Forum Index > Trip Reports > Bonanza Peak ~ Martin Peak ~ 7/16-18/17
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Fletcher
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Location: kirkland
Fletcher
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PostWed Jul 19, 2017 1:33 am 
*Video contains vulgar language*
Jake, Damon and I had an awesome trip climbing these peaks the last few days. Bonanza ended up being one of my all-time favorite climbs! Cant really say the same for Martin though... We met up after I got off work on Saturday night and crashed in the Walmart parking lot in Chelan. After a delicious breakfast, we caught the slow boat from Fields Point to Lucerne. The ferry was absolutely packed and I was really glad we had purchased tickets ahead of time. There were 4 buses waiting to pick up people for transport to Holden. Turns out there was something like 190 people going into Holden that day, the most of the summer. Just our luck. When we finally got to Holden, we were stuck on the bus for another 30 minutes. The three of us were seated next to some very misbehaved children, and were filled with relief when they finally let us off that damn bus. After getting off the bus, we had to wait another 45 minutes for them to unload our gear. Plus side to this was getting to talk to some climbers who were on their way out. Conditions sounded great. We were finally hiking just after 2pm.
Jake on the ferry
Jake on the ferry
Copper from the approach
Copper from the approach
Martin from the approach
Martin from the approach
Bonanza first look
Bonanza first look
The day wasn't too hot, so the hike in wasn't horrible. We took a break at Holden Lake, then set out to find the climbers trail up to Holden Pass. We failed at that, probably should have brought beta. We ended up bushwhacking for awhile before gaining the talus fields that you can see climbers left from the lake. The climbers trail really goes up climbers right. As far as we could tell, the climbers trail is really difficult to find. The silver lining of our mistake was that we got to traverse below the massive cliffs below the Mary Green, and got to see all of these dazzling waterfalls up close. What a place.
we gained the talus on the left, then made a rising traverse leftward, along the base of the cliffs
we gained the talus on the left, then made a rising traverse leftward, along the base of the cliffs
talus
talus
awesome waterfall spilling off the Mary Green
awesome waterfall spilling off the Mary Green
Bonanza and Martin 7-17-17
Bonanza and Martin 7-17-17
amazing
amazing
We made camp just below Holden Pass at some time, don't really remember. After dinner we all drank probably a little too much whiskey, and turned in shortly after dark. The stars were amazing that night. Our alarms were set for 3:45.
camp
camp
We had a big day planned for Monday, so we were hiking up toward the Mary Green Glacier before 5am. It was a chilly morning, pleasant for climbing. The climbers trail that leads up to the waterfall slabs is really well established, we were making really good time.
Bonanza morning
Bonanza morning
first light above Holden Pass
first light above Holden Pass
the waterfall slabs
the waterfall slabs
The waterfall slabs are often considered the crux of Bonanza. We were fortunate to have found them largely a non-issue. We did have to traverse some wet rock with down-sloping holds above a moat to access the waterfall slabs themselves, which felt sketchy, but the slabs themselves went pretty easy. Some moves had to be made on wet, slick rock, but the scrambling was easy. Above the slabs, we roped up for the Mary Green.
getting light
getting light
the slabs
the slabs
Damon and Jake on the slabs
Damon and Jake on the slabs
Alpenglow on the summit
Alpenglow on the summit
Copper and Fernow
Copper and Fernow
starting up the glacier
starting up the glacier
The Mary Green was in fantastic shape and we were really able to cruise. We made great time up the glacier with no crevasses to avoid. The glacial scenery was awesome.
Bonanza morning
Bonanza morning
Mary Green
Mary Green
Seracs
Seracs
Bonanza and Martin 7-17-17
Bonanza and Martin 7-17-17
Bonanza and Martin 7-17-17
Bonanza and Martin 7-17-17
Bonanza and Martin 7-17-17
Bonanza and Martin 7-17-17
traverse to the schrund
traverse to the schrund
The bergschrund was opening up, but there was still a really easy step across onto the rock. Just next to here was a gaping hole into the moat, seemingly bottomless. Made the step across give the pucker factor. I don't imagine this portion of the climb to remain trivial for long.
dudes nearing the schrund
dudes nearing the schrund
crossing over
crossing over
the climb ahead
the climb ahead
Now it was time for the fun part. We dropped our unneeded gear, and got ready for the scramble. The climbing started out pretty easy, although there was big exposure directly below. We followed the path of least resistance, and were having a great time. We stayed pretty close, and were careful about rockfall.
Damon starting out on the scramble
Damon starting out on the scramble
doesnt look too bad
doesnt look too bad
not so bad
not so bad
Bonanza and Martin 7-17-17
Bonanza and Martin 7-17-17
