long and tedious descent to the snowfield. The sustained steep loose-rock was a bit stressful.

I’m not sure whether “Route 3” goes minus the snow. It looked pretty questionable from below.

Disappointed, but relieved to get off the rock, I retraced my steps through the stunning terrain south of Mt. Anderson:

 

 

On Sunday, I climbed Mt. LaCrosse via the basin above Siberia Camp.

Here’s a view of the peak from the slopes below Mt. Anderson:

 

 

My route headed up the basin to the right of the obvious snow finger on the left, avoiding a cliff, dropped down onto the bigger snowfield, then followed snow up and to the right to the ridge top just east of the Mt. LaCrosse summit rocks. I climbed to the top directly from steep scree above this ridge, which can also be accessed via a one-mile traverse from LaCrosse Pass.

From Siberia camp, I hiked at a moderate grade up this beautiful basin on heather, boulders and talus, with an ever-improving view of Mt. Anderson at my back:

 

 

And a nice view of my objective:

 

 

After reaching a high point, I descended onto the main snowfield. After checking out the rocky ridge northeast of Mt. LaCrosse, I climbed meandering snow southwest to the ridge east of the peak. The snow was steep for a stretch, but the exposure was not too bad: some protruding rock and a couple of minor cliffs. From the steep scree above the ridge, the best line to the top up the peak's southeast side was not obvious to me. The crux turned out to be just getting started, as the first stretch required scrambling up more downsloping rock coated with loose material, creating that ball-bearing effect. Without any handholds at the start, this felt pretty exposed -- though the fall line wasn't too bad. Beyond the sketchiness, the route steepened to Class 3, with decent ledges and handholds that provided at least the illusion of security. I’ve experienced a lot of friable rock in this range, and LaCrosse's ranks among the worst. I negotiated a couple of small, loose ledges, then climbed relatively easily to the top. By the time I reached the summit, clouds had enveloped most of Mt. Anderson, but the view of other surrounding peaks, including Mt. Steel, White Mountain, Mt. Bretherton, Mt. Skokomish, and Mt. Elk Lick, was very cool.

 

White Mountain:

 

There was a register on top, placed by Fay Pullen in Sept. 2006. I recognized the name (an Internet search later at home revealed that Fay is quite an accomplished climber). One other guy signed the register this summer.

My route was not Class 2, as described in the Olympic Climbing Guide. I think the guide describes another line -- perhaps it is the one from Goldman’s “75 Scrambles.” The author discourages the route I chose: “do not ascend the scree...this way is not a scramble.” I did not notice her “10-foot chimney” left of my route that apparently leads to steep heather and moderate rock that is supposed to deliver one to the top more easily.

My descent over was a bit nerve-wracking, but not terrible. I traversed to LaCrosse Pass, hiked the trail back to Anderson Pass, and continued under light rain down to a camp site by the Quinalt River between Enchanted Valley and Pyrites Camp. I backpacked the last 11 miles out the next morning.

This was a great trip -- though of course if would have been nice to top Anderson.

When I give Anderson another shot, I’ll try to head out in early summer, make a high camp at the alpine lakes, and give myself enough time to check out the climbing guide’s Routes 2 and 3.

 

 

Gear Notes:

Helmet, Axe

Edited September 12, 2007 by PVD

[bremerton_john]

Great TR and photos PVD. We had a similar close up experience with a large elk herd on the South Fork of the Hoh a couple years ago. Awesome creatures.

 

Thanks for all the shots of the Anderson area. Man, that glacier sure is disapearing fast.

[kevbone]

Great pics......thanks for sharing.

[OlympicMtnBoy]

Nice TR, I wonder if I can still get up there before the season ends.

[OrygunJim]

One of my favorite places. My gf and I were in Enchanted Valley in early season and had too much weather to get high on Anderson. In years past I've found a little more snow makes these scrambles much more enjoyable, it's just a matter of timing weather patterns (which i've come to learn is impossible on the peninsula). Great pics of the area and good TR, they really convey the spirit of the area.

[ryanl]

Sounds like a grand adventure. great pictures, especially the elk.

[PVD]

In years past I've found a little more snow makes these scrambles much more enjoyable, it's just a matter of timing weather patterns (which i've come to learn is impossible on the peninsula).

 

You are so right about the snow. I need to make time earlier in the season to get out. A few years back, I had a great couple of trips on Stone and the Brothers, with snow most of the way up, but most of my trips in the last couple of years have been in August and September. The climbs have still been enjoyable overall, but those early-season outings were the best -- easier, safer, and so scenic.

 

Oh, and thanks for the kind comments re. the pics/report.

Edited September 14, 2007 by PVD