[TR] The Duolith - East Face 6/22/2008

[EC_O]

Trip: The Duolith - East Face

 

Date: 6/22/2008

 

Trip Report:

Wanted to climb something fun today, though roped options were certainly limited (have a fractured wrist). With that in mind, poured through Brown Beckey and briefly contemplated the long, north ridge of Cannon on a suggestion from a friend, but settled on something different. The Duolith (and broader Rat Creek Group) has always held some curious level of intrigue, perhaps if only because of having craned my neck to look up at it from the Icicle many times. Hook Creek seemed the most direct route, if not the easiest.

 

So, getting the ripe early start of 11:30 (mmmmm, bacon), I parked outside the gate and walked over the bridge to gander up the first few thousand feet. It was indeed a wee bit steep, though honestly better than expected and quite open for the first 1000 feet or so (no, you wouldn't know it from this pic).

 

 

It got gradually brushier and eventually became the deadfall morass I expected.

 

 

Crossing to the east side of Hook Creek (it's beneath the talus and you merely hear it at times), continuing up slabs, talus and the occasional easy balancey log ascent, I'm deposited on snow at about 4500 feet.

 

 

Skirt beneath the impressive east face of the Blockhouse

 

 

and head for the col. Sticky rubber approach shoes meant forgoing the faster snow for dry talus, then scree, then just kitty litter until I had no choice but to pull out the axe. Much to my surprise, some other dumb ass was compelled to come all the way up here recently too! So I followed fairly new crampon steps up to the col just east of the Duolith.

 

The Edwards Plateau is beautiful and feels remote. It is also someplace I'll not likely visit again soon after I'm healed-up (though I am a bit intrigued by the Professor and the Meteor, seen here, with Lighthouse Tower down and to the right),

 

 

so I took the chance to walk around and take some photos of the cool vernal ponds ("lakelets"),

 

 

Little Annapurna (you can even see the Flagpole!)

 

 

and the seldom-seen view of Temple-Prusik Ridge from the north (compare this photo to the drawing in Fred's book--cool).

 

 

After being impressed with the south face of the Mole enough to change my mind and resolve to come back for it (via Rat Creek though), figured I'd scramble up the short Duolith (seen here on the right with the Mole on left).

 

 

Easy, exposed soloing on lichen-y rock, past some tat, a truly relict rope (from 1948??),

 

 

and an old pin. The north summit was a pretty cool a cheval with good cell service (right, gb?). Descent was almost as tedious as the ascent (3 hrs) but more demoralizing, honestly. I wound up in some hateful brush (willow, ceanothus, prickly rose, etc) like this

 

 

and kept falling on my injured hand and gashing my legs with branch staabs. Sweet. Did get a cool vantage of the Hook though:

 

 

All-in-all, a pretty fun day into a seldom-visited part of the range.

 

 

Gear Notes:

Solo.

 

Approach Notes:

If you go Hook Creek, begin from a small, circular driveway (second dirt road on right after crossing white bridge). Go up. First right of the creek (west), then left, then straight up. Then actually reverse this on the descent and don't be dumb and deviate like me.

[spotly]

Nice TR. Got any more pictures of Edwards Plateau?

[rat]

do yourself a favor next time and start up the trail to yellow jacket tower (east side of hook cr.). the west face of the blockhouse and south face of the mole are best approached from hook creek. rat creek is longer, brushier and has more jackstrawed trees.

[EC_O]

As requested, here's a few more random pics of the Edwards Plateau.

 

 

 

 

 

[spotly]

That is nice. Thanks for the shots. I was debating on adding it to my itinerary for a 4 day trip planned for late Sept. I've heard there's a "trail" that takes a body down to the Snow Creek trail from near there. Anyone know what that "trail" is like?

[goatboy]

EC_O (Enviable Celtic_Origins?),

 

Nice work and thanks for the phone call from on high. I wallow in West Side cloud cover and dream of the Cashmere Crags....

 

Nice to see some snow lingering up high!

 

I love the shot of the old, relic rope....

 

 

 

[EC_O]

do yourself a favor next time and start up the trail to yellow jacket tower (east side of hook cr.). the west face of the blockhouse and south face of the mole are best approached from hook creek. rat creek is longer, brushier and has more jackstrawed trees.

