[TR] Mt Stuart and Baker Double Feature - Stuart Glacier Coulior, The North Ridge 7/8/2010

[summitchaserCJB]

Trip: Mt Stuart and Baker Double Feature - Stuart Glacier Coulior, The North Ridge

 

Date: 7/8/2010

 

Trip Report:

This is a slightly belated TR. Todd, Chico and I were planning on a trip to the Bugaboos but we all know how that would have turned out with the amount of snow up there at that time. Instead, we opted for three (hypothetically) trips- Stuart Glacier Coulior, The North Ridge of Baker, and something in Washington Pass like Early Winter Spires. We geared up and crashed at my cabin the night before.

In the morning we got on the road early to get permits. After procuring said permits, we headed to McDonald's for our last taste of civilization. Feeling ready, we drove up to the TR to sort gear one last time. My pack was looking a little heavy as well- oh well it's training. We got on the trail vowing to go slow- we didn't as usual- oh well it's training. Things went smoothly until we got to the flat section of the Stuart Lake Trail. We were trotting along when we heard something. We thought nothing of it and continued. Then again. Ok that definitely was a bear. So we backtracked and got on top of a boulder thinking we could probably fend off a bear with treking poles and ice tools. After telling ourselves it had been long enough (10 minutes of sitting on that damn boulder) we walked close to the spot again, making a fair amount of noise. When I got close I definitely heard the sound a cub bear makes (hard to describe but kinda like a goat). Then heavy breathing. So we went back the way we came again. This time we wrote "bear" in sticks because it didn't seem like she was moving any time soon and took a detour down and around the other side of the river and back onto the trail. After gaining the trail we saw a large group of kids and women and warned them about their potential plight. They didn't seem too worried. We continued on the trail towards Stuart at that point.

Heading up we passed a couple guys who had done the lower North Ridge but bailed because of lots of snow on the upper ridge. In fact, everyone we saw off trail was doing the North Ridge except us . So, eventually we got to the basin and made the nasty bushwack up to the boulder field and found a nice flat grassy spot near water. We set up our humble camp and messed around drytooling on the boulders. We slept marginally well considering the mosquitos buzzing around our heads constantly. We got up pretty early and brewed up before heading out. The hiking was pretty good over snow. We made pretty steady progress. We roped up at the second snow field, right before the glacier. I led out over the glacier and up over the bergschrund and belayed the guys over the snowbridge. We gear up to climber's right of the coulior. I took the first lead up soft snow until I got to the shade and the climbing improved. I was able to sink an ice screw and move right onto a nice belay stance. I slung a nice huge horn and belayed the guys up. We were moving quite fast which was good because the sun was cooking everything. But it was still rather early so we were in pretty good shape. Todd took the next lead while I backed up the belay just for the heck of it. Todd was going to lead into the ice step and we were going to eventually simulclimb through it. Just before the ice step Todd stepped right and decided to make a belay. Just about then a moderate avalanche came down the coulior right next to Todd. It was the first and last avi we saw some down the coulior but it was enough to make us bail. I handbelayed Todd down and Chico took in line. From here we made four raps, including one over the bergschrund. From here we pretty much walked down. We took a dip in the stream before packing out and running for the car (not literally).

We headed to the cabin and enjoyed pizza and beer, followed by a gear sorting. The next morning it was time for Baker. We were excited for the North Ridge- our first technical route on a volcano. We decided to bring our gear up there and take a rest day at high camp (7,400) and do the North ridge the final day (which was Sunday. We made it up to high camp in no time from what it seemed (most approaches are easier than Stuart's). We commenced with getting our camp into plush shape, including building a huge kitchen. That took a good 7 hours. After making dinner we suddenly decided to not take a rest day and to do the North Ridge that night. It sounded like a good idea at the time.

So we decided to take the lower route (bad considering our elevation but good in the sense that it was safer in terms of crevasses and rockfall. So the lower route lost about 500 feet or more of elevation from camp. Todd found a water bottle on the way as well. We were making good time, avoiding crevasses and route finding. It was pretty brutal because we were all more tired than we knew (sleepy tired I mean). When it was my turn to lead (through calf-deep snow) we were nearing the North Ridge proper after some sketchy unconsolidated snow traverses over huge crevacces (worst pitch of climbing ever probably). I led right up to the base of the ice step and sunk two screws and belayed the guys up. Todd asked if I wanted this pitch but I told him he could have it and I'd take the next one. It was just getting light at this point- while actually just after this pitch it got light- he was leading in pretty much darkness, save the light from his headlamp. The pitch looked like great fun. The ice looked in good enough shape. He belayed us up and I headed up. The climbing was not as challenging as the first step but was just enough to keep me interested. We only had 6 screws total so that left us with two screws per pitch. Pickets didn't work in the ice obviously. So we ran it out a bit but it wasn't anything I was too worried about. That was until I hit the rotten ice in the last half of the pitch. I got through that ok and set a good belay in some nice ice. I belayed the guys up then went out for my next "lead" up a steep snow field. Chico finished us off up to the summit -his first of Baker. We summited around 7 am if I'm not mistaken. We saw a few people on the summit- and lots coming up. The wind was nice so we didn't stay long. The hike down was good post-holing-sort of. It was a bit loose. Basically it was all about endurance at this point. We almost ran down the lower half of the route- which was in really good shape. I think some people were wondering if we were in trouble because we were almost jogging but we just smiled at them. We got back to camp and just crashed for I don't know-maybe 30 minutes maybe an hour. Then we packed up and ran for the car. It was a great trip. Warm Corona and smoked cheddar cheese awaited.

 

I didn't take too many pictures on these climbs- the climbing didn't lend itself well to picture taking. Here's what we got. These are pictures taken by everyone.

 

 

Gear Notes:

way too much but just the right amount.

[genepires]

nice photos