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freddyfredpants saucy
Joined: 08 Jul 2018 Posts: 40 | TRs | Pics Location: Seattle |
After reading Ryan Stoddard's excellent trip report from last year of his trip to Formidable by way of Drop Creek I was inspired to revisit the South Fork Cascade River Trail and take a run at Old Guard. I had experienced wet heinous bushwhacking on my previous trek through this area and was encouraged to hear it had been brushed out a little.
I made a leisurely start Friday morning at 10:30 at the MP17 hairpin on CRR and began to walk.
I ignored this closure sign because it did not apply to me.
The first couple of miles were mostly as I remembered. There was a little more deadfall but apparently not more washed out after the Pincer Creek fire. There was a little brush but nothing had really leafed out yet. The tread is relatively obvious for another couple of miles and it was easy to see where to go, but it grew fainter over time and intermittent patches of snow became less intermittent.
Trail buddy Flagging
One might be tempted to say "Ermagherd too much flagging" but with the faint tread I found it quite helpful. The infrequent traffic in this area makes it easy to miss the trail even when you're paying attention.
The weather had started nice enough but eventually became less pleasant. It rained off and on after 2 and I occasionally hung out under trees contemplating my next moves. The flagging was mostly gone after the trail broke out of the trees at 3300' east of the box canyon, and the brushy slope was sufficiently snow covered that I could start skinning. Progress was quick up to the little saddle, but the brushy talus slope after that was really slow going. Skis don't help sometimes.
I finally reached Drop Creek around 6 and the rain picked up again. I skinned slushy snow to around 3900' where the terrain flattened out a bit and set up camp a bit discouraged at the slow progress. Miles of rotten snow had taken some effort, I was feeling pretty soggy, and it started to rain (again) as I was boiling snow having forgotten to tank up at Drop Creek. I thought about bailing as I got in my bivy sack and got some rest.
After a good night's sleep I decided to press on. After Drop Creek the brush abated considerably, and it was easy to find relatively open patches through the forest. The skies had cleared and I figured my clothes would eventually dry out when I got to the sun.
First view of something not forest
Between the breeze, high clouds, and being on the west side of the ridge it was a little chilly. Eventually the sun came out and the effort kept me warm. The snow made for easy skinning east up High Log Creek. Snow near the crest was mildly wind affected. Once on the east side it became softer, deeper, and more sloggy while the views opened up.
Formidable and Spider Le Conte
I crossed over the ridge intending to stay around 6600' though the terrain had me moving around a little. I gained two or three hundred feet at one point to bypass a massive wind lip transverse to my travel direction. Old Guard loomed in the distance. Such a magnificent place.
Old Guard emerging from behind the Le Conte ridge
As I approached the main portion of the Le Conte Glacier clouds moved in and obscured the views. I was a little saddened I might not have views but it didn't seem like ping pong ball weather either.
North corner of Sentinel Old Guard
And then magically the clouds thinned and the path was clear. I deposited my skis at the saddle and started booting up an easy snow climb. There was one 10' stretch of soft-but-not-rotten ice. Nothing sketchy. Soon I found myself on the summit admiring the views.
All the Things
After too short a while I booted back to my skis and clicked in. My aim was to ski easy conservative terrain and that's what I did. I headed over to the Sentinel - Le Conte col and skied down to around 7200'. From there I traversed the west side of Sentinel and eventually reached the South Cascade Glacier around 6600'. From there it was a long gravity traverse down the to the lake, mostly avoiding the avy debris paths from the southwest side of Le Conte. I skated across the lake, and from there made my way to the little saddle around 5000' to the west. Then slushy turns north down the gully, across an a snow covered brush slope, and down through open forest to the SFCR where I made camp on a snowbank in the channel at 3200'. It all happened so quickly. This was the fun part of the trip. Efficient travel. Accessible running water. Warm sleeping bag. Still light outside.
