Forum Index > Trip Reports > Cadet Peak and Rover Mountain - 8/20/2016
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Gimpilator
infinity/21M



Joined: 12 Oct 2006
Posts: 1684 | TRs | Pics
Location: Edmonds, WA
Gimpilator
infinity/21M
PostSun Aug 21, 2016 8:02 am 
In October of 2013, Matt Below and I took a crack at Cadet Peak. Unknown to us, a September snowfall had left some white stuff on the upper slopes of the peak. Micro-spikes were not sufficient on the icy slopes, so we bailed. Crampons would have worked.
October 2013
October 2013
October 2013
October 2013
bad snow in October 2013
bad snow in October 2013
bad snow in October 2013
bad snow in October 2013
trying to avoid the snow
trying to avoid the snow
Yesterday I returned with Heather and Chandler to complete unfinished business. Being familiar with the route, we made good time. Chandler and I rode bikes on the road east of Barlow Pass while Heather ran. She had a head start on us and we were not able to catch up to her, but we regrouped at Monte Cristo.
first time
first time
some berries
some berries
a frog
a frog
a bit of pyrite
a bit of pyrite
house size boulders
house size boulders
We hiked up the waterfall slabs trail to Glacier Basin and then turned left at the house sized boulders. I found a chunk of pyrite which was pretty exciting. We crossed the basin and then ascended the steep talus slope, keeping to the right of the blown-out gully.
Wilmans Spires
Wilmans Spires
talus and blown-out gully
talus and blown-out gully
At the top of the talus slope we traversed left on more solid rock ledges and then some loose rock to access the hidden start of a solid rock gully. There were some loose rocks in this gully so we stayed close together and wore helmets. Near the top of this gully we found the climber’s path through the trees which ascends the west ridge and slope.
starting the solid rock gully
starting the solid rock gully
the Wilmans Glacier
the Wilmans Glacier
Silvertip
Silvertip
The climbers path is often well defined, but sometimes faint, especially around obstacles. For instance, there’s a point at which you clamber over some tree trunks and then it seemingly ends at some steep rock slabs. You can either descend below the slabs and climb up a rotten loose gully, or cross the top of the slabs while grasping onto tree branches and scant heather bushes.
blocky gendarme visible
1 label
blocky gendarme visible
traversing
traversing
There’s one thing that’s constant about the route above the basin and that is it is steep! We came to the point where I had turned around before and 6500 feet and then we started looking for the blocky gargoyle gendarme formation mentioned in various route descriptions. It’s important to traverse north below this formation or the route likely becomes technical climbing through the cliffs.
easy class 3+ step
easy class 3+ step
above the deep gully
above the deep gully
Thanks to a route photo from MidLifeHiker, we traverse in the right place over towards the deep gully and found the class 3+ step. It was nice and solid with minimal exposure. However, the area above the step had some loose rock and a greater exposure factor. It appears that different parties ascend various ways through this section of slabs, minor cliffs and steep exposed heather slopes. After a few hundred feet it was over and we were back on simple terrain.
ptarmigan nest and one dud
ptarmigan nest and one dud
simple terrain
simple terrain
The summit black was now visible above us. It looked like a good scramble, but ended up being more of a walk. With all this good weather, the haze has been building to epic proportions. Despite that, I found great joy in the scene all around me. No doubt Cadet has some of the finest vistas to be had anywhere on the Mountain Loop Highway.
summit
summit
Rover and Sloan
Rover and Sloan
Sloan
Sloan
Gothic and Del Campo
Gothic and Del Campo
Gemini Peaks
Gemini Peaks
Kyes and Monte Cristo
Kyes and Monte Cristo
Glacier
Glacier
Big Four
Big Four
Wilmans Spires
Wilmans Spires
East Wilmans Peak and Columbia
East Wilmans Peak and Columbia
no beef
6 labels
no beef
81/100
81/100
After a snack and signing the register, I left Heather and Chandler to enjoy the summit so I could explore the north peak which carries the nickname Rover Mountain. I crossed through some hidden notches in the connecting ridge. One of them had an old rusty prospectors shovel which was split in two.
looking back at Cadet main peak
looking back at Cadet main peak
traverse to Rover
1 label
traverse to Rover
Rover and cliffs barring way
Rover and cliffs barring way
prospector shovel
prospector shovel
I came to a larger snowfield and rather than descending I entered the moat. A direct line between the peaks is blocked by cliffs on Rover, so I skirted the base of those inside this moat. It had one tricky section with class 4ish rock and I stemmed that part with my back against the snow.
start of the moat
start of the moat
stemming
stemming
a glacier down on the east face
a glacier down on the east face
looking back at Cadet
looking back at Cadet
ridge toward Foggy
ridge toward Foggy
On the west side of Rover I found a nice heather ramp up through the cliffs. There was another Mountaineers register, this one dating back to 1973. I counted the entries since the dawn of the millennium and I was the 18th ascent, roughly 1 per year. If I had to guess, probably half or more the ascents are due to the fact that the USGS maps are wrong and show the north peak to be 11 feet higher than the south peak.
Chandlers photo of me on Rover summit with Pugh behind
Chandlers photo of me on Rover summit with Pugh behind
Chandlers photo of me on Rover summit with Sloan
Chandlers photo of me on Rover summit with Sloan
Rover register
Rover register
1973
1973
Chandler standing on the summit of Cadet
Chandler standing on the summit of Cadet
Heather on the class 3+ step
Heather on the class 3+ step
Chandler
Chandler
Heather
Heather
Glacier Basin
Glacier Basin

