[TR] Enchantments - Little Annapurna and McCllelan via Ingalls creek 6/19/2011

[jordansahls]

Trip: Enchantments - Little Annapurna and McCllelan via Ingalls creek

 

Date: 6/19/2011

 

Trip Report:

This last Sunday (the 19th) marked another day among a string of many spent questing for more obscure routes into the Enchantments. Brian and I have now been in via hook creek,rat creek, Nada lake, Toketie, and now Ingalls creek, or more precisely, crystal creek. The approach via Ingalls creek would be better than most any other approach if it wasn't for the seven, flat, mind numbing miles it takes to reach the crystal creek drainage. However, once to the drainage the route goes up fast and brings you to the saddle between Little Annapurna and McClellan peak.

 

Once to the saddle things went quick to the top of little Annapurna. I spent a good half an hour napping in the sun trying to recover from the previous nights "festivities" and subsequent lack of sleep. The ski down was awesome and seemed to do more to wake me up than my nap.

 

Brian and I quickly booted up to McCllelan and scrambled up the back side. We realized that we could ski off the back side of McClellan and save ourselves a few miles on the way out. The skiing was good for a few thousand feet but soon turned into classic tree burn and shrubbery. Minimal shinannigans got us back to the Ingalls creek trail. The 5 miles or so on the way out went slow, or at least felt slow.

 

All in all a good day out. Brian brought his Garmin forerunner watch and it showed that we did just under 9000 vertical feet for the day, which explained why I felt so damned tired at the car.

 

 

pics: (courtesy of Brian and his camera)

 

Ingalls creek:

 

 

Crystal creek drainage:

 

 

Booting up lil annapurna:

 

On the top, looking down at the crystal creek drainage and our way in:

 

summit nap:

 

Prusik peak, temple ridge and more:

 

This is what it was like all day:

 

Brian getting his turns in:

 

Booting up McCllelan:

 

 

At the top of McClellan looking back at Little Annapurna (our descent was down the snow field in the left of the photo):

 

 

 

Gear Notes:

skis, tunes

 

Approach Notes:

Take Ingalls creek 7 miles until you reach the obvious drainage (crystal creek). Go up until you reach a saddle between L. Annapurna and McClellan peak.

Edited June 24, 2011 by jordansahls

[j_b]

beeootiful! It looks like a long day out ...

[mountainmatt]

We saw you walk by on your way in (we were camped right below the Crystal Creek drainage). Looks like you had a nice time out!

 

You guys were ahead of us so I am not sure if you saw it, but there was some fairly impresive rock fall coming off of little Annapurna into the valley.

 

 

.

[jordansahls]

Cool, I thought I might have recognized one of you from previous TR's on this site. What did you two end up climbing?

 

We passed beneath a large rockfall on our way up the drainage. Later in the day we could hear and see stuff coming off of little Annapurna. I'm glad we were not down in the valley during that time.

[kevino]

I saw your ski tracks on annapurna. It looked like they dropped off to crystal creek so that makes sense. That meadow up there is pretty sweet isn't it? Good climbing during the summer time.

[jordansahls]

Yeah, the meadow was really nice. I was looking at all of the granite walls in the area and kept wondering about the climbing.

[Jopa]

Yeah, the meadow was really nice. I was looking at all of the granite walls in the area and kept wondering about the climbing.

 

Any pics of the rock?

[jordansahls]

Yeah, the meadow was really nice. I was looking at all of the granite walls in the area and kept wondering about the climbing.

 

Any pics of the rock?

 

I just looked through the pictures and there are non that really show the rock in the area, sorry.