As you begin the climb, there is an obvious rock rib just a little climbers left. It seems like the right way to go. We scrambled this ridge for awhile (class 3) until we had to make a choice, right or left. Left looked intimidating, right looked less intimidating. We decided to go right. Don't do that. We could see a rap anchor above so we knew we weren't far off route. I was leading and got myself into a situation where everything above looked spicy. I saw a slabby rib of rock that didnt look horrible and decided to go for it. After a super committing and exposed step across I began climbing the rib with horrible crimpy hands and feet. If the ground directly above me didnt look like it eased up considerably, I would have been really freaked out. I remember saying midway up,"This is really serious guys", then I reached a large ledge and it was over. Jake and Damon followed, carefully. It was a no-fall zone on tough class 4 / maybe low 5th. I know some people would certainly consider it unprotectable 5th class and it was the crux of our trip.
Damon finshing the crux of our day
Damon finshing the crux of our day
Hoping we'd put the worst of it behind us, we continued upward.
dudes climbing
dudes climbing
not so bad!
not so bad!
Bonanza and Martin 7-17-17
Bonanza and Martin 7-17-17
nearing the ridge crest
nearing the ridge crest
Bonanza and Martin 7-17-17
Bonanza and Martin 7-17-17
We were thankful that we were right. The rest of the route was really pleasant. We agreed after that climb that the route was 90 percent class 3, although airy throughout. There are large ledges everywhere though, limiting the exposure. Once we gained the ridge crest, the summit was only a few minutes away. We topped out around 8:45. We were so stoked to finally get a peak that had intimidated us for years, and it wasn't so bad after all!
ridge scrambling
ridge scrambling
about the top out
about the top out
The air was clear and the view from Bonanza is probably one of the best I have ever seen. We stayed on the summit for an hour.
register entry
register entry
Bonanza summitshot
Bonanza summitshot
Bonanza and Martin 7-17-17
Bonanza and Martin 7-17-17
Bonanza and Martin 7-17-17
Bonanza and Martin 7-17-17
Martin
Martin
Bonanza and Martin 7-17-17
Bonanza and Martin 7-17-17
Bonanza and Martin 7-17-17
Bonanza and Martin 7-17-17
Holden mine cleanup, weird to see such industrial views from such a remote summit
Holden mine cleanup, weird to see such industrial views from such a remote summit
After an hour, it was time to descend, so we reluctantly left the summit. Our descent went really well. We ended up down-climbing the entire route without breaking the rope out. We bypassed our crux, and found a much better route skiers right (go climbers left when things look tough up the rib!). We down-climbed carefully and it all went great and comfortable.
descent
descent
Bonanza and Martin 7-17-17
Bonanza and Martin 7-17-17
Not as bad as it looks
Not as bad as it looks
new backing up the old
new backing up the old
Jake staying alive
Jake staying alive
yeah!
yeah!
About an hour after leaving the summit, we were taking another break at the stop of the schrund. Crossing back onto the glacier provided more pucker, then we cruised back down to the slabs.
back on the Mary Green
back on the Mary Green
We thought we might want to rap the waterfall slabs, but they actually weren't any wetter than they were in the early morning, so we down climbed. It wasn't so bad. The traverse on wet rock above the moat seemed to go easier the 2nd time around. We were back at camp right at 1pm and agreed that we deserved an hour break before heading up Martin. Just after 2, we set out again. The first part of the route, up the broad ridge, was really nice and easy. We could see why people like to camp up there! After dropping down to the saddle just below Martin, things got chossy, and it only got worse.
terrain above Holden Pass
terrain above Holden Pass
shit peak, or Martin
sh## peak, or Martin
Jake on the first scree
Jake on the first scree
We traversed out right to avoid a big cliff band, then went up leftward on bad scree back to the ridge crest where things eased up a bit for a little while. After this, the route finding gets pretty tricky and the rock is horrible. Ill leave it at that. If the route was not well cairned, which it was, route finding would have been more tricky.
rotten climbing
rotten climbing
going for Martin
going for Martin
views of Bonanza were sweet at least
views of Bonanza were sweet at least
The crux slabby gully was a little intimidating but we found a better way down. If you climb Martin, when you get to the broad, white, slabby gully, take the more narrow and shorter gully out left, its better. More losoe scrambling brought us to the summit block, where we found 2 easy and short class 4 variations to reach the summit. Topped out around 5. Good views, no register.
Martin scramble
Martin scramble
more Martin
more Martin
summitblock
summitblock
bonanza from Martin
bonanza from Martin
Martin summitshot
Martin summitshot
Tupshin and Devore
Tupshin and Devore
We made one rap off the summit, then made a very careful descent. It actually wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it might be.
Jake coming down Martin
Jake coming down Martin
looking back
looking back
Back at camp, dinner was amazing. We also killed off all the leftover booze from the night before. It had been a good day. The next morning, we hiked down to Holden. We'd stashed some beers near town and we laid in the sun and enjoyed them at 10am. Then we score lunch in Holden which was awesome. Jake was super disappointed to learn that nowhere in Holden served vodka though. The bus ride down to Lucerne was more pleasant than the ride in and the lake was very cold but also very refreshing. Such a great trip! Looking forward to the next one.
more awesome falls coming off the Mary Green
more awesome falls coming off the Mary Green
Lucerne
Lucerne

