[TR] - Martin Pk.-Mt. Fricaba-Foss Pk.

[PVD]

Trip: Martin Pk.- Mt. Fricaba-Hal Foss Pk.

 

Date: 7/17-7/19/2008

 

Trip Report:

This trip report is a little dated, but my photos turned out pretty well so I thought I'd share....

 

Conditions were fantastic July 17-19 as I explored the alpine area beyond Royal Lake. I climbed Martin Peak, Mt. Fricaba, and Hal Foss Peak from a camp on a bench above upper Royal Basin. This was my first trip to this region of the Olympics.

I was impressed.

After dealing with road construction along Highway 101, I got a late start and did not reach upper Royal Basin until 7:30 p.m. Thursday. I decided against trying to negotiate the steep divide between Royal and Deception Basins so late in the day. Instead of camping in Deception Basin, as I had planned, I found a beautiful camp site high above Royal Basin that I deemed outside of the reservations-only area.

 

This was my view of Mt. Deception at sunrise Friday:

 

 

In the morning, I climbed over the ridge southeast of upper Royal Basin, descended steeply, and crossed Milk Creek, which originates on Mt. Fricaba’s north side.

 

Mt. Fricaba’s northern aspect:

 

 

I ascended snowfields, talus, and scree on Fricaba’s northeast side to incredible views:

 

Morning fog and a sea of peaks:

 

 

Olympus:

 

 

Hal Foss Peak and Mt. Mystery:

 

 

Mt. Deception and Deception Basin:

 

 

I then descended loose rock down Fricaba’s west side into beautiful Deception Basin, and hiked to Hal Foss Peak’s northwest flank.

 

Foss Peak from slope north of Deception Basin:

 

 

About an hour of Class 2 scrambling and hiking moderate snow slopes brought me to an easy Class 3 finish and more breath-taking scenery:

 

Deception Basin from Foss Peak:

 

 

The Needles from Foss Peak:

 

 

 

 

I had wondered about the route up Mystery from Deception Basin. It did not look good from my perspective. The glacier did not appear to be a major obstacle, but the climbing above the ice looked pretty sketchy -- steep, loose rock with cliffy exposure.

 

Mt. Mystery from the divide between Royal/Deception basins:

 

 

The divide east of Mt. Deception appeared nearly vertical from afar. The route I chose, though, was steep but fairly easy. I topped the ridge at a notch just east of the mini-peak next to Deception, descended a 40-degree snow slope, and hiked through upper Royal Basin back to my camp late Friday afternoon.

 

I surveyed Martin Peak from my camp, trying to identify a line to the summit. From this perspective -- basically due west -- the route described in the Olympic climbing guide looked pretty intimidating. The guide, though, assured me that routes up to the Deception-Martin ridge were straightforward, so I decided to give it a shot Saturday morning.

 

Martin Peak from Upper Royal Basin:

 

 

 

 

I hiked through Royal Basin, ascended a snowfield south of the Surprise Basin terminal moraine, and climbed steep, loose rock to more solid and higher-gradient terrain. About an hour of Class 3 scrambling over solid ledges and ramps led me to the ridge top -- but I was too close to Mt. Deception. The ridge couldn’t be traversed to Martin Peak from this point, so I down-climbed, headed north a bit, and ascended rock above a snow-filled gully up to a large notch that provided access to an easy ridge scramble to Martin's summit.

 

Again, the views were spectacular:

 

Mt. Deception:

 

 

Glacier west of Deception summit:

 

 

The climbing guide’s Martin Peak Route 1 description is short but accurate. The path I chose was solidly Class 3, with a little exposure at times. Good hand-holds and solid ledges made it a relatively mellow outing. The ascent took me 2 hours, 45 minutes from my high camp. The descent and hike back took about two hours.

I enjoyed a last meal at my beautiful camp before heading out.

A great trip.

 

Gear Notes:

Axe, helmet, crampons

Edited August 1, 2008 by PVD

[bremerton_john]

Great TR and Photos PVD. When we did Martin we traversed the ridge north of it from the Incisor. I recall Martin being a nice, fun, easy scramble at the top. I also remember descending what was probably your up-route, and finding (mid-August) a long, long, scree chute down to the bottom.

 

John

[PVD]

 

Thanks John.

 

Yep, Martin was a pretty cool/easy scramble up top. I think that chute you describe was filled with softening snow, and I opted for scrambling the rock above it. I nearly headed down that chute, but decided to down-climb the same way I came up. I don't think I chose the easiest route, but it was fun.

 

I recall reading your report about that ridge traverse a while back. Really impressive trip. I had your description of the Martin scramble in the back of my mind when I decided to pass on attempting Mt. Mystery and give Martin a shot.

 

Paul