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[TR] Buckindy Range - Solo Traverse 7/25/2012


Tom_Sjolseth

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Trip: Buckindy Range - Solo Traverse

 

Date: 8/19/2012

 

Trip Report:

Four magnificent days alone traversing the Kindy Creek Cirque with summits of Sonny Boy (6,971'), Long Gone (7,000'+), Bruseth (7,220'), Misch (7,435'), Buckindy (7,320'), Mutchler AKA 'Snowqueen' (7,160'), and Snowking (7,433')...

 

 

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Route Map.

 

 

Day 1

 

 

Lacking any partners, I decided to head out for my annual North Cascades solo traverse this past Wednesday. Four days in the heart of the North Cascades seemed like just what the doctor ordered. Due to my sister’s 40th birthday celebration on Sunday, I needed to be back by Saturday night. I felt that four days was sufficient time to complete this trip. In the end, it turns out I was barely right.

 

The jump-off point for this outing would be road 1570 off the Cascade River Road. I left my vehicle at the alpine hour of about 8AM and started hiking. There was a huge log across Kindy Creek, which made things nice and easy. Had the log not been there, the trip might have been over before it even started. Immediately on the other side of the creek I scrambled steeply upward to gain the ridge dividing Sonny Boy and Kindy Creeks. About 200’ above the creek I intersected an old 4WD trail that can be seen on the USGS map. This old 4WD trail heads further up Kindy Creek, but not along the ridge top, and probably ends in a sea of brush somewhere.

 

Going on the ridgetop was tough with 5 days of food and gear (I packed an extra day of supplies just in case). There were downed trees everywhere strewing the forest floor. There were very few signs of human presence and no boot path to speak of, although I did see a couple of pieces of faded flagging tape higher up on the ridge.

 

My goal on this day was to bivy on the summit of Sonny Boy, but upon arrival at the summit block, there appeared to be few good places to camp. I enjoyed the impressive views laid out before me and read Iron and Hotpantz’ register entry from 2010, as they were finishing their Sonny Ptarmigan Traverse.

 

From the summit I continued on, hoping to find a better camp somewhere down the ridgeline. The ridge is littered with Krumholtz trees growing very close together, making travelling through them with a heavy, cumbersome pack a nightmare. I had already ascended about 7500' (with ups and downs) from my vehicle, and I was getting pretty tired. It was a blazing hot day and I must have drank 3 gallons of water along the way.

 

Before long, I came upon a suitable campsite right on the ridge crest on a flat slab of rock with great views. I had filled up my Drom Bag with 6 liters of water along the way, so the lack of running water here wasn’t a problem. I settled in for the night and reflected on a full day 1, and contemplated the next leg of my journey. I was excited to see the fabled Buckindy Range up close and personal.

 

 

Day 2

 

 

Day 2 dawned clear once again. Upon waking, I realized that my air mattress was now flat. I was not looking forward to sleeping 2 (possibly 3) more nights on a flat air mattress. I had just recently switched back to using an air mattress from a “hardman pad” for reasons of comfort, but now I might reconsider because I can’t seem to go more than a couple of nights without putting a hole in one! I did have a 60m rope along with me to use for ground insulation - not exactly "light and fast", but it'll work.

 

Today’s itinerary was to continue traversing towards Buckindy, climbing Bruseth along the way, and hopefully camp at the 7000’ col below Buckindy. This was an ambitious itinerary! Again, the Krumholtz trees really slowed me down and took a lot of energy to negotiate with a heavy pack. To avoid the Krumholtz trees, I found myself doing minor ups and downs (up to 150’ at a time) below the ridge. These ups and downs were a bit frustrating, but I knew this trip wouldn’t be easy, so I managed to take it all in stride. On the way to the col below Pt 7103, I summited Long Gone Peak without realizing it (it’s not marked as such on the USGS), so I didn’t look for a summit register. Long Gone Peak was first climbed by a group of Trail Blazers according to Beckey (my Dad informs me it was he and Cliff Lawson - My Dad, George Kinert, Cliff Lawson, and Milt Tangaard also planted the lake with fish on a day trip in September of 1964). Those guys were tough!

