[TR] Ingalls Peaks - 7/11/2009

[spotly]

Trip: Ingalls Peaks -

 

Date: 7/11/2009

 

Trip Report:

Lloyd and I hiked into the Ingalls Peaks area on Friday and set up camp in the upper basin along the trail. We snagged a nice spot next to a stream with excellent views up to Ingalls Peaks and over to Mount Stuart. There were lots of aggressive goats about so we took care to keep our gear in sight as we set things up.

Baby of mean goat

 

Mean goats

 

I woke early in the morning feeling totally unrested due to the shenanigans of the out of control kids in the camping spot about 100 yards away. Apparently the adults had taken out insurance policies on these kids because they sent them over to our camp spot to play on the cliffs. I forgot my ear plugs and toilet paper wasn't helping much. Lloyd ran them off once as they jumped up and down on a snow bridge over a waterfall next to his tent - screaming for all they were worth. Later, we saw them on South Ingalls hurling basketball sized boulders into the basin below.

 

After tea and oatmeal, we packed our summit packs and headed up the hill to the start of the East Peak. The original plan was to climb the East Peak then do the east ridge of the North Peak. Sometime along the way, we both decided that we were too lazy to haul over the heavier packs. So the plan changed to climbing the East Peak, rapping off then getting on the standard route up the North Peak.

 

I guess we should have gleaned a little more beta on the route. We both assumed it would be a straight shot all the way up the couloir to the notch between North Peak and East Peak. We followed steep snow up as high as it went then crawled into the mount. The gully heading up towards the notch was full of slick, green and rotten rock. I lead up a chimney to underneath a chockstone where nothing presented itself. Every hold I grabbed wound up at Lloyd's feet. After what seemed like hours of grunting and crying, I decided to place a couple of Hail Mary pieces into a rotten crack and make a controlled slide down the shiny green crap. We stood in the moat trying to divine a route then decided to take the wall up the right side. There were only a few placements and plenty of slick green rock but there were also some more positive holds that eventually got us up into a loose gully just below the notch. From there, the climbing was easy and on solid rock - enjoyable. We later learned that we should have hopped of the snow and onto the left side much further down rather than following the gully all the way up.

Our goal

 

Lloyd climbing up the gully

 

Lloyd chewing me out over my choice of lines

 

We spent a few minutes on top then rapped off, grabbing the two cams I had left in the chimney on the way down. Two raps down the snow got us to gentle slopes. We didn't look back.

Happier Lloyd

 

Rapping the steeper snow

 

We headed up the south face/ridge of North Peak and ran into a substantial roadblock at the second belay. The guy at the belay was friendly and the hour or so went by semi quickly. The shenanigans of the 4 or 5 people clipped into the 3rd pitch anchor were not amusing but I'm told it gets even worse up there so we made the best of it. Once we finally got to climbing, it went pretty fast. In sharp contrast to our little fiasco on East Peak, the climbing was fun and enjoyable but way too short. We spent a few moments on the summit then headed down before the other group clogged up the works again. One of them was kind enough to untie and drop our rope so we were able to make a single strand rap off of the 3rd pitch, avoiding the 10 or 15 foot downclimb. I eyed the slings on the edge to climbers right and it looked like a single rope rap would have made it - should have checked it out I guess.

Lloyd on the 2nd pitch of North Ingalls

 

North Ingalls Peak from South Ingalls Peak

 

We dropped our gear at the base, switched into boots then headed up the South Peak. From a distance, it looks more difficult than it actually is. There's a foot path through the Dog Tooth that leads down a short section of scree into a loose gully. The gully had easy 3rd and 4th class sections - on mostly solid and positive holds. Once out of the gully, it was a short walk to the summit where we signed the register then headed down. We arrived at the base of the North Peak to claim our gear then slid back to camp. I may have left a .75 cam at the base but hoping Lloyd has it on his harness. Lloyd was cruel and forced me to get my gear packed right away so he could get home to a soft bed with three pillows and no screaming kids.

Ingalls Peak South

 

Me checking out Ingalls Lake

[pindude]

[spotly]

Anyone got a pic that shows what the first pitch for sw face of East Ingalls looks like? I assume it's the same pitch as for the east ridge of North Peak since it takes you to the notch. I'd like to know what we missed out on due to my suck route-finding. Plus, I may want to go back sometime and grab that east ridge too.