[TR] Glacier Peak - South ridge, Disappointment Peak direct 8/5/2012

[wolffie]

Trip: Glacier Peak - South ridge, Disappointment Peak direct

 

Date: 8/5/2012

 

Trip Report:

Big Al claims the first failed ascent of Glacier Peak by a Pembroke Welsh corgi without supplemental oxygen:

Nobody gets nowhere without the Darrington road & trail crews, who opened up the North Fork Sauk just 2 weeks prior, a huge job:

Indian Head Pk. Kodak Peak at far right. This trip is worth it if you go no farther than White Pass (off-screen to the right):

White Pass from the NE along the Foam Basin sheep trail. Johnson at left, White Mt. at right. Read Chester Marler, East of the Divide, for an interesting chapter about the sheep grazing history:

Here's the 6600' pass from above the end of the sheep trail over to the White Chuck Glacier:

What's left of the White Chuck Glacier:

Al on the White Chuck Glacier; our high point is shown:

Glacier Gap is just off-screen at far right. Our 7739' bivvy peak is about dead-center:

Sunset between Pugh and White Chuck mountains:

The latest in high-tech canine comfort:

Suiattle Glacier and Kololo peaks from near our 7739' bivvy peak. Glacier Gap is in the center there somewhere. Find the corgi in this picture:

Where it gets ugly. The S ridge is Disappointment Peak is a lot rockier and looser than I remembered, no place for a dog, so I quit at 9200' (level with top of the snowfield at right). Al was disappointed. He'll follow me into the Jaws of Death. I don't want him to go that far. This is a very reasonable route for a small party ultra-careful about loose rock, and maybe faster than carrying rope gear and roping-up. Class 2, I've done it solo before. We saw several people doing the glacier unroped -- arguably reasonable, but not in Al's playbook. Did I mention loose rock? No place for a dog at all?:

View east. Maude at left, Buck at right (Al's climbed both). Napeequa peak is dead-center foreground (must have a worthwhile view!). The small peak to Napeequa's left is Mt. Cleator, a 15 min. walkup fro High Pass.

A wider pan of the upper Suiattle valley and Entiats to the west. The green slope in front of Fortress is Helmet Butte, with Buck Ck Pass just to its right. Read C.E. Rusk, Tales of a Western Mountaineer, a great read, which includes (with much else) an account of the 2nd ascent of Glacier from Buck Pass with a rifle, a couple blankets, and little else. The Cool Glacier is named for A.L. Cool(?) his companion on that trip):

Dakobed Range to the east. Clark behind, Tenpeak in the middle. Upper Suiattle valley in foreground.

The Suiattle Glacier nunatak:

Black Mt., looking west. Portal Peak would be way off to its left somewhere:

Dude (Buck Mt. behind):

Our rocky ridge is directly above Al's head. We chickened-out at 9:00 AM, so we had all day to amble slowly back across the corpse of the White Chuck Glacier, getting fried by the sun. We re-crossed the 6600' pass and found this bare-sand campsite right above the end of the Foam Creek sheep trail. Could this spot be old sheep-grazing soil damage? Perhaps Al senses the spirits of other herding dogs long passed:

May I rant? Where not to camp -- right in the middle of blooming flowers at the 6600' pass -- please don't do this:

It never hurts to be good-lookin' (so I've heard):

I couldn't tear myself away until a few hours later than the last minute, so we bumbled over to Red Pass and scrambled up Portal Peak as an afterthought. Not to be missed. If you've come this far, come this far!

We got this great view of where we'd been. White Mt. is at far right. The sharp nubbin on the far horizon is Clark Mt. Remember that Sloan and Monte Cristo are right behind you, dominating that section of the PCT:

At play in the fields of the Lord. As usual, Al made not a sound the entire trip:

 

This was a repeat of a solo ascent maybe 15 years ago, late '90s. That time, before my hike out, I was awakened by Jupiter-rise and brewed coffee and broke camp before dawn. I hoisted and buckled the pack, then ingested some remarkable Vitamin A. The hike out via Glacier Peak Meadows took a long, long time. I recall sitting, surrounded by perhaps 10 ptarmigans at one point. The PCT looked too civilized and developed to approach -- not ready to go back yet -- so I scrambled up the north side of White Mt. and found this balloon in the moat:

I was in no mood to question this clear sign from the heavens.

Although its message speaks to all who behold it, on this repeat trip, it occurred to me that it belongs most appropriately to the MBSNF Darrington road & trail crews and contractors who've made all our trips up here possible. You think?

 

Gear Notes:

Chillybuddy dog cooling vest (Al is a black-backed dog). This actually does work and looks great with his tinfoil home-made helmet (for ET brainwave implant protection).

Outward Hound collapsible dog bowl.

Vital Essentials freeze-dried raw meat dog food (hard, not crumbly, low-odor).

Dog chest harness and quick-draw belay leash.

Doggles and Mesheye dog sunglasses.

ElCheapo Camp K9 sleeping bag.

Pawz dog booties (balloon-like paw condoms for emergency pad injuries).

Vet-wrap adhesive gauze for paw injuries.

Ice ax. Crampons (not used).

 

Approach Notes:

North Fork Sauk River > White Pass > Foam Creek Basin sheep trail > pass 6600' > White Chuck Glacier to Glacier Gap. Red Pass and Glacier Peak Meadows is a charming alternative approach.

Edited August 23, 2012 by wolffie

[benmurphy]

Great report! That's one ambitious Corgi! I loved the story about finding the balloon and the PCT being too civilized to approach !!

[heartbreaker]

Thanks for sharing!! Loved the report, the corgi, and your adventures