 

It took me a little less than three hours to reach the 6600’ col below Pt 7103 – much longer than I had anticipated. I immediately dropped my pack and ran over to Bruseth and back in about an hour and twenty minutes. Unfortunately I left my camera in my backpack because the views of S Cascade Lake and the Ptarmigan Traverse peaks are impressive from here! I read somewhere that there is an old rusty tin can for a summit register, with only a handful of entries in it dating back to the 70s, so I was excited to read through it. Unfortunately, it was nowhere to be found.

 

Back at the col, I immediately continued on towards Buckindy as it was getting late in the day. I dropped about 1000’ to 5600’ and contoured along snow slopes to the ridgeline N of rugged Pt 6723. From here, all I could see was a vertical wall dropping hundreds of feet to the basin below. I searched and prodded for a way through, but every option I saw required multiple rappels. At the last minute, I found a series of very steep gullies leading down from a low point in the ridge through Krumholtz trees. At least the trees would provide some anchors in case I needed to do multiple rappels. I descended one of these gullies on slippery duff overlain with hemlock needles.. I did not want to slip here with a 200'+ drop below me. After descending about 100’, I could descend no further without a rappel. I made one 30m rappel onto the slabs below, and carefully picked my way down to the snow from there.

 

Continuing on, I traversed on moderate snow slopes towards Buckindy. I found a neat rock pinnacle at the base of the N Glacier on Buckindy that had a perfect one-man bivy site at its apex. To get to the top of the pinnacle required class 4 climbing, but it was such a neat spot I couldn’t pass it up. The views from here were pretty special. I went to bed early that night, and watched clouds swirl around me until I was completely enshrouded by 10PM. At this point, I decided to put up my Sil Shelter in case it started raining. I switched on my headlamp, but it didn’t come on. That’s odd, I must have left it on and killed the batteries. No fear, I have a backup set of fresh batteries. After replacing the batteries with fresh batteries, I turned on the headlamp again.. no go! My headlamp was dead. So now I had a deflated air mattress and a dead headlamp. Needless to say, putting up the Sil Shelter in the dark was quite the experience.

 

 

Day 3

 

 

Day 3 dawned cloudy. It didn’t rain throughout the night, but I wasn’t sure what the weather had in store for me that day. Today was a big day.. I was to climb Misch, and Buckindy, and traverse all the way to Mutchler Peak and bivy on the summit. I sat around camp for a bit waiting for the clouds to dissipate, but they never really did. Sunbreaks began to appear as the morning wore on, and that gave me enough confidence to leave my shelter and head up. By the late hour of 9:30, I was leaving camp.

 

My plan was to lug all my gear up to the Col below Buckindy, leave it there, then traverse over to Misch and back, climb Buckindy, pick up my gear and continue traversing towards Mutchler. What I should have done was leave all my gear down at camp, climb with a light pack, and come back for the gear later. That way, I would only need to carry my heavy pack on a fairly level traverse (save for the ascent of Mutchler at the end of the day, which I would do regardless), and would only need to backtrack a short distance. But I’s not so smart, and so I brought my pack with me all the way to the col.

 

The N Glacier on Buckindy is really impressive. There are some enormous crevasses, the size of which I was not expecting on a ‘lowly’ 7,200’ peak. Not only that, the glacier is pretty steep.. up to 45 degrees in spots (steeper on the N arete). Luckily the snow was softish and my steps were buckets. I would not want to frontpoint 2000’ with aluminum crampons and a heavy pack. Later in the season (like late August), the character of this climb could change dramatically as soft snow melts down to glacier ice.

 

Upon reaching the col, it was not clear to me which summit was Buckindy. I decided to climb Misch first, figure out which was the true Buckindy summit, then climb Buckindy on the return trip. I passed through the 7000’ col dividing Horse and Kindy Creeks, and continued on a level traverse to the midpoint of the SW Ridge of Misch. Climbing in the loose gully on Misch took careful attention, but it was enjoyable climbing. Clouds were swirling all around me, at times reducing visibility to 25 feet. Being out here all alone on such a remote peak in swirling clouds was a feeling I can’t explain – for a brief moment, I was the only person in the world.

 

Reaching the summit of Misch, I found not one, but two summit registers. One was an old ammo can with the original FA register, the other was a brass Mountaineer’s tube placed by Donn Venema and party in 1987. I was surprised to see quite a few entries in this lonely peak’s register. There were a lot of familiar names, and some not so familiar. I thought about bringing one of the registers down since two registers seems silly, but I didn’t want to be the one who made the decision which one got taken down.