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awilsondc
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awilsondc
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PostSun Aug 21, 2016 8:14 am 
Looks awesome! How was the heat up there?

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Jetlag
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PostSun Aug 21, 2016 8:30 am 
Great to see a Cadet report! I agree that the close-up views of the Glacier Basin peaks make the slopes of Cadet one of the best viewpoints in the Monte Cristo area. Glad you had time to climb Rover as well. (Didn't know that extension of Cadet had a name) Cool chunk of pyrite! There are easier early season routes up the peak, but like you say, on this route it's important to traverse left to the blocky gendarme to avoid the steep and hazardous climbing encountered when going straight up. Somehow I had forgotten this when I was climbing with my son in 2010 and introduced him to some really awful Cascade crumble.

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kitya
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kitya
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PostSun Aug 21, 2016 8:47 am 
Are you sure it is really perite? The area is more likely to have arsenopyrite, highly toxic.

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neek
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neek
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PostSun Aug 21, 2016 9:28 am 
Great peak. I found it much steeper and more complex than anticipated. Can't believe we were the last party on the north peak 2 years ago. It's definitely worth the side trip.

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Fletcher
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PostSun Aug 21, 2016 10:37 am 
Looks like fun. How did a high traverse over to Foggy look?

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Jetlag
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Jetlag
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PostSun Aug 21, 2016 12:25 pm 
Kitya, on ascent routes up gullies to the north peak, we have found pyrite, the arsenopyrires you mentioned, lots of galena, quartz crystals and even a bit of silver. The glittering rocks midway up slow down the ascent rate considerably.

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Schroder
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PostSun Aug 21, 2016 2:35 pm 
Nice to see a register I placed 43 years ago.

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Schroder
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PostMon Aug 29, 2016 8:00 pm 
..and a piece of pipe I pulled out of my Dad's workshop back then
Gimpilator wrote:
Rover register
Rover register

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Gimpilator
infinity/21M



Joined: 12 Oct 2006
Posts: 1684 | TRs | Pics
Location: Edmonds, WA
Gimpilator
infinity/21M
PostThu Sep 01, 2016 10:07 am 
awilsondc wrote:
Looks awesome! How was the heat up there?
It was hot, but not unbearable. We started really early so as to avoid the worst of it.
kitya wrote:
Are you sure it is really perite? The area is more likely to have arsenopyrite, highly toxic.
Certainly a valid concern. Thanks for bringing this to my attention. The first time I hiked to Gothic Basin there were signs along the old road to beware of arsenic polluted soils and to this day, I never drink any water from the area. Some further research reveals that pyrites often form in cube patterns while the arsenopyrite is more grey and less gold colored and forms in monoclinic symmetry and triangular prismatic crystals. There are some cubes present in the sample I collected, however this is not conclusive to the point which I consider safe. I have taken precautions to isolate the sample and will no longer be touching it with bare hands. Perhaps more troubling is the fact that we found a much larger sample weighing several pounds. This was present along the side of the trail when we went up the peak, but had been taken by some other party and was gone when we returned. Hopefully whoever took the sample isn't exposing their household to poison without the knowledge of it.
Fletcher wrote:
Looks like fun. How did a high traverse over to Foggy look?
From North Cadet it's difficult to discern which point is actually Foggy since the Gemini Peaks are more prominent. From what I could tell, it's probably a lot of steep unpleasant talus traversing and I think the way Stefan did it with some snow is probably a better choice than going in late season.
Schroder wrote:
..and a piece of pipe I pulled out of my Dad's workshop back then
Gimpilator wrote:
Rover register
Rover register
I noticed your last name as one of the placers and I wondered if it could be the same guy from NWH. Pretty cool!!! You've been bagging peaks for a long time. smile.gif

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