Woodcutter Posted November 25, 2015 Posted November 25, 2015 (edited) Trip: Argonaut - NE couloir Date: 11/22/2015 Trip Report: Laughingboy & I climbed Argonaut NE couloirs on Sunday. It was a cruiser, we simuled all except the steep 80 degree snice step about 400’ up. The gear is poor below this step & good above. The 5.6 section was impossible to find, totally snowed up but we gained the summit snowfield via a few mixed moves up a groove-turns-into-a-ridge located to the right of the 5.6 bit, with bomber gear. It was 1.40pm, too late to summit so Josh & I rapped down what I think is the 5.6 bit and traversed climbers left into the descent couloir (red). Descent was downclimbing with some anchors. Walked over to the Argo-Colchuck col & rapped into the 2nd gully on a blue 6mm thread with our 70m single rope, which ran out above a vertical step. Luck, the mountain gods handed us a perfect wire & thread anchor & we rapped out again, downclimbed & scarpered home. Early season in the Enchantments. Gear Notes: 2 pins, one thin, one wider (used) Cams: 0 Mastercam to 2. BD from .5 to 3, didn't really need the ebig ones. Wires were good. Ice screws: 3 stubbys & 2 13cm, not used in any meaningful way: Ha Approach Notes: Stuart lake trail to 1st switchback, hike se for a few 100 yards to creek, cross, continue se to outflank the side hill boulderfield for less than 1/4 mile then head south to Mounntaineer Creek, follow the creek on the right side (trail), cross the multiple creeks coming from the Stuart basin, stay on teh righ side of the Mountaineer Creek branch that comes from Sherpa basin for about 1/5 mile, cross creek when you can get directly into the boulders. Go up. We screwed this up royally! Edited November 25, 2015 by Woodcutter Quote
JasonG Posted November 25, 2015 Posted November 25, 2015 Cool! Thanks for the conditions update and nice work on these short days. Quote
Woodcutter Posted December 7, 2015 Author Posted December 7, 2015 Hell yes. I love to camp! The approach I've been using for the last few years is to get to the TH about sunset & do the hike in the dark, as far as we can be bothered to go. Ideally pull into camp about 9 or 10pm, cook dinner & get into bed. Up about 4.30, eat eggs & get moving. Then do the route, get back to the tent, eat again & hike out that night. It works pretty well to keep my wife happy since I'm only really away for 1 1/2 days. Also you obviously stand a better chance on the route if you sleep near the bottom, also, the late arrival prevents sitting around in a camp in the winter feezing your ass off, better to be hiking. Jake Quote
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