 

I never was able to get totally unobstructed views from the summit of Misch, and I couldn’t see Buckindy very well (due to cloudcover), so I still couldn’t tell which was the true summit. I would have to figure it out once I got back over there. I carefully made my way down from the summit of Misch and retraced my steps back to the 7000’ col below Buckindy. I had no route beta on Buckindy other than that there is a route from the North. I spied a snow arête leading up to a cliff band, and I decided to check it out. The snow got steep here (to 55 degrees in one spot) and there would be no self-arresting a fall over cliffs looming below me, so I was very careful. The magnificent snow arête led to a wet chimney with a mid-fifth class series of moves in it. I would say it was 5.6 or 5.7. Not really wanting to descend to find another way around, I carefully climbed the step. I was relieved that the rock was solid and trustworthy, and I could avoid the wetness as necessary. Being that I left the rope in my backpack at the col, I would need to down climb this step on the way back down or find another descent route. I was not looking forward to that.

 

From the chimney, more snow climbing above led to the rotten ridge crest, which I traversed over a couple of bumps before arriving at the base of the summit block. I saw a stopper wedged into a crack above me, signifying that some people rope up for this bit. The rock was so loose here though (and not difficult) – I couldn’t imagine that roping up would be any safer. Being that I was alone, this was a moot point. The final short scramble to the summit turned out to be class 3. I was elated to be standing on the summit of Buckindy, a peak that I have been wanting to climb for a long time. Flipping through the summit register, it was obvious this peak hardly gets climbed. I saw a lot of familiar names, and thoroughly enjoyed reading people’s comments. That to me is what summit registers are all about.. reading history and trials and tribulations of those who have come before you. Not just to read some name and a date. Bah! I was the first person to sign the register since 2006.

 

The descent was easier than anticipated and before long, I had negotiated the 5th class downclimb and arrived safely back at my cached gear. I continued to descend the glacier towards Mutchler, hoping to make it reasonably close to the summit that evening. But it was getting late in the day, and I was getting tired, and the more I traversed the tedious snow slopes, the more I rationalized the thought of setting up camp sooner. I figured no matter where I camped, I could get out to the trailhead the next day if I got an early start and moved efficiently. This is exactly what I decided to do, finding a nice bivvy spot on the prominent SW-NE trending ridge halfway between Buckindy and Mutchler. As dusk set in, clouds began to build again until I was completely enveloped by 10PM. This time I had set up my Sil Shelter BEFORE going to sleep, so I didn’t need to worry about any mid-night shenanigans with a non-functioning headlamp.

 

 

Day 4

 

 

I awoke on day 4 to more swirling clouds. I was a bit perturbed that all the great views were getting obstructed by clouds, but there was a silver lining.. the cloud deck was about 6800’, and being on top of a peak in these conditions with the low clouds filling the valleys below makes for some pretty great summit views. Not only that, my skin needed a break from the sun.. I was getting dangerously close to overdosing on vitamin D. I broke camp by 8:30AM, and was on my way again, traversing tedious snow slopes towards Mutchler, Snowking, and eventually the trailhead. I had a long way to go this day.

 

I had no idea about the route over to Mutchler, but I pieced it together as I went along. My routefinding through this section was spot on, and I was able to get up to Mutchler without dropping any elevation at all, finding a key heather ramp on Mutchler’s NE Ridge that took me up on relatively easy ground to the flat summit plateau. I dropped my gear here and made the final 400’ ascent to the true summit of Mutchler. Again, I found no summit register. I spent some time enjoying the low clouds in the valleys and the gorgeous views of the entire N Cascades. The views from Mutchler are some of the finest around.

 

Not spending too much time up here, I headed back down to my gear and continued on traversing to Snowking. The traverse went quickly, and I found myself below the summit of Snowking within 2 hours of leaving Mutchler’s NE Ridge. Rather than ditch my gear below and retrieve it on the return trip, I just kept on trucking all the way up to the summit. Again, no summit register.

 

At 3:10PM, I began the long descent back to the TH. It took me about 20 minutes to get to Cyclone Lake, more than 2000’ below. Soft snow made for quick descending and lots of boot glissading. This was a welcome relief from the tedious traverse I had just endured. The ups and downs beyond Cyclone Lake were a nuisance. Beyond Cyclone Lake, the trail kept getting buried under snow and was very difficult to follow.. I backtracked dozens of times to find the trail on the other side of a snowpatch. Being so tired, this was getting a bit frustrating. But before long, the snow disappeared, and I had a trail for the first time since leaving my car four days prior. I ran down the trail and soon I was back at the decommissioned logging road, a short 3.5 mile walk from my car.

