Another Pickets Question

[jared_j]

I'm thinking about a north-to-south Pickets Traverse trip this summer. Taking the boat up, going through Beaver pass hitting Challenger. I'd like to exit south via Terror Creek to Goodell Creek.

 

I'm not sure if I'm up for the north buttress of Mt. Fury. Any suggestions for the Luna Creek cirque / Fury area? Id' like to be able to make it down to hit up the north face of Mt. Terror.

 

I was thinking of descending down to Luna Lake, then crossing over the saddle between Luna Peak and Fury. The Beckey guide shows a dotted line along this path, which appears to traverse WSW to just south of the SE Fury Glacier.

 

[wayne]

I believe I have a link on this page that has the very trip you are interested in. It is called 'Great Trip report" and it is near the bottom of the page.Link

There are 2 links to that trip at that location.

 

IF you do a traverse, consider going in Easy pass. You could get dropped off at Hannegan. Also If you do NE Butt Fury it is simple to get to Luna-Fury Col, but the other guys in the report went down the glacier directly to Picket Pass and over to N Butt Terror.

I went to their show, they were very stoked yet very tired. One would have to go super-light to pull of those 3 climbs in succession.

[jared_j]

Thanks for the link - I had originally come across their personal websites detailing the trip, which is where I got the idea from. I agree, you'd have to be really moving and go super lightweight to make it happen. I'm still entertaining other itinerary options for the range. Seems like the 'enchainment' of these peaks would be a sweet trip, however.

[wayne]

All you need is good weather, partner, luck, beta,plan, conditions, and gear.

Thats all- Oh and this lamp shade, thats all, Oh and this thermos. that's all, thats all you need

[Alex]

I tried a N to S traverse of the Picket range in 1999, we were going from Hannegan, over Whatcom pass, through West-Middle Challenger Col down the West side of the norther Pickets under Crooked Thumb, but never got further then that.

[Toast]

If I'm not mistaken, there is an abandoned trail that lead out Goodell drainage. However, there was a massive slide that wiped out a lot of what was there a couple years ago. Anybody know who's been out that ways?

[AlpineK]

There's a trail up Goodell to the standard approach to the southern pickets and one that leads to below The Barrier, but I never saw anything going further up Goodell. If there was it's bushwhacking now.

[Mal_Con]

I have been over the eazy ridge route to the Northern Pickets twice and it is not that bad except for schleping all your gear around the impass. You can cross direct but it is very hard with all the gear. It is probably easier to go over Whatcom peak than cross low . The challenger Glacier is easy and the Whiley Lakes route is harder than it looks on the map. It is easy to tag Luna and Fury from the Luna Fury Col. Acess creek is a good exit the report you mentioned showsthe route over Picket pass toe=ward the Southern Pickets. Do not try Goodell Creek until past the barrier or you will be sorry.

[curtveld]

If I'm not mistaken, there is an abandoned trail that lead out Goodell drainage. However, there was a massive slide that wiped out a lot of what was there a couple years ago. Anybody know who's been out that ways?

The BIG rock slide from 03 was on the west side of the valley and didn't hit the overgrown logging road up Goodell. Pretty spectacular - makes the one up from Newhalem that hit 20 look puny.

[trumpetsailor]

>Do not try Goodell Creek until past the barrier or you will be sorry.

 

That's what I always hear (I presume you mean, "Don't try heading up it past the Barrier."), but folks rarely explain why. What's in there that makes it so bad? Just vicious vegetation, or something more nefarious?

[Toast]

Don't discount the Eiley-Wiley ridge. Did that last year and it rocked! Though, Easy Ridge in is easier...

[Der_Wanderer]

Yeah, I can vouch for the Wiley Ridge approach. It's reasonable. Keep in mind that when I say "reasonable", I'm talking "Picket's reasonable". It's still an axe kicker. Long, lots or schwacking (though never heinous), and the routefinding can be tricky. My advice is to study any approach as much as possible...maps, google earth, beta...have a vision in your head before starting.