We walked a long-a$$ way from Colonial Creek campground to the Thunder Basin horse camp.
Skagit Queen mine remains
Skagit Queen mine remains
chrysalis
anyone know what this is?
Thunder Basin
Day 2
We followed the trail nearly to Park Creek Pass, but turned off on a boot path at 5800 feet. This path is intermittent, but helps in crossing of two rocky gullies. We then traversed around the first southwest trending ridge and ascended talus and slabs until we reached the base of the Fremont Glacier. There were melt-water channels coming down on top of the ice. It does not look like a healthy glacier should.
Buckner
ptarmigan
Fall colors in July? WTF
Buckner and Boston
traverse
Buckner
Forbidden
Sahale, Boston
Ripsaw Ridge
We roped up and ascended to the top of the glacier looking for a hogsback formation. Unfortunately it was almost entirely melted away. So much for easy access to the upper ramp... We looked for an easy way to cross the moat and found it on the right side. This put us on some rock which alternated between class 4 and low fifth for about 25 vertical feet.
I put in a few pieces of protection and we simul-climbed to the nice slanting ledge above. It was covered in loose rock, but wide enough for safe travel. At the upper left end of the ledge, after a few moves of class 3, there was an exposed step across to another ledge and this went all the way to the ridge crest.
nice ledge
on the ridge crest
Douglas Glacier below
We passed through a narrow gap which was shaped like a corridor and then descended slightly on ledges while traversing north on the east face. The ledges seemingly ended at a very exposed gully with three more ledges on the far side. The lowest ledge on the far side looked narrow and awkward. I set up a belay station and Fletcher belayed me across the gully. I tried the upper most ledge first and this dumped me out on the grassy upper slope next to two large cairns. From there I set up another belay to bring Fletcher and Michael up.
We ascended class 2 talus and ledges on the upper east face, passed another gap in the ridge, and then scrambled up to the false summit. There was one non-exposed slabby climbing move of 5.6, but it could be avoided by scrambling more exposed class 3 immediately to the right.
view north from summit
view south from summit
Ragged Ridge
small panorama
detailed large panorama
Fletcher near the summit
group shot
From the false summit we had a very impressive view of the peak, somewhat daunting truthfully. We scrambled down and then traversed to the gap between the two points. Fletcher found the scramble route going up the east side, again making use of more ledges. He made it nearly to the summit, but then a class 4 move, more exposed than anything thus far, made him think twice. I set up a final belay station and then was the first to reach the summit. I then belayed Fletcher and Michael to the top.
Fletcher and Michael on the summit
upper Park Creek drainage fire
exposed gully
Michael in the exposed gully
west side slanting ramp
single rappel
single rappel
Above the glacier, the entire route could be done without rope, depending on your comfort level. During the descent we didn't use the rope except to get past the class 4 move right under the summit and then a single rappel back into the moat at the glaciers edge. On the summit we noted several fires to the south, including a new one in the Park Creek drainage.
Day 3
We walked a long-a$$ way from Thunder Basin horse camp to the Colonial Creek campground.
This was an amazing trip with scary scrambling and some of the coolest views I have ever had. The trail up Thunder Creek is in great shape, which makes those long miles go by pretty quickly.
Thunder Creek from the bridge about a mile in
big tree
I think thats Boston and the Boston Glacier, from Junction Camp
Skagit Queen
brushy trail approaches Thunder Basin
morning views of the Chilliwacks
Austera, Primus, Tricouni
Boston Glacial Lake
sad and scary how much water was pouring off the Fremont
views were some of the best I have ever seen, Buckner and Boston
getting off the glacier
next weeks objective might be prominent in this picture...
Goode
Adam on the east ledges
the easy section to the false summit
Mike getting high
a tricky move
summit block
Adam tops out
Buckner to Forbidden and the Boston Glacier
Mike just below the summit
the exposed but easy class 3 gulley
the moves were easy here, but a fall would likely be fatal
airy ledges
dont fall down to the Douglas
The notch
looking back at the eastside traverse
scrambling back down to the glacier
didnt seem as sketchy as on the way down
Boston
even more water pouring off the Fremont in the evening on the descent
Thanks for a great trip report and a really fine video. My wife and I tried this route in 2007. We had more snow so we were able to scramble up the ledge from the glacier (see pic). However we turned around at the first exposed gully on the east side since we had no rope (the exposure became a bit much).
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum
Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases when you use our link(s).
Austera, Primus, Tricouni