 

The last 3.5 miles of road walk were a time to reflect on a magnificent trip into some very rugged country. If there is any place in the North Cascades that could rival the Pickets for ruggedness, the Buckindy Range is it. Some of the most challenging and scenic terrain lies in the Kindy Creek Cirque.. and I have now had the pleasure to experience it first-hand.

 

Isn’t life grand?

 

 

Trip Stats:

-~42 miles

-~21,000’ gain

-7 summits

 

Figuring out exact distances and elevation gain on this trip is tough, these are only rough estimates. There was a lot of up and down and in and out, and a line drawn on the map would not suffice to account for it all. Most of the elevation gain and mileage was done with a full pack and all but the last 6 miles of the trip were cross-country.

 

 

 

Photos:

 

 

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Eldorado Peak as seen on the approach.

 

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LeConte, Old Guard, and Sentinel and South Cascade Lake.

 

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Sonny Boy Ridge.

 

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Views from Sonny Boy Ridge.

 

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Cold as a mountain stream...

 

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...Smooth as it's name.

 

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A unique perspective on Johannesburg.

 

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A view of what's ahead.

 

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Easy ridge walking here.

 

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Looking down into Sonny Boy Creek.

 

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I would be here on days 3 and 4.

 

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Approaching Sonny Boy summit.

 

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Friends

 

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S Cascade Lake Basin and the meat of the Ptarmigan Traverse.

 

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My shadow on one of the Sonny Boy peaks.

 

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Looking back down my approach ridge.

 

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The Buckindy group. I would be there on day 3.

 

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A sea of peaks.

 

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Eldorado to Sahale.

 

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A lake.

 

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Thunderstorms building.

 

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Gunsight, Dome, and Spire Point.

 

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Gunsight at background center.

 

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Looking E.

 

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Dome and Spire Point in the background.

 

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Zoomed out.

 

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...

 

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Peaks and a lake.

 

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Bruseth at left.

 

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Another couple of lakes (sorry, lakes are confusing).

 

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Snow arch ready for collapse.

 

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Approaching the 7000' col below Pt 7103.

 

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Bruseth and Pt 7103.

 

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Another lake (gasp). And more peaks.

 

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Has anyone climbed all these bumps?

 

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I bet Roper has.

 

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Maybe Goodman too?

 

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Long Gone Lake framed by the rock.

 

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This snow arches' days are numbered.

 

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Still traversing.

 

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...

 

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The snow got moderately steep in places.

 

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For all you waterfall aficionados.

 

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Looking back.

 

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Looking over to Mutchler (AKA Snowqueen).

 

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Those are Sonny Boy Peaks over there.

 

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The steep descent on the North Ridge of Tara Peak.

 

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Eventually I'll get there!

 

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The steep descent.

 

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The one and only rappel on this trip.

 

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Thunderstorms building again.

 

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The mighty Buckindy.

 

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Formidable thunderheads loom.

 

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Kindy Creek Valley.

 

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Buckindy bathed in evening glow.

 

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Sun setting over Mutchler.

 

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Bivy for one. Not one sprig of heather was compromised during this bivy.

 

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Dusk at the bivy site.

 

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Buckindy enshrouded in clouds on the morning of day 3.

 

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The N Glacier on Buckindy.

 

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Climbing up the glacier N of Buckindy.

 

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A little higher.

 

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Crevasses on the Buckindy Glacier.

 

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The 7000' col below Buckindy.

 

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The clouds are lifting.

 

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Looking down into one of the many forks of Kindy Creek.

 

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Buckindy. My route takes the obvious snow arete.

 

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A gothic ambiance.

 

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The sun makes a pretty good attempt at burning through.

 

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Climbing Mt. Misch in the clouds.

 

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A tower on Mt. Misch.

 

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Summit register where it belongs.. on the summit.

 

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Someone has a sense of humor!

 

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Views from the summit of Mt. Misch (AKA "Mt. Margaret Sanger").

 

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Climbing on a portion of the snow arete on Buckindy.

 

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Another summit register where it belongs.

 

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A cloudy day on Buckindy.

 

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Buckindy summit tower.

