tazz Posted August 4, 2009 Share Posted August 4, 2009 Trip: Snowking - Kindy Ridge Date: 8/1/2009 Trip Report: I had so much fun with Will and Chris when we did Dragontail, I figured it was time get out with them again. I wanted to do Blum. But they wimped out the night before, due to the heat. Well , I’m glad they did cause the place we went was easier and I had terrible heat issues. Blum would have killed me on the 5500’ gain ridge in this heat with no water anywhere on the ridge. So if not Blum then what? I had only a couple of hours to come up with something in the NC. I was drawing blanks and got tipped off to Trapper peak and Thornton peak. Easy, mostly trail hiking and light scrambling. That will work, it will be really easy and fit in with comfort level of my partners. Sure let’s do it! Friday night, driving to meet up with the guys and get rolling. Some friends trying for Triumph permits called me from the Rangers station. No camp permits for the area! Grrrrrr……. So now here I am with another trip shot. I have to come up with some ideas in 30 minutes while I drive to meet the guys. Gear may be an issue. Trapper we needed no gear but ice axe just in case we hit steep snow ( I doubt we would have used them??). No helmets, no crampons, beta, maps… crap!! 2 peaks came to mind right away. Snowking and sahale. These are two peaks I know the routes on and needed no beta. Maps would be an easy fix. There may be a permit issue for sahale too. No permit needed for Snowking. Will had already been up snowking 2 xs. I had an attempt on snowking in 2006 and was shut down by over 100 degree temps in the sun on the ridge to the summit. I was willing to get back up there again to get it done. I present the guys with my ideas as we drove north. We headed to snowking TH. I could not remember the road but will was right but we were a bit unsure as it was dark and Will doesn’t have a gazetteer in his car! That is a must have piece of gear that stays in the car Will!!! We parked at a wash out that his fancy car with 1 inch of clearance could not cross. (Little did we know we were .3 miles or so to the road block for snowking. ) We commence in more dehydration shenanigans. Hit the sac. We decided to go the ranger’s station to check to see if there are permits for sahale and check maps to see if we were at the right road for snowking…oh and grab some breakfast. No permits left for Sahale…Shocker! Snowking it is. Ok …You were right Will, I was wrong…;-)! We camped on the road to snowking. I grabbed some maps. We didn’t need them as we both had been there before but hey yeh never know. Plus I lOVE MAPS!!! I was paying for the maps and RandyB and Don B walk in getting the last permit for Triumph. Good to run into ya guys!! Off we go for the 3 mile soul sucking road walk. 3 yrs ago I was able to drive within 2 miles or so. Before they put the boulder s up. I remembered a large tree in a wash out ravine I drove too. The tree in not there anymore but there are several more washouts. The path up the ridge is still the steep grueling slog it was before just more detours around down fall. I was very hot and had no appetite and nauseous. I was drinking more than I ever do but still not enough. I was guzzling it down and sit overheated and thirsty. That part Sucked!! We had a blast hiking up the ridge lots of laughs!! LOTS!! We set up camp at the Cyclone Lake. Awesome spot. I really had to force my meal down. I could only eat half. The night was VERY warm. The winds died and never came back for the rest of the trip. We woke up to Smokey smell and still thick warm air. Tons of skeeters!! Views out …wait… what views…I could barely see Eldorado!!! The smoke was thick and no wind to move it! About 9am on the ridge approach in the sun I needed to eat for more energy so I sucked down a GU. That worked for a while. I tried a cliff bar and immediately vomited it right back up. We continue up and it is incredibly hot! My thermometer in the sun was reading 112! Still no breeze at all! I was sweating out more than I could put in and keep in!! I was dry heaving or losing water! It was pissing me off! I was not goanna turn back again for the same damn reason as last time. This time it was worse though. Damn this ridge!! I know my limits though and pushed on. I puked my way up the summit. Steep snow up to the saddle and a moat to play in gets me on the scramble up. FUN!!! I try and eat…NOPE. Still no breeze at 11am as we descend. Puking and gagging my way down we got back to camp quickly. Will was the first to jump in the tarn the Chris and them me. That was the best thing I ever did!!! I felt great!! My core temp went down (that was the problem) and I was able to eat some stuff and keep it down and dark some emergency. I was good to go. Wait… we have to ascend all those bumps on the ridge in this heat!! Whaaa!! ;-) It was ok though, I did get way too hot but it didn’t last forever I just had to stop at the snow patch and stick my head in the snow! The descent was a bone cruncher but I always like that kind. I will not have to go back up that ridge again...oh wait, unless I do Mutchler... ahh crap!! Need to find another route for Mutchler... I had such an absolute blast even if sick from heat exhaustion the entire trip. I laughed so much that my voice in horse !! Not kidding! Thanks guys… your great!! The pics didn’t come out too great this time as the lighting was odd and off during the golden hours. But the place is so pretty I have to share some with ya. Completely ignore the huge scratch on my lens… . Gear Notes: ice axe Approach Notes: steep and grueling when hot!!! Road is starting to fill in with just a single track. plenty of new downfall across and through the climbers track up the ridge. Route is easy to follow. Stupid tape everywhere. I removed many unnecessary pieces. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goatboy Posted August 4, 2009 Share Posted August 4, 2009 Lovely photos! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tazz Posted August 5, 2009 Author Share Posted August 5, 2009 thanks The lighting was off and weird due to the smoke in the air. Kinda cool though. Here is one more I could not leave out. Found Lake one of the many beautiful lakes in the area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kit Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 Wow... can't believe how much that place changed in just two weeks! Here are a few photos I took just two weeks earlier, on Jul 16. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tazz Posted August 12, 2009 Author Share Posted August 12, 2009 (edited) cool!! that week of 100 degree weather did some serious damage to the snow the hills. there were 3-4 floating chunks of ice left when we arrived on sat. By the end of the day sunday it was all gone. Last time i was up there 2 yrs ago, (same month 1 week earlier) Cyclone was still partially frozen. thanks for the pics! Your first shot is nice! Edited August 12, 2009 by tazz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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