[TR] Waddington Range traverse with NOLS - entered via "Twist lake" to exit via knights inlet 6/15/2011

[Laughingman]

Trip: Waddington Range traverse with NOLS - entered via "Twist lake" to exit via knights inlet

 

Date: 6/15/2011

 

Trip Report:

 

To start are epic we drove across the border into BC then drove for 15 hours to the "end of the road" at the Foster Family Ranch near Twist Lake. After spending the night camped out in one of the family's fields we we began to bushwhack are way around the lake and up Twist Creek. The approach was long and made difficult by large amount of dead pine.

 

 

Are group then crossed over a high pass and down to another alpine lake where we got resupplied via helicopter. We then proceeded to approach

Geddes pass for two days.

 

After which we dropped (sliding down scree and nasty slopes) to the bottom of the Bell glacier. Bad weather (a mixture of snow and sleet) pinned us down in are tents for the next 4 day. After a two day push up the Bell weather cleared and we made it down to the franklin glacier without incident.

 

After digging up are cache on Franklin glacier and practicing crevasse rescue for two days we packed up camp and headed over the Shelf glacier onto the Confederation glacier then booked it up to Jubilee pass.

 

 

After down-climbing onto the Jubilee glacier we took a rest day are practiced ice climbing technique. When then packed up the next day and climbed the adjacent ridge which was filled with nasty scree and unprotected runouts. It took us 13 hours to get to are objective. Coincidently this day I also turned 18

 

 

The next day was spent slogging down the remaining Ridge to a "old logging" road which leads down a lake and a floatplane ride home. the road it turns out was gone in many places replaced by large sums of alders. At the end of the day we could not find a suitable spot to camp so we opted for a open bivy and prayed for no rain.

 

The next day the rain began as we slogged down the remaining slope to are extract point.

 

The next day we waited for fog and rain to clear and are plane to show up. a small window opened and half are group was on there way. However me and several others got stuck for another 36hours before weather cleared enough to fly.

 

after 30 days in "the Wad" we returned to civilization.

 

 

Note: I am a NOOB with photos

 

 

Gear Notes:

If you approach on foot be prepared to destroy very expensive clothing.

 

Goretex is mandatory my rain jacket turned out not to be waterproof spent many days semi-wet.

 

Berghaus yeti gaiters would have made my day

 

the snow was fairly soft and crampons were not needed for much of the trip

 

If entering on the twist lake side bring bear spray the first day we saw 4 bears walking around.

 

Approach Notes:

approaching the Franklin glacier on foot is not advised

 

CorilAir has "Ok" service expect long delays if the weather is anything but bluebird

 

If you approach Jubilee glacier from the knights inlet be warned the "old logging road" is nonexistent in many places. After bushwhacking your way up the road you will hate alder trees for the rest of your life. This can become "Type 2 fun" very fast.

Edited August 14, 2011 by jon

[mattp]

Sorry. I tried to make one of the photo's appear but it looks to me as if Flickr is set up to block hot links. You may have to load a photo onto the cc.com gallery in order to display it.

[jon]

I had to dig through the page source to find the image urls.

[Captain panther]

nice work! that range sure is an amazing place isn't it?

 

[mtep]

Zach, glad to hear that you had a good time. The weather's been terrible in AK. Hope you're well,

-Max

[Wastral]

Oh, man, I am jealous!

Last time I was up there we had NO snow load, crevasses open everywhere, and a huge storm dumping many feet of snow on us without snowshoes... ug. And my brother broke his toe on the way in...

[Laughingman]

The knights inlet approach looked like a nightmare to slog up. Going down the "logging road" was epic and there are large sections of the road that have fallen away leaving only alders to make your life more miserable. On the other hand the Waddington range is a very wild place, tons of routes that have yet to be climbed.

If it was not for the 2000 dollar helicopter ride the place would much more crowded.

Edited September 2, 2011 by Laughingman

[EastCoastBastard]

I did the NOLS Waddingtion Range course back in '99 - was my first introduction to climbing of any sort. We went in at Knight's Inlet and then out Scab Creek. Looks like you guys had a good time - nice TR.

[G-spotter]

the place has the potential to be the next ruth gorge.

 

 

On the scale of funny things I read today that is right up there with "a few years ago Colorado had the only legitimate alpine bouldering in the USA"

Edited September 1, 2011 by G-spotter

[Laughingman]

In all seriousness the inner Waddington range is filled with unclimbed peaks to suit everyones interest from mixed climbing horror shows, to huge alpine walls that likely have never been climbed.

Edited September 2, 2011 by Laughingman

[Wastral]

I suggest reading The Waddington Guide by Don Serl to fill you in on whats what in that range and to get your knickers in a twist hopping to go back. Every peak there has been climbed. There are a few routes that might not have been on certain faces, otherwise its all been climbed. Now the glaciers could have moved creating impossible barriers like when I was up on Jubilee with its super low snow year, otherwise...

 

 

[Laughingman]

Sorry guys got my glaciers mixed up ( we crossed at least 10) several routes off the Bell glacier, Geddes and elsewhere looked to have not been climbed.

 

I have gone back and corrected myself

 

I will indeed enlighten myself with Don Serl's Book

Edited September 2, 2011 by Laughingman