[TR] Pershing - 7 6/22/2008

[RJRiha]

Trip: Pershing - 7

 

Date: 6/22/2008

 

Trip Report:

It looked like a good day to go after Mt. Pershing, one I have wanted to climb for a long time. RD 2401 is in bad shape, with 3 spots where the road is almost blown out, 2 culverts plugged (with water quickly eroding the road), and another spot with a deep rut. The forest service could easily repair this road right now before it becomes impassible. Hopefully they do it soon, because it will be MUCH harder to repair if it gets much worse. Unfortunately, their budget probably won't allow it .

 

Anyways, we got a late start of 10AM after searching for the trail (heard there was obvious flagging marking the spot, but should have trusted our instincts to begin with). We found the flagging, but it is quickly becoming overgrown. We lost even more time by following the flagging through slide alder into a large basin (it appears we were following flagging to route 2...has anyone done route 2? It looks VERY difficult). Once we realized our mistake, we backtracked and followed the open forest to an open basin at 4300 feet. We climbed through 'a series of vegetated slabs' per the guidebook into an upper slope that went into the clouds. By now it was 4PM and we had to turn around (about 1000 ft shy of the summit). Now that I know the route, I will try again and should be able to get to the upper slopes in well under 3 hours.

 

Question to anyone familiar with the route. Are these the right 'vegetated slabs' described in the guidebook?

 

This looked like it would be fine climbing.....a view of the North Face of Mt. Washington. I'd love to go after the 'Great Groove' route. Anyone done this one?

 

That flagging on the 'trail' is horrendous. It's all over the place and should not be trusted. I'm tempted to go and pull all of it. Or at least all of the red and pink flagging, leaving the orange stuff which seems to be on route.

 

Helmets should be considered mandatory after the 4300 foot basin. I almost got taken out by a big boulder that came crashing down the hill.

Edited June 24, 2008 by malcolm777b

[Animal]

 

Question to anyone familiar with the route. Are these the right 'vegetated slabs' described in the guidebook?

 

 

Yep - Those are the slabs you go up!

[bremerton_john]

Yeah, you can either skirt your way up those slabs (the worst bit is just the first 50 feet or so, then it gets somewhat easier as you get higher - green belays abound), OR you can go right (north) from this position where you took your photo up another drainage that roughly seperates Pershing and Jefferson (Thorson). Climb this a couple hundred feet and cut left and it goes fairly smoothly to the upper bowl below the summit ridge.

 

I've grumbled about the flagging in the woods before too. I've pulled some out, but I think it is biological flagging and mutliplies on its own, maybe some form of flourescent moss. But yeah, once you've discovered the correct up-route it can go rather quickly.

 

John