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ONELUV1
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ONELUV1
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PostWed Jul 19, 2017 5:53 am 
ace.gif Well done buddy! Nice to see you hooking up with Damon too.

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Distel32
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Distel32
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PostWed Jul 19, 2017 6:29 am 
up.gif

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awilsondc
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awilsondc
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PostWed Jul 19, 2017 6:33 am 
Nice job fellas! up.gif up.gif rocker.gif

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cartman
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cartman
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PostWed Jul 19, 2017 7:04 am 
Sounds like you three nailed the route. Very efficient use of three days. Dealing with the schrund is probably why most reports are from early July once the snow melts off the face on Bonanza. Thanks for the beta, going to get up there one of these days.

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ozzy
The hard way



Joined: 30 Jul 2015
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ozzy
The hard way
PostWed Jul 19, 2017 7:31 am 
Damn man you guys killed it, savages! Badass pics too! #82 hell yeah go get em brother! Cheers!

“I don’t know what’s gonna happen, but I wanna have my kicks before the whole shithouse goes up in flames”-Mr Mojo Risin
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Jake Robinson
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Jake Robinson
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PostWed Jul 19, 2017 9:13 am 
Great trip guys, probably my best ever. Bummer about that Holden vodka store though. Oh well, I'm sure they'll open one up soon enough.
Off to a well-rested start after our Wal Mart bivy
Off to a well-rested start after our Wal Mart bivy
Our boat arrives at Fields Point
Our boat arrives at Fields Point
Fletcher enjoying the bus ride
Fletcher enjoying the bus ride
Holden drum circle
Holden drum circle
Starting out
Starting out
Holden Lake
Holden Lake
'schwackin it
'schwackin it
Cool slot waterfall coming off the Mary Green
Cool slot waterfall coming off the Mary Green
Our non-standard approach actually worked pretty well
Our non-standard approach actually worked pretty well
Wow...
Wow...
Nearing Holden Pass
Nearing Holden Pass
Post-whiskey sunset views from near our bivy
Post-whiskey sunset views from near our bivy
Waterfall slabs at 5 am
Waterfall slabs at 5 am
There she is
There she is
Damon starts up the Mary Green
Damon starts up the Mary Green
Cruiser terrain
Cruiser terrain
What a place...
What a place...
About halfway up the glacier
About halfway up the glacier
Crossing some debris
Crossing some debris
Final steep traverse to the 'schrund
Final steep traverse to the 'schrund
Last snow section
Last snow section
Crossing onto rock
Crossing onto rock
See the party of 3?
See the party of 3?
Fletcher getting into exposed terrain
Fletcher getting into exposed terrain
Slow and steady through here
Slow and steady through here
Nearing the summit ridge
Nearing the summit ridge
Damon negotiates some class 4 to get to the summit ridge
Damon negotiates some class 4 to get to the summit ridge
Cascade Pass area peaks from the summit
Cascade Pass area peaks from the summit
Glacier et. al
Glacier et. al
Probably the best view I've ever seen of the Cascades
Probably the best view I've ever seen of the Cascades
We get 4g up here?!
We get 4g up here?!
Summit rocks with Copper, Fernow, Maude, 7fj, Stuart range
Summit rocks with Copper, Fernow, Maude, 7fj, Stuart range
Great views of Glacier and the Dakobed Traverse
