Bonanza – big blocky peak dominating the eastern edge of the north-central Cascades.
Bonanza, from bottom to top, as viewed from Holden Pass:
deep blue basin of Holden Lake,
scores of waterfall streaming down the slab cliffs above the lake,
crumpled blue icefalls of the Mary Green Glacier above the cliffs,
bulging dark shoulders of rock above the glacier,
and a steep gray summit towering above everything.
Some History
In July 1997, I got up to 8400 feet on Bonanza, but my companions decided to turn back. There was half a foot of fresh snow on the mountain, and they thought it would make the upper rock too difficult. At the time, I thought they were being wastefully over-cautious. This weekend’s climbing experience on Day 2 convinced me that they were correct.
In July 2000, I camped above Holden Pass in order to climb Martin Peak. All day and night, our nerves were unsettled by the frequent thunder of ice breaking off the lip of the Mary Green Glacier and crashing down the cliffs. On the present trip, the glacier was entirely silent. With some leisure time on Day 3 of this weekend’s trip, I could study the glacier and see why.
Day 1: Holden to Holden Lake to Holden Pass Camp
Getting to the Holden trailhead for Bonanza is a journey in itself. We left Seattle at 6am, caught the 9:45 Lake Chelan ferry at Fields Point, took the bus to the former mining town of Holden, and finally started hiking at 1:30pm.
The trail to Holden Lake was in good shape. We passed hordes of day-hikers returning to the retreat center at Holden. From Holden, Copper Mountain looms overhead. As we hiked up the trail, Fernow appeared around its shoulder. At the lake, we relaxed near the outlet and enjoyed our first view of Holden Pass and Bonanza’s summit.
A way trail led us around the right side of the lake. However, high water put the trail underwater at the head of the lake, so we had to fight some brush and find bits of the trail in the woods above the lake. Eventually we broke through to talus and trail along the inlet stream above the lake.
As we climbed the track to Holden Pass, we had great views of the waterfalls streaming down the cliffs below the glacier.
The pass itself isn’t a great camp, because it’s closed in and snowy. Higher up on the Martin side, there’s a closed contour that has panoramic views, flat ground, and rocky benches. I told everyone it was a couple hundred feet above the pass; actually it’s about 400 feet higher, but well worth the trip. Hazy skies washed out the sunset, but a sickle moon rested on the side of the summit tower.
Approach stats: Holden 3226, Holden Lake 5287, Holden Pass 6400, Camp 6800.
7.5 miles, 5:30 hours, 3600 gain
Day 2: Bonanza Climb
In the morning, sunrise lit upper Bonanza pink, with the waterfalls in gray shadow below.
Our route up Bonanza has three main parts:
Traverse from Holden Pass up to the glacier. The crux is crossing the edge of the wet waterfall slabs and getting onto the snow.
Hike up the glacier and then up the snow thumb above the glacier. Curve around icefalls on the glacier. Finish at the huge schrund that bisects the thumb.
Scramble up another 900 feet of sloping unprotected steep rock, with occasional weak patches of snow for obstacles. Mostly 3rd class, with occasional 4th class. This part was just damned scary, with no margin for error.
We left camp about 6:30, dropped to the pass, hiked back up snow patches on the far side, and crossed some steep snow to the bare part of the waterfall slabs. It turns out crampons grip quite well on wet rock. To cross one snow patch, we had to chop a step into the undermined edge of the snow and mantle up onto it, hoping it wouldn’t break off and drop us back down the slabs.
Hiking up the glacier went smoothly, with early season snow filling the crevasses. The seracs in the icefalls were impressive.
Now came the rock. I used to enjoy climbing on rock with lots of exposure, but this one I didn’t enjoy. Few good holds anywhere. Occasional very thin moves across slabs or around snow. Randy & Don went up faster, because they were possibly climbing Martin later. Carla, Yana, and I ascended some ways behind.
The summit was a relief. It had plenty of space to hang out, and huge views, especially toward Glacier Peak.
Summit views:
Summit pans:
Busch & Brooks soon departed. About an hour and three quarters later, they re-appeared down on the glacier.
The rest of us were still napping on the summit. After about two and a half hours on the summit, we departed.
Going down was worse than going up. We tried a few rappels, so that we’d have a rope to hang onto, but most of the anchors didn’t line up with where we wanted to go, and I ended up climbing back up the rappel rope. (Later, from below, it looked like there were a couple sequential anchors left of the biggest snow patch, but the terrain was steeper and would have left us stuck if the rope came up short.) Occasionally a rock fell, and we’d watch it gain spped so fast that it was jumping hundreds of feet per bounce. Somewhere along the way, a rock hit the rope and cut the core about 40 feet from one end.
As we descended, the late afternoon light highlighted Martin and all the peaks east of us.
Finally we got down to the end of the rock. I’ve never felt so happy to climb into a schrund.
We trotted down the glacier as it dropped into shadow, and the evening light made the eastern peaks even prettier. We could even see our tents reflecting the last sunlight.
Behind us, the lowering sun cast shadows upward to clouds kissing the summit.
Now we had one final obstacle, the waterfall slabs, now even wetter than the morning. Then, down below, two shapes appeared, hiking up from the pass. It was Randy & Don, who had packed up some camping gear and come to rescue us, since we were so late returning. They pointed out where they had scooted down the wet slabs and made a dynamic step across onto the snow. We arrived back in camp just before sunset.
Climb stats:
Camp 6800, Holden Pass 6400, Bonanza 9511
3.8 miles round trip, 3200 gain to summit plus 400 gain back to camp, 14 hours
Day 3: Martin for some, Holden for all
The next morning, Don & Randy got up at 4am and accomplished a very efficient 5.5 hour round trip to the summit of Martin. Coincidentally, Martin is exactly 1000 feet shorter than Bonanza.