Old Guard bunny slope South Cascade Lake Fun open forest Evening accommodations
I ate a big meal, drank the rest of my whiskey, and got another great night's sleep. Although I wasn't looking forward to the slog back out, it turned out to be not so bad. The mile skin down to Drop Creek went by fast, though the terrain necessitated some gain and loss on the way out. Getting across High Log was a bit tricky though, since the stream had carved a 6' canyon of precarious looking snow banks. I investigated a couple of crossing options but eventually skinned across a log covered in a foot of snow. Not sure if I would have done that later in the day.
Semi sketchy log skinning The same log we crossed in July 2018
I moseyed back down the trail, eventually picking up my trail runners where I left them close the MFCR crossing.
Overall I found the trail flagging much easier to follow compared to 2018. There's a lot of tree debris and the tread is pretty light in places, but between more flagging and less leaf cover it was easy to see where to go. That might be the work of Dear Renegade CP. To whoever it is I offer my many many thanks. I'd go back again, maybe in summer. Take some clippers and more whiskey, make a long weekend out of it. Still a lot of dots back there.
MangyMarmot, Char May, Josh Journey, geyer, Alden Ryno, Nancyann, rstoddard24, reststep, shane w, LukeHelgeson, Route Loser, philfort, Schroder, Silas, jaysway, rubywrangler, Eric Gilbertson, NWtrax, zimmertr, ozzy, Bramble_Scramble awilsondc
MangyMarmot, Char May, Josh Journey, geyer, Alden Ryno, Nancyann, rstoddard24, reststep, shane w, LukeHelgeson, Route Loser, philfort, Schroder, Silas, jaysway, rubywrangler, Eric Gilbertson, NWtrax, zimmertr, ozzy, Bramble_Scramble awilsondc
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Bramble_Scramble Member
Joined: 28 Dec 2012 Posts: 312 | TRs | Pics
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Great report! I would love for South Fork to be reopened. I've been wanting to go to South Cascade Glacier for a long time but don't want to deal with the brush with overnight gear. It doesn't sound like wta is going to reopen the whole trail. I definitely support and appreciate what CP is doing.
puzzlr, fourteen410
puzzlr, fourteen410
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RichP Member
Joined: 13 Jul 2006 Posts: 5628 | TRs | Pics Location: here |
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RichP
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Tue Apr 26, 2022 6:15 am
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Nice trip. We don't often get a view of that area under a blanket of snow.
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ozzy The hard way
Joined: 30 Jul 2015 Posts: 475 | TRs | Pics Location: University place, wa |
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ozzy
The hard way
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Tue Apr 26, 2022 8:33 am
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That's a badass trip man! So cool to get back in there this early. Hopefully the trail gets some more love and use, I'd like to get some red dots back in there! I definitely don't want to cross the middle cascade glacier again lol! Awesome solo and thanks!
“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
“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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Fletcher Member
Joined: 29 Jul 2009 Posts: 1870 | TRs | Pics Location: kirkland |
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Fletcher
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Tue Apr 26, 2022 9:20 am
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raising3hikers Member
Joined: 21 Sep 2007 Posts: 2343 | TRs | Pics Location: Edmonds, Wa |
Good stuff, Fred. Nice work to get in there this time of year.
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Route Loser Member
Joined: 24 Jul 2012 Posts: 195 | TRs | Pics Location: Whidbey Island |
Nice trip. It's starting to get downright civilized up the south fork.
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iron Member
Joined: 10 Aug 2008 Posts: 6391 | TRs | Pics Location: southeast kootenays |
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iron
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Wed Apr 27, 2022 7:30 pm
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awesome.
i think that old guard shot you took is my favorite view of any mountain in WA. there is nothing else that looks like it, with the big glacier, steep drop, and then the le conte lakes below.
really fine trip. i remember working on the SF cascade trail 10+ years ago. there may or may not have been others.
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Stefan-K Member
Joined: 10 Aug 2009 Posts: 522 | TRs | Pics Location: seattle |
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Stefan-K
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Fri May 06, 2022 11:00 am
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Read this a little while a go and really loved it. Thanks for the report.
Winter is still in full force and dumping another foot or two up there as I type!
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