Forum Index > Trip Reports > April Pk 6355' -the olys 10/29/2020
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ozzy
The hard way



Joined: 30 Jul 2015
Posts: 475 | TRs | Pics
Location: University place, wa
ozzy
The hard way
PostWed Nov 04, 2020 8:19 pm 
I was suffering a bit from peakbagger depression so with a nice weather window for Thursday...we decided to head over to the peninsula and get some much needed R&R!! wink.gif As usual Bryan was easily persuaded to join in on the festivities!! dizzy.gif The peak in question was one that caught our attention when we were in the area climbing Constance. We passed right under April that day and the area and peak instantly drew to us! We knew we would have to get back up there and Thursday was that day. Stoke was high to get up to the alpine one last time before the snows start to hit! We made it to the Tunnel creek Th at 5am and were soon hiking around 525am. After 3miles we passed the shelter and then we took a climber's path just before the foot bridge that took us up and to the west. The climber's path is hard to follow at times but there is plenty of flagging to keep you on track. Sometimes it took a little searching but we could always find the next flag. A little over 4miles in we took a break in a boulder field just N. of "the Nun" at 4800ft. It had been cloudy all morning so we decided to take an extended break here hoping the clouds would burn off before our summit push. The time was 830am.
Bryan waiting patiently for the clouds to lift
Bryan waiting patiently for the clouds to lift
gettin ready to head up
gettin ready to head up
cool spider web action
cool spider web action
Around 9am we decided to gain some elevation and get above those damn clouds since they weren't cooperating lol! rant.gif It was pretty cold under the clouds so needless to say we were excited to get up to the sunshine. From the boulder field the route ascends upper boulder fields(class 2) to the SW. You climb these to the March/April saddle to around 5900ft. A couple hundred feet below the saddle is when we rose above the cloud deck!! And holy sh##!!! angel.gif The views did not disappoint! rocker.gif Bluebird skies up above and Constance rising mighty to the north! It was pretty badass! Everything below 5800ft was under cloud cover. I love that feeling of being on top of an ocean of clouds with just the tops peaks/ridges visible! Definitely gives the impression of being on top of the world! wave.gif The view out to the south was sweet too...the 5 volcanoes were even out! From the saddle we dropped about 100ft and traversed below cliffs easterly for a couple hundred yards. A medium sized gully presented itself and we climbed up this for 400ft or so. It had a few class 3 sections.. pretty straightforward. After topping out in the gully you can see a notch in the east trending ridge above. Aim for the notch and it's easy peasy from there!! We ended up on the summit 1045am. rocker.gif
up cloudy boulder fields to the saddle
up cloudy boulder fields to the saddle
finally some light above
finally some light above
constance making her first appearance
constance making her first appearance
the Brothers out south
the Brothers out south
stoked
stoked
S side of April pk
S side of April pk
Bryan above the misty forest
Bryan above the misty forest
wide angle of March pk
wide angle of March pk
sea of white
sea of white
Bryan in lower part of gully
Bryan in lower part of gully
topping out in gully
topping out in gully
Dear god!! eek.gif The views from the summit were proper!! We were lulled into a trance watching the air currents move the clouds around below us! The original plan was to try and get March peak while we were up there too...however with the glorious weather and scenery I could feel peakbagger laziness starting to set in lol! moon.gif The comfortable summit was calling to me, so with a bit of coaxing and some whiskey & vodka Bryan agreed on this as the halfway point too. cheers.gif The breeze would kick up to around 20mph at times but for the most part it was calm and around 50 degrees. The Constance massif dominates everything from up here and we could even see out to Olympus...we didnt wanna leave! A few drinks later, some summit napping, and alotta admirin we made our way off the rock 3 hrs later. What a nice relaxing and cleansing day in the alpine, damn I love those days! We made the downclimb back to the saddle and enjoyed the last rays of sunshine before the descent back into the clouds. We made it back to the car around 6pm. Stoked and fulfilled we were glad to have a reason to come back! Another great day to be alive and cheers to yall!! drink.gif
W towards Olympus
W towards Olympus
yewwww
yewwww
cant get enough of Constance
cant get enough of Constance
summit bum
summit bum
not a bad spot to snooze for a bit
not a bad spot to snooze for a bit
at ease
at ease
down S
down S
back down gully, top
back down gully, top
middle part of gully
middle part of gully
lower part
lower part
parting views from saddle
parting views from saddle
11miles -ish 3700ft gain 11.5hrs car to car 0 humans seen

“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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awilsondc
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Joined: 03 Apr 2016
Posts: 1323 | TRs | Pics
awilsondc
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PostWed Nov 04, 2020 8:26 pm 
Nice get Ozzy! rocker.gif Those conditions are almost identical to when I climbed April in 2013, but I think you got better views. Was the register still up there?

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ozzy
The hard way



Joined: 30 Jul 2015
Posts: 475 | TRs | Pics
Location: University place, wa
ozzy
The hard way
PostWed Nov 04, 2020 8:32 pm 
Aaron, thanks man and sadly no register dammit lol! Love this little area though!

“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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meck
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Joined: 31 Dec 2010
Posts: 920 | TRs | Pics
meck
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PostWed Nov 04, 2020 9:45 pm 
Great photos! I really enjoyed the terrain on that one a few years back, and yeah that little valley is great. Those clouds look like they were a hoot observe. If you do hit up March and Lenten peaks later, you can traverse along the south side of the ridge (~100-200 below the ridgeline) after visiting them and go all the way back to Valhalla peak and 5050 Pass, then down the trail to the TH for a teardrop loop. Also, you ought to hit up Destroyer and Enigma north of April Peak. I reached the shoulders of them a while back, but I don't do class 4 stuff so I called it good. I'd be interested in how they "go".

*Just say NO to Rent-Seeking, don't give up the concept of "ownership"*
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ozzy
The hard way



Joined: 30 Jul 2015
Posts: 475 | TRs | Pics
Location: University place, wa
ozzy
The hard way
PostThu Nov 05, 2020 5:49 am 
Meck, thanks for the reply. That's a sweet loop for March as well...your TR is great on that one. As for the Destroyer and Enigma, I read your TR on those as well, I might have to go and see what they look like in person! 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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NBL
West Seattle Based



Joined: 08 Sep 2020
Posts: 44 | TRs | Pics
Location: 98126
NBL
West Seattle Based
PostThu Nov 05, 2020 8:27 am 
Couldn't dream of better weather! While out for a long run in the city on Thursday I kept thinking about anyone who was out conquering peaks in the sunshine. rocker.gif

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puzzlr
Mid Fork Rocks



Joined: 13 Feb 2007
Posts: 7216 | TRs | Pics
Location: Stuck in the middle
puzzlr
Mid Fork Rocks
PostThu Nov 05, 2020 12:12 pm 
Really beautiful shots. I'm not familiar with those peaks but they look crazy rugged. It's great when there is a reasonable scramble route to a peak like this. Thanks for the report. You've been busy this year!

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ozzy
The hard way



Joined: 30 Jul 2015
Posts: 475 | TRs | Pics
Location: University place, wa
ozzy
The hard way
PostThu Nov 05, 2020 3:30 pm 
Puzzlr, thanks man...and thank you for the continuous inspiration through all the TRs past!! rocker.gif I have been gettin out quite a bit this year, it's the only way to keep one's sanity nowadays!dizzy.gif 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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