 

Hard to believe there could be more downed trees but thanks for the suggestion. Not sure what Nelson recommends for approaching the S Face Mole but just guessed that continuing up the old 8 Mile road, ascending into and then traversing upper Rat Creek might preferred? Hook Creek is fine though really, just a lot of elevation gain from the Icicle. There's also some cool-looking potential for steep (new?) lines on the E Face Blockhouse...

[Jopa]

I think Nelson recommends going up the Takotie (sp?) lake approach from the Snow Creek trail to access the South Face of the Mole.

[Bug]

I prefer Rat creek. Start left of the downfall and veer left up and over the obvious cliff band. Then traverse into the basin and move up and left. There is one patch of slide alder to cross 1/2 way up. After that, get up to the base of the cliff and stay on the game trail all the way up.

 

[kevino]

That is nice. Thanks for the shots. I was debating on adding it to my itinerary for a 4 day trip planned for late Sept. I've heard there's a "trail" that takes a body down to the Snow Creek trail from near there. Anyone know what that "trail" is like?

That could possibly be the tokatie trail - which pretty much just follows tokatie creek.

[5.12Dreamer]

Bug--do you say Rat Creek for the N and W faces? For the SF, having gone in via the Eightmile Road and the Snow Creek Trail, I would choose Hook creek. Spotly--three hours of hard work is nothing compared to either of those approaches!

 

Four of us went in via Toketie Lake (Selected Climbs approach) a few weeks ago. It was apparent to me that the guidebook description of a camp and a climbers trail precedes the huge November windstorm a couple years ago. That storm knocked over a lot of burned trees left standing from the fires, covering much of the "trail." I believe the camp area is gone too, as we didn't see it going in or coming out. The entire area off the Snow Creek Trail there is filled with downed trees.

 

To approach via Snow Creek is very arduous--five miles off trail travel gaining 4000', a lot of it over boulders and trees. But you can follow sections of the trail on the climber's far RHS of the talus slope, which saves a good deal of energy. I would go that way if you're interested in spending time at Toketie Lake, which has lots of great looking rock. For the Rat Creek Group, Hook or Rat Creek now seems the best to me.

 

Some beta on the Snow Creek approach--there is a TR that added to the Selected Climbs Snow Creek approach description, something along the lines of "When the trail leaves the creek for the last time ..." It might be more clear to say that at about 3.1 miles and 3200' you will first experience the trail leaving the creek and ascending through some switchbacks. Keep going past where the trail crosses a newly reworked streambed, which is lined with granite rocks. Shortly past this is where you should look to leave the trail and cross the creek to the boulder field on the other side. You'll need to climb up through the boulders a couple hundred feet or so before you can pick up the trail on the far RHS. You can travel some long sections of the trail, leaving it for the rock when blowdown covers it.

 

As for the Eightmile road, three of us attempted to approach The Mole that way in July 2000--I cannot recommend it as you lose a lot of elevation descending to Rat Creek then have to wrangle through tons of alder to cross the creek. We never fully made it to the other side with enough time to do the climb and pull back out the same day. This was with an early start from our bivy on the ridge opposite Rat Creek.

 

If you also want to spend time elsewhere in the Enchantments the best idea might be to approach from Shield Lake--that looks like straightforward travel through the more level and open area or the Enchantments.

[bwrts]

All approaches to the plateau/mesa are long brushy and full of jackstrawed trees, except maybe prusik pass.

 

The elevation gain up Hook Creek will likely crush anyone carrying a large overnight pack with climbing gear...

 

Toketie sucks due to overuse--trail is also loose and dusty.

 

Rat creek is long and ephemeral.

 

In summary, obtaining photos similar to ones depicted above is not an easy prospect... Unlike the alternatives- enchantment, colchuck, stuart or 8mile/Cashmere areas.

[5.12Dreamer]

 

Toketie sucks due to overuse--trail is also loose and dusty.

 

Good one. And yes, where you find it, the trail is loose. However, you can avoid brush going this way--you can't avoid downed trees and boulders and hence a lot of effort, but you can make your way through and around those reasonably well. Unlike fighting slide alder in a creek bed, that is.

[AlpineMonkey]

I just saw this post now, must have missed it back in June. Wanted to say I like it a lot, thats all.