Great views of Glacier and the Dakobed Traverse
Looking NE
Looking NE
Shameless
Shameless
Glacier
Glacier
Tenuous downclimbing
Tenuous downclimbing
Above the crux
Above the crux
Fletcher on the crux of the downclimb. Definitely a no-fall zone.
Fletcher on the crux of the downclimb. Definitely a no-fall zone.
Back down the glacier
Back down the glacier
One last look at the bergschrund and scramble. Off to Martin next!
One last look at the bergschrund and scramble. Off to Martin next!
Bonanza from Martin's summit.
Bonanza from Martin's summit.
Fletcher seconds before he passed out on the summit of Martin
Fletcher seconds before he passed out on the summit of Martin
Fletcher rappels
Fletcher rappels
Fletcher descends Martin
Fletcher descends Martin
Endless choss
Endless choss
Bonanza in the evening
Bonanza in the evening
What a day!
What a day!

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Mesahchie Mark
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Joined: 10 May 2005
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Mesahchie Mark
A Lerxst
PostWed Jul 19, 2017 9:46 am 
Well done, gents! up.gif I agree - the views from Bonanza are the best up.gif

Cheers, Mesahchie Mark
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Fletcher
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Fletcher
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PostWed Jul 19, 2017 12:50 pm 
Video added! *DISCLAIMER* CONTAINS VULGAR LANGUAGE

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puzzlr
Mid Fork Rocks



Joined: 13 Feb 2007
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puzzlr
Mid Fork Rocks
PostWed Jul 19, 2017 2:14 pm 
Thanks for the many photos of the scrambling section above the glacier. I still need to climb this peak and those photos made it look like the kind of terrain I enjoy, and not above my skill level.

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Gimpilator
infinity/21M



Joined: 12 Oct 2006
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Location: Edmonds, WA
Gimpilator
infinity/21M
PostWed Jul 19, 2017 5:08 pm 
Both in a day! Damn. Thanks for the call from the summit. Cool to share in the excitement. Great job documenting the climb. Your Bonanza photos bring back memories. up.gif

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Matt Lemke
High on the Outdoors



Joined: 15 Jul 2010
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Matt Lemke
High on the Outdoors
PostWed Jul 19, 2017 5:38 pm 
You camped in the exact same spot we did!

The Pacific coast to the Great Plains = my playground!!! SummitPost Profile See my website at: http://www.lemkeclimbs.com
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raising3hikers
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raising3hikers
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PostWed Jul 19, 2017 5:43 pm 
nice job up.gif martin pk was my least favorite t100, that pk is just not fun

Eric Eames
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Bsaimo
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Bsaimo
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PostThu Jul 20, 2017 11:44 pm 
Hey nice work getting both of those peaks in one day! We were the party camped at the pass when you came down from Martin. We also found the route on Bonanza to be in great shape and enjoyable. The day after I did Martin and agreed that it was a chossy bitch. Found the register buried deep in the cairn on the summit

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Jake Robinson
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Jake Robinson
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PostFri Jul 21, 2017 12:25 pm 
Damn, we even looked in there! Must have just been tired. Nice to meet you and glad you had a succesful trip!

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