[TR] Forbidden Peak - North Ridge 8/6/2013

[goatboy]

Trip: Forbidden Peak - North Ridge

 

"Don't be fooled: while rated just 5.0 with some 40-degree snow, the North Ridge of this impressive peak is nonetheless a major undertaking, requiring a wide range of mountaineering skills (but not necessarily a high technical proficiency)..." - Jim Nelson

 

Date: 8/6/2013

 

Trip Report:

 

Prologue: Every sandwich aspires to transcend its societally-imposed limitations, and achieve greatness. This is the story of how one sandwich was impelled into an extraordinary adventure, one that could redefine the future of alpine sandwiches from now on.

 

Pictured below: Our hero, the huge sandwich, posing with climber David Moskowitz

 

Day 0: Hearing a call to adventure, an absurdly large sandwich is purchased in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle, WA.

 

Day 1: Wake up at 4 AM, leave home by 5, in line for permit in Marblemount at 7 AM, packed and hiking from Boston Basin Trailhead by 9 AM.

 

Grinding up the slabs towards the Quien Sabe glacier on a warm morning

 

We opted for the "alternate col" to the climber's right (east) of Sharkfin Col, having heard that it affords easier passage to the Boston Glacier, and the ability to reach the glacier with a single rope.

 

This thin layer of snow over loose rock was worse than it appears.

 

The upper part of the gully was incredibly loose and unpleasant, but it led to a rap station depositing us in a long rappel into the moat beside the Boston Glacier. We gained the glacier via an easy climb up onto the snow.

 

The view across the expansive Boston Glacier -- it felt truly remote once we pulled our rappel rope, but with plenty of daylight left we just needed to navigate the broken initial section to reach the high glacial traverse line that presents itself in this photo. This entailed leaping over several appreciable crevasses and onto some suspect snow-bridges, but it went by quickly enough.

 

 

 

This leap from the glacier edge to the rock was one of the less enjoyable parts of the day.

 

The bivy, at the base of the North Ridge, was one of the most scenic and compelling places I've slept in the Cascades. It gave us lots of time to stare at the route ahead. It also gave us a chance to spend some time with our hero, the huge sandwich.

 

 

The improbable and extraordinary bivy in the North Ridge. We were treated to lovely sunset colors over Eldorado, and an early bedtime.

 

Day 2: 4 AM alarm, roped up and climbing at 5 as the headlamps became unnecessary. The first step on the ridge was one of the hardest sections at around 5.6 or so, but the climbing quickly eased after that to low-5th class simul-climbing (or easier) terrain for most of the way.

 

Traversing solid rock low on the ridge

 

Morning light illuminated the nearby peaks and the route ahead of us as we simul-climbed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5 hours after leaving the bivy, we topped out on the true (east) summit at 10 AM.

 

Naturally, our hero made another appearance for the summit photos.

 

The "east ledges" descent traverses these downsloping, grassy ledges to the prominent gendarme on the east ridge

 

Dave topping out on the east ledges, about to regain the Ridge Crest

 

Winding through the lush meadows of Boston Basin, we arrived back at the car by 6 PM.

 

Main Geezer:

David Moskowitz - thanks to Dave for being a motivated, talented, and hungry partner who carried that sandwich to places no sandwich had likely been before.

 

Gear Notes:

Axe

Aluminum crampons

Skinny 60-Meter rope, doubled for simul-climbing

Alpine rack to 2"

BIG SANDWICH

 

Approach Notes:

We used the alternate col to the right of Sharkfin -- this would be better with continuous snow but does provide a manageable alternative (without the unprotectable 5.7) and a single-rope rappel to the Boston Glacier (with a short climb out of the moat at this time of the year)

Edited August 13, 2013 by goatboy

[curtveld]

WOW, that is quite a sandwich! And a nice place to eat it. Great photos Steve.

 

One day to the bivy at the ridge?

[JasonG]

Ah, such a classic! Isn't that NR bivy one of the best spots around? Thanks for those pictures, fantastic.

 

But, I have to say that the moat picture really freaked me out! It looks like that finger is about to break at any moment. Is that on the way to the bivy notch? It seems like you normally can get onto the rock much lower and climber's right pretty easily. Is that not the case anymore?

[kurthicks]

Two great geezers raging in the mountains. Grand!

 

Looks like a perfect trip!

[ivan]

no 40 of OE to go w/ the sammy?!?

[Matt_Alford]

Well done Steve! Got me missing the NW Alpine Summer!

 

 

[goatboy]

WOW, that is quite a sandwich! And a nice place to eat it. Great photos Steve.

 

One day to the bivy at the ridge?

 

Thanks everyone, it was a great trip even if I'm STILL sore and tired...at least I feel better than the huge sandwich at this point.

 

Curt, we left trailhead around 9 AM and got to bivy site around 6 PM I think.

[goatboy]

Jason, the moat issues forced us to go this way -- it was one of the spicier parts of that first day, for sure. Couldn't see a better way to go.

[wbk]

Great work Steve and Dave! Way to impel each other into experiences in the mountains .

[goatboy]

Thanks Ben -- it was indeed a case of being impelled, first by ambition, then by gravity, and finally by dehydration ... great to be up there though!