[TR] Southern Pickets - East Ridge Inspiration and West Ridge MacMillan 7/7/2010

[wbk]

Trip: Southern Pickets - East Ridge Inspiration and West Ridge MacMillan

 

Date: 7/7/2010

 

Trip Report:

Tim (therunningdog) and I headed into the Southern Pickets for some classic bushwacking fun. A alpine start out of Seattle got us to the trailhead (with permit yo!) at 3pm.

 

Camp under point 6484 gave views of the rad high pressure that we're still loving. We forgot booze to help us sleep but Tim brought his radio so we tuned into some Cure from Victoria's classic rock station! Couldn't get the world cup news we were looking for tho!

 

 

 

Next day took us over to the creek where we dropped sleeping gear and food and headed off from Inspiration (East Ridge). We planned to do the gendarme traverse from the West Mac col to the base of the East ridge thanks to Mario's (who was in camp!) printoff from Wayne's website. Got to the col in ok time. I hadn't been up West Mac, so I scurried up there while Tim did some classic Jstern alpine napping.

 

Tim stoked that we're leaving camp so early!

 

Inspiration and West Mac (and Pyramid)

 

Kicking steps in some fine mushy snow

 

Me on summit of West Mac

 

Tim ready to wrestle mid way on the gendarme traverse

 

We made it over to the E ridge proper in a few hours (yeah, we had the odd routing finding issue... who would have thunk!). Tim got the layback pitch! Fun, but definitely less fun with heavy packs. Why did we bring crampons?

 

Tim sending the layback pretty damn efficiently

 

I took the left crack on the upper crack pitch and without a number 3, I was running it out a wee bit. Regardless, the pitch was great fun and then we were on to the summit and towards to the raps down the West Ridge. BTW - the raps stations are way better than we anticipated. Good webbing, biners or rings!! Thanks to those who keep these in good condition!

 

Tim getting his crack on.

 

Tim wishing he was down in McMillan Creek instead of way up here

 

Heading up to the summit

 

Again, another dorky summit shot for me. Shooter McGavin? Frank the Tank?

 

We made it back to camp just after Seth and Keith's return from their traverse of all the MacMillan spires! Nice job boys! We were stoked to get into camp and crash.

 

Seth, Mario and Sandy (Keith just out of the shot) in camp. It was great to share stories with this fine group of alpinists! Combined, they've got a ton of Pickets experience!!

 

On the way out we planned to "just run over and tag Davis Peak". What a shit show... temps were well into the high 70s or mid 80s and the traverse over to Davis is farther than it looked. In the end, we were cut off by a huge gully from even getting up this bastard. We got some more conditioning in I suppose...

 

If you know the area, this photo shows the distance to Davis. First, cross those two "little humps" on the ridge ridght of point 6484, then cross plenty of ups and downs on the way over to Davis. A huge gully cuts the final ridge scramble. Is there a way to bypass this gully???

 

Gully cutting off ridge access to Davis (not the best photo)

 

We didn't get much closer to Davis than this after all that work in the intense heat and crappy snow conditions

 

 

 

Gear Notes:

Used a single rope for gendarme/E ridge. Rack was doubles of smaller stuff and two of each 1 and 2 Camelot. Could have used a 3 since we did the left crack. Crampons were not needed but happily carried all the way up and down! Good food in Marblemount is open till 9pm... there is a God!!

Edited July 12, 2010 by wbk

[JasonG]

Tim got a new pack!!!!?????? It's a miracle! Next thing you know he'll be kissing Ruby goodbye and cruising in an outback.

 

Nice work gents, I'm jealous as usual. Changing diapers isn't nearly as glamorous. . .but maybe I'm working on my ability to handle mountain stench?

 

JG

[Blake]

Did Tim bring his Vuvuzela? Nice work not knocking rocks off Inspiration.

[Tom_Sjolseth]

From S America to S Africa to the S Pickets. Tim really gets around!

 

Thanks for the stoke.

[layton]

nice TR! Seems like folks are headed to the pickets more these days, access really isn't that hard. It's mired somewhere on this site, but someone should really repeat erik and my route on the Blob, it's gotta be better than the routes on inspiration

[wbk]

Here's a shot of the gendarme traverse from West Mac col to Inspiration:

 

[therunningdog]

Ben, thanks for doing that write up...and thanks for leading that exposed off widthy crack for 30 feet without any gear...STOUT, MATE! And thanks again for putting up with my coughing and weeeezing for three days. DAVIS PEAK MUST GO DOWN!!!

 

JG, I'm loving the new pack...such a novelty to have a backpack without holes in the bottom of it...and so comfortable it kind of makes me feel like I am cheating.

 

Blake, I didn't bring the vuvu on this trip, but I did take it up to Snowfield Peak for the 4th of July... VuVo BTW, are you in WA this summer at all?

 

Tom, did you end up meeting Mario and the gang up there?

[JasonG]

BTW, I would really like to see a TR or some beta on the traverse of the Mac spires- sounds pretty wicked sick. Wayne? Mario?

[Summit_Rolos]

Ben and Tim, nice to run into you up there!

 

Heinrich, we'll get a TR on the Mac Spires traverse and the rest of our trip up here soon.

[wayne]

Nice pictures and stories !

[mountainmatt]

Good times guys!

 

Glad to see the two of you guys both in the United States at the same time for a little while

[SmilingWhiteKnuckles]

nice TR! Seems like folks are headed to the pickets more these days, access really isn't that hard. It's mired somewhere on this site, but someone should really repeat erik and my route on the Blob, it's gotta be better than the routes on inspiration

 

Although I didn't find a TR here on CC.com, I found your exciting story of "Plan 9" The Blob on the NWMJ: http://www.mountaineers.org/nwmj/07/071_Pickets.html

 

Committing stuff!