Stehekin approach to Dome?

[AllYouCanEat]

I'm curious what people have to say about this approach...stehekin into dome? I read a TR here somewhere and so know a few have been up that way. If there is good weather I may be going up there, but I will be going out that way not in. The weather could hose me and it may be a rain-escape. Even though I didn't want to ask, I may learn something that may be valuable in a rain storm . Ha. You never know. Thanks.

[Tom_Sjolseth]

There's a few ways to do this, the best choice dependent on conditions. If there's a lot of snow when you go (like now), then it could be a nice ski out the Chikamin, up and over Sinister, and out down Spruce Creek to S Fork Agnes. A lot of the brush could be covered with snow right now, but it won't be for very much longer. I'd bet you'll see solid snow down to 4500' over there right now.

 

Another way to go is around the S side of Dome, but you have to drop a little bit of elevation (down to ~6800' - Klenke knows this route well). To go this way, you'd have to drop down from the summit of Dome onto the Dome Glacier and go around the W side, then the S side of the mountain eventually finding a gully that allows you to access the basin due S of Dome. From here you can find a gully (class 3) that'll bring you up onto the unnamed (on the USGS) glacier S of Sinister Peak.

 

Another way is to go out Holden via Ross Pass and Lyman Lake, but this is the longest option (brush free, though).

 

Your best bet if you're bailing (beleve it or not) is to go back out Bachelor Creek.

 

Have fun, that's a nice area.

 

[Blake]

The First Ascent of Dome Peak was via Stehekin... can't be that bad right?

[KaskadskyjKozak]

The First Ascent of Dome Peak was via Stehekin... can't be that bad right?

 

Is this the best approach to Dome? I ahven't checked a map, but for some reason Trinity/Buck Pass comes to mind...

[AllYouCanEat]

Kaskadskyjkozak,

 

Right now, sure. Unless you have a motor bike or some such. There is 10-miles of road on the Suiattle right now. They don't plan on fixing I believe until late summer, although I'm not certain about that.

 

I plan on going in there soon if the weather is looking like it is gonna be friendly.

 

 

[Tennessee]

I approached Gunsight peak from Stehekin in July 2001. There is a broad ridge that goes up the south side of Mt Agnes from the PCT. It involved about 5000 feet total, starting with 2000 feet of old growth forests, going into 1500 feet of slide alder, then another 1500 feet of heather benches with a bit of 3rdish class scrambling before reaching alpine terrain. It was somewhat brutal. I would think that finding your way down this might not be too bad, as long as you stay away from gullies. I'd heard of people using Icy creek (?) for this ascent from the PCT, but there wasn't enough snow cover at that time so we decided not to. If it has enough snow coverage, that might be the way. It's the creek that drains the glacier on the north side of Agnes. Cliff Leight has used the Icy Creek approach and said it involved lots of brush. We took two days for this approach from Stehekin to a camp below Agnes, but we had huge packs with giant rock racks up to #5 camalot, so it was slow. From Agnes, or Gunsight, a fast party be able to make it down in one day assuming no route finding mistakes. It ended up being worse than the map made it look.

Edited June 6, 2008 by Tennessee

[John Frieh]

AYCE: this thread has a good topo of what Tom/Tennessee described. I would recommend it: thread

 

Assuming you take the slow boat to Stehikin a good time table is ride the bus as high as you can (or bum a ride) and hike to 8 mile campground (goes quick/easy trail) and camp. Second day cross the river and schwack up to the onto the glacier. Takes ~1/2 day if you are smart about picking a clean line up through the brush. You could summit Dome the second day fairly easily or camp below some of the prominent faces that only have one route on them. Hope this helps!

 

 

[John Frieh]

bump for Sol

[ivan]

Kaskadskyjkozak,

 

Right now, sure. Unless you have a motor bike or some such. There is 10-miles of road on the Suiattle right now. They don't plan on fixing I believe until late summer, although I'm not certain about that.

 

I plan on going in there soon if the weather is looking like it is gonna be friendly.

 

just fyi, i doubt they're planning on fixing the suiattle to the downey creek trailhead anytime this decade, given how long it's been out of commision

 

*however* it is possible to DRIVE to the downey creek trailhead still if you have a little gumption - joshk and i got his audi all-roader up there, and we saw a guy who got a vw thing up there too - the first washout at mp 12 ain't bad at all, and the big one at mp 13, while wild, isn't unreasonable, especially if you're in a fairly narrow car and the track ain't muddy

 

suprisingly, the downey creek trail is in fantastic shape w/ a lot of new raised log-trails through the swampy parts - bachelor is a bitch of course, but not a show-stopper - if you can make it to the avy'ed out section, you'll be fine from there. joshk and i, smoking a full pack of cig's, getting a late start, and generally enjoying the pimp'n'lifestyle made it to the avy debris in a mellow day - you could be on top of dome easily on day 2

[tvashtarkatena]

The Stehekin approach is longer and more arduous than Bachelor Creek + mountain bike.

 

If you've got the time and energy, one way to do a great loop would be to go in via the Suiattle River Trail/Image Lake/Canyon Lake/Hanging Gardens Sinister/Gunsight (or Dome/Sinister) col and out Bachelor, or vice versa. You'd wind up back at your bike that way, at least.

 

Or borrow a Jeep and drive the sucker.

[DetachedFlake]

*however* it is possible to DRIVE to the downey creek trailhead still if you have a little gumption - joshk and i got his audi all-roader up there, and we saw a guy who got a vw thing up there too

 

**WARNING!!** Suiattle river road is CLOSED above mile 12! Forest Service gave me a $250 ticket for parking above the barricade at the washout. Just because there's a road doesn't mean you should take it, I guess...

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