 

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Typical scrambling on Buckindy.

 

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Looking down the upper snow arete.

 

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I climbed up along side a waterfall at center (right of the detached snow patch).

 

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A broken glacier on Buckindy.

 

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More glacier.

 

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Buckindy Crags from the N.

 

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My bivy spot on night 3.

 

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Sunset over Mutchler.

 

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...

 

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Alpenglow on the clouds.

 

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The morning of day 4. Looking back to Buckindy.

 

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A lonely ridge.

 

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Buckindy escaping the cloud cover.

 

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Pt 6680+.

 

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Breaking out into the sunshine.

 

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Above the cloud deck.

 

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Peaks and clouds unite.

 

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Zoomed in version.

 

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On top of the world.

 

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Nearing Mutchler.

 

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Buckindy and Glacier Peak.

 

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A desolate valley.

 

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Mutchler summit.

 

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On the way to Snowking from Mutchler.

 

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There are some gaping cracks on this glacier.

 

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Like this one.

 

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Looking back at the traverse from Mutchler.

 

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Chaval and co from the summit of Snowking.

 

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On the descent from Snowking.

 

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The Mutchler Cirque.

 

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Mutchler and Buckindy beyond.

 

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Skaro, Snowking, Neori, and Found Lakes.

 

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Snowprince.

 

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Summit self-shot on Snowking.

 

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My favorite.. Jacob's Ladder (polemonium pulcherrimum) near the summit of Snowking.

 

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Snowprince and Jacob's Ladder.

 

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More views on the descent.

 

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...

 

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...

 

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Another view of the immense Mutchler Cirque.

 

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A little closer to home..

 

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Parting shot of Snowking.

 

 

Gear Notes:

Garden Gloves

 

Approach Notes:

Brushy, no trail.

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Well, wow. Tom, that is quite a trip. Really enjoyed reading this report. I was glad to see the Sahale/Eldorado pic as it helped me orient myself to where you were in general... I'm bummed however that now I have to change my vote for best TR from my own Sahale Mtn TR to yours but, in time, I'll get over it...

 

Great job, and how great it must be to be able to just strike out on your own in this country with confidence for such an adventure.

 

In leiu of a tip of the hat icon, I will just say cheers :brew:

 

d

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Excellent work Tom! I passed thru that area in 2001 (started at Green Mtn. and exited via Mutchler/Chaval). I remember it as being quite rugged, so the solo outing is impressive! I noted that we were the 30th ascent party on Buckindy, doesn't sound like many more in the years since. I remember we turned around on Misch due to time and looseness.....

 

I hear you on those old registers, I really think they are one of the coolest aspects of obscure peak bagging. So far I'd have to say that one you turned me onto, on Asa peak, is the coolest. Agnes and Buckindy are right up there as well!

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Another strong effort effort Tom! You are the Man.

 

Thanks for the kind words, Scott!

 

 

Looks like a great trip. I was just up on Snowking last (Aug. 15th)... any chance you lost a glove up there? (Red OR brand)?

 

No, that's definitely not mine.

 

 

 

@Jason.. indeed, this is an unbelievably rugged area! I would say of all the places I've been in the Cascades, it is second in ruggedness only to the Pickets. I'm guessing that's why hardly anyone gets out there (that and the extreme lack of beta).

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What a pleasant surprise to see this trip report as I no longer come here regularly. Dick J, Tom K, and I did this traverse in 1991. Like Jason G., we came in via the Suittle River Rd (Green Mtn) after shuttling a car to the Snow King Trailhead up the Cascade River Rd. We did it in 3 days, camping the first day at a small lake after the "succulent hellebore traverse" (it was indeed) that Beckey describes. That evening we saw a lightning strike across the valley start a small fire (which extinguished overnight). The next day we traversed across hell and dale to reach the Buckindy area and had a magical evening on the ridge looking down at a fog bank pulsating up and down the north side of Buckindy. We climbed Buckindy the next morning. We were the 25th party on the summit, the previous summiteers being the Skoog Bros. I believe this was during the time they were sewing up the local traverses (Buckindy, Thunder, etc). According to the summit register, I would have the first female ascent. We then had the eye popping experience of descending Kindy-Buck pass (something you might have missed, Tom, on the north side, but I suspect Jason might have enjoyed). On to Mutchler (it started raining mid-day, but luckily cleared) and Snow King and a camp at Cyclone Lake. The next day, July 22, we feasted on the melon we'd left in the creek at the trailhead and a cold one. It was rugged, painful, desolate, and uncaringly beautiful, everything we'd hoped for and more. Thanks for the trip through the memories, nice pictures - and a doff of the hat to an ambitious undertaking and impressive to solo.

