[TR] Middle Chiwaukum - North Ridge 2/9/2010

[Josh Lewis]

Trip: Middle Chiwaukum - North Ridge

 

Date: 2/6/2010

 

Trip Report:

EastKing has been wanting to do this trip for a long time, I myself was very interested because of how much elevation gain to the top which is 5,500 feet. The members who came on this trip were me, Michael, EastKing, BadDog, Mtn.Cimber, Likestothruhike, and TwoFortyJeff. I was worried on how it was going to work out because my friend Mark wanted me to go with him on Vesper, but fortunatly it was the next day that he wanted to due to SAT's on a Saturday that occupied him! TwoFortyJeff picks me up from my house and we meet up in Monroe.

 

 

 

From here BadDog drives us the rest of the way which is very much appreciated! The road was a little snowy but good enough for most cars to drive along. The "trailhead" or should I say the starting spot had snow right away. Ironically on the East side it was cloudy while on the west side it was cear that day. We had to walk a few miles along a mostly flat snow covered road to get to the base of our mountain. BadDog did not have Holly come along and she said she feels naked without her dogs. We took off our snowshoes pretty quick and swapped to crampons, as we were heading up we stopped and had to sing happy birthday to one of the people in our party.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The heading up was decent until later when the snow began to get deep, at this point everyone but me had snow shoes on. I had troubles putting them on because one of the straps came off and I could not figure out how to get it back on. "Blazes" I thought to myself and found it in vain me trying to get them on. After putting a big effort to go up one of the members of our group offered to help me out which I am appreciative of. As he helps me put them on we both were unsure how it worked, but I figured it out which was a relief, snow shoes make it a lot easier. A little later Michael and me got in a little conflict with my glove situation, I had forgotten my gloves for the trip, so Michael let me borrow his mittens. I got them snow covered because I did not bring ski polls which made my arms sink as I went up. My brother got annoyed because I was supposed to not get my hands snowy, but it was innevitable. I then raised my arms above my head to I would not get them snow covered, but then I would fall on my face which was even worse so I made a choice "blame it, if I'm gonna have to not get my gloves snowy, then I might as well take them off" which I did, the downside was my hands getting cold. Jeff helped break trail for us which was greatly appreciate, although there were a few cases were me and other members helped, but Jeff was the main one.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Later when my arms turn red from cold I finally decide to put on my sweat shirt and the mittens. Pretty soon we came up along a gentle ridge, except for the side which was cliffs. As we went up the excitement of getting to the top was getting to me, the weather was getting better, I put on my glacier glasses for style and to protect my eyes, things looked more orange with them. The thing about mountaineering as I went up I realize more and more how much it becomes a part of me, it's not just something you do, to some it becomes a way of life.

 

 

 

 

 

Later what appears to be a mountain comes out of the clouds, I was just in awe because it looked as though Mount Everest itself was coming out of the clouds. I just kept staring at it as we went up for the top part of the ridge. We start to question wether we would summit, BadDog said that the thing that looked like Everest was the summit, "no way" were my thoughts, because not only did it look so far, and so big, but I knew that we would never make it! At about 3 p.m. which was our turn around time most of the group stops and rests, but we see something above that looks like what we believed to be the summit. I took the lead and stayed to the right to avoid the cornice on the ridge. The snow became wind blown, more powdery, thinner, and eventually a powder covered icy slope which started to fill me with worry. I acually let EastKing go ahead so that I would not be the one saying "I don't feel comfortable with this" but to my amazement he kept going. He says he was filled with an incredible feeling which I don't blame him, the fear for me had me distracted, but I continued as well. Getting my Ice Axe in was getting more difficult and I knew it would be too difficult to get crampons on, so I was still in my snow shoes. What I really did not like was what was below us which it looked like if you slipped, you would have to catch your self on a slippery slope and it got steeper way below.

 

 

 

 

I will admit, the feeling was incredible, and so was the beauty as we near the top, it was acually to dangerous for me to take photos as we were heading up, but I tell you what, it was like Hidden Lake Peaks quality view in my opinion, so many mountains could be seen, we were above the clouds. When I reached the top of what we went up I was glad, but EastKing soon told me it was not the top, and that the top was what I feared it might be. Atleast we made it to a high point estimated 7,200 feet high. The wind was blowing making it cold, and hard to swap to crampons for the decent, my hands were numb at one point so what I do is beat them together so I can move them again. EastKing decided to go down in snowshoes while Michael and me swapped. Atleast going down was not as worrysome, although I took it nice and slow to be safe. The rest of the group was not there when I got back (I later found out because they were getting cold). Michael was behind me and it was at this point I started to worry because not only was bad weather heading in, it was getting dark, I was very tired, but also the group was falling apart, for a while I was by myself. Getting down was more dramatic for me than the way up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was pushing myself to catch up with EastKing, but stuff would happen like my snowshoe falling off, or just plain out having a hard time going down. I felt a bit hungry, but time was precious because any moment of stopping could put me a lot further from the rest of the group. I finally caught back up to Eastking as well as Michael catching up to us, but it was a struggle for me to keep up on the way down. I would have times were I would be slipping down the slope, fall on my bottom and then get snow up my back making it literally numb. Another time my foot falls into a snow hole and I fall first face downward and have to pull myself upward to free my leg. I started to become really exhausted by this point and literally started to hallucinate, I would sometimes think I would see them and find out I was not, other times I would think I was hearing voices, as it went on I realized what was going on an thought "I'm hallucinating, I just know I am", sometimes I would think I hear animals behind me, and others it would be other stuff. There were some other things we well that went on in my head.

 

I finally catch up to EastKing and we take off our snowshoes, unfortunatly somehwere from here EastKing lost his which he finds out later. I once again fall behind having troubles keeping up. Normally when conditions are dry I can fly down the mountain, but not when everything is all slippery. A lot of times I would find myself sinking in the snow, it wasn't like it was powder, but it was barly soft enough for me to sink, but it would still feel hard, so a lot of times it would be hurting my shins and it did not feel pleasant.

 

At one point I came off trail and had to yell for EastKing and could faintly hear him which helped me refind the trail. After a while I finally caught up to him, the bad news was he had found out that he lost one of his snowshoes. I wanted to do something but we both were worn out, and we knew it would create problems to go back up, and perhaps be a hazard so this was another reason for him to want to return. We caught up to the rest of the group, put on crampons which helped very much and headed for the road. Once we got to the road it was much easier from here on, although it felt constant as a lot of mountains do on the way down, I knew on the way up the road that the way down would feel like forever. Once we got to the car I was relieved, BadDog and Jeff took me home. This was another fun adventure, I hope to return here. In this trip report even though to some it may have seemed lengthy, I felt as though some of what was said here was summarized because it felt like a tremendous amount of time being there, the feeling, the emotions I had, and how I felt physically. The Next day was the beginning of a new Adventure which was Vesper Peak. My Adventures never stop here, as for me I am never finished!

 

You can also view EastKing's Trip Report Here:

http://www.nwhikers.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=7981180

[RokIzGud]

Nice work, Josh. I looked forward to see those pictures after hearing so much about that thrip and there awesome! Is the last picture the summit of Middle Chiwaukum?