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What a pleasant surprise to see this trip report as I no longer come here regularly. Dick J, Tom K, and I did this traverse in 1991. Like Jason G., we came in via the Suittle River Rd (Green Mtn) after shuttling a car to the Snow King Trailhead up the Cascade River Rd. We did it in 3 days, camping the first day at a small lake after the "succulent hellebore traverse" (it was indeed) that Beckey describes. That evening we saw a lightning strike across the valley start a small fire (which extinguished overnight). The next day we traversed across hell and dale to reach the Buckindy area and had a magical evening on the ridge looking down at a fog bank pulsating up and down the north side of Buckindy. We climbed Buckindy the next morning. We were the 25th party on the summit, the previous summiteers being the Skoog Bros. I believe this was during the time they were sewing up the local traverses (Buckindy, Thunder, etc). According to the summit register, I would have the first female ascent. We then had the eye popping experience of descending Kindy-Buck pass (something you might have missed, Tom, on the north side, but I suspect Jason might have enjoyed). On to Mutchler (it started raining mid-day, but luckily cleared) and Snow King and a camp at Cyclone Lake. The next day, July 22, we feasted on the melon we'd left in the creek at the trailhead and a cold one. It was rugged, painful, desolate, and uncaringly beautiful, everything we'd hoped for and more. Thanks for the trip through the memories, nice pictures - and a doff of the hat to an ambitious undertaking and impressive to solo.

 

Thanks for the note, Kascadia!

 

I actually did go through Kindy-Buck Col to get to Mt. Misch. I've enlarged the route map to show more detail. I wanted to go in via Green Mtn, but I only had one vehicle and didn't want to hitchhike at the end of the trip. As it turns out, this was a great way to go.

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Great TR Tom...thanks so much for sharing.

 

You're darn right someone has a sense of humor! B.B. Alpine Club? Bronx Bombers Old Timers Day Climb. Hahahhahaha...I wonder who would think to write this in a summit register???

 

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Joe Pepitone and Whitey Ford? LOL

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Pepitone

 

"Pepitone spent four months at Rikers Island jail in 1988 for two misdemeanor drug convictions after he and two other men were arrested on March 18, 1985, in Brooklyn after being stopped by the police for running a red light in a car containing nine ounces of cocaine, 344 quaaludes, a free-basing kit, a pistol and about $6,300 in cash.[3] Coverage of the story by WOR-TV (Channel 9) in the New York area featured clips of an incredulous Pepitone declaring, "I didn't know cocaine was illegal", and his brother Vinnie, a New York City detective, staunchly defending his character.[citation needed] He was released from jail on a work-release program when Yankee owner George Steinbrenner offered him a job in minor-league player development for the team.[4]"

 

Whitey Ford was the pitcher, so he would have been the guy throwing a "fair heater".

 

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/915604-whitey-ford-i-would-cheat-to-stay-pitching-in-the-major-leagues-for-the-money

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hello Tom - I do believe we are referring to different topographical features. Kindy Buck Pass is due south of your pre-Mutchler camp on the ridge, just northwest of the little tarn at 5975. We approached the range from the south and this dropped us over into the Kindy basin for a traverse over to Mutchler. The pass was pretty steep, and Tom couldn't resist the old climber's joke of turning to me as we worked our way down, saying as he held out a grapefruit size rock, "Now isn't this is a nice hold. . . . . . .oh, don't worry, I'll put it back for you". Just a bunch of steep dirt/gravel/heather and big loose rock for several hundred feet. Beckey calls it a series of rappels, we descended several hundred feet before finding a rock solid enough to anchor from about 40 feet above terra firma.

 

It sounds like you found some fun too going over to Misch!

 

Dirt ponning! I remember pulling out the ice axe on the traverse above Horse Lake and having at it. We finally got to a relatively level spot and I snapped a pic of Tom and Dick as they sat on a log. When Tom saw the picture he said, "Now that's the look of committment - we realized then there was no way we were going back where we came from". The unknown unknowns were looking pretty darn good. And so they were!!

Edited by kascadia
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