I got up at 5am to watch the sunrise.
Studying the sunrise photos, I can also see a marked retreat of the Mary Green Glacier. In the 2000 photo below, the icy edge of the glacier extends right to the edge of the slabs, and calved off in noisy crashes. In the current photo below, the ice walls stop well short of the slabs, and only annual snow covers the space in between.
We had no need to hurry out of camp, since the bus wouldn’t leave Holden till 1:45 anyway. So we relaxed in camp and packed at a desultory pace.
Meanwhile the light crept down the face of Bonanza and illuminated our tracks.
Eventually the Martineers returned, and we left camp about 9:30am. At Holden Lake, Yana and I took the opportunity for a swim. The water was actually not too cold.
The trail back was hot, but had some nice flowers. Butterflies distracted me by landing on flowers but then flying away.
Exit stats: 7.5 miles, 4 hours, 3600 descent
Holden was hot. They really should open the ice cream parlor earlier in the day. Lake Chelan was even hotter. Dicey ordered some unusual cilantro tacos in Entiat. With the bus, ferry, dinner & drive, it was about 10:30pm before I arrived home.
Oh, one last detail:
96!
-------------- "Matt, you are truly full of it. But you take great --- pics, in spite of that." Scrooge
Over at CC they use a different term when they describe that kind of trip. Bonanza Peak and Tiger Mountain just don't have all that much in common. I think it's great that you all prefer our company to the company of your peers. I also think Karen had a point when she suggested dividing the Trip Reports forum into two separate sections, one for trail hikes and one for expeditions.
Pardon the side trip. ....... A great report, Matt, as always, and superb photographic documentation. Nobody does it better.
And congratulations on "96". Are the rest of you counting?
-------------- Something lost behind the ranges. Lost and waiting for you....... Go and find it. Go!
Stunning report and trip. Very glad you posted it here.
I know I wouldn't enjoy 900' of exposed Class 3/4 rock climbing (and the downclimbing) so I most likely won't be around this peak in the near future. But at least I am able to sort of experience the peak thru your excellent pictures and descriptions. Thanks!!
Over at CC they use a different term when they describe that kind of trip. Bonanza Peak and Tiger Mountain just don't have all that much in common. I think it's great that you all prefer our company to the company of your peers. I also think Karen had a point when she suggested dividing the Trip Reports forum into two separate sections, one for trail hikes and one for expeditions.
Aye, ‘tis a good question you raise. I notice there are more climbing reports lately. But I think that’s a byproduct of a larger issue. As the site grows, there are many more reports of every kind. I find that I have to be more selective of what I read. As far as my reports, they’re usually clearly identified as including a climb in the first couple lines, so you can skip them if wanted.
There are three reasons I post here rather than CC.
First, the report includes a lot of hiking discussion. Well over half the text and photos are taken along the trail and at camp. It’s actually an appealing place for regular hiking and camping.
Second, for me, the difference between nwhikers and CC is not simply the type of travel, but a different focus for the experience. CC tends to be focused on routes and technical accomplishments. That’s not why I go into the mountains. My focus is on enjoyment of the mountain environment, regardless of whether that’s experienced on a hike, climb, road walk, road trip, or whatever. How I got there is much less important to me than appreciating whatever I find along the way. I try to describe my whole experience of each trip in the mountains. I enjoy reading others’ experiences, even when it’s very different from the kind of trip I might do. I post here because I hope others here would enjoy what I describe and photograph, even if it’s not someplace they might go, and even sometimes exactly because it’s someplace they might not get to themselves.
Third, I post here because it is a mountaineering community, not just a set of reports. I really like the people here, I enjoy their stories and comments, and I like sharing the discussion with these people.
However, though I believe all kinds of trip reports have a place here, I have come to agree with Karen’s original suggestion to split the Trip Report forum, so I’ve bumped her thread.
-------------- "Matt, you are truly full of it. But you take great --- pics, in spite of that." Scrooge
Nice trip report...sounds like a good time had by all. Quick question...what are the boots the three of you are wearing? Thanks.
Some kind of Scarpas. Don, Randy, or Dicey would know. Too narrow for my feet.
Schmidt Alti-Dude wrote:
Yea, yea, yea, epic trip, great photos, blah, blah, blah!
Were there any fish in Holden Lake?
Dayhikers from Holden reported catching some small fish. Don’t know if they were in the best place, however. Midway up the lake, there’s an arm of rocks and trees that might interest fish.
Or, to put it in your terms: Fish, fish, fish, blah, blah, blah.
However, though I believe all kinds of trip reports have a place here, I have come to agree with Karen’s original suggestion to split the Trip Report forum, so I’ve bumped her thread.
I agreed with Karen, originally, but the overwhelming number of counterarguments convinced me I was wrong. Aside from so many people disliking the idea, the problem of where to draw the line came to seem insurmountable.
Your Bonanza climb and Dayhike Mike's Alta-Chickamin traverse are clearly expeditions. Tiger Mountain rambles and TNAB's Thursday night hikes are clearly trail hikes (even though many of us can't hope to emulate the TNAB'rs).
But, where do I post my trips? Today we're trying again for Rachor Falls. None of it is on trail and about a mile of it is bushwhacking over unknown territory ........ but the whole thing will only take about six hours.
Or Big Four: starting with rafting the Stilly is different, but no big deal; spending an hour or two clambering over blowdown isn't exactly hiking; and exploring the ice caves (when they're there) is pretty adventurous ....... but the whole roundtrip is only about three miles! And half of it is still on accessible trail. ........ Is that an expedition?
I was worried, at first, that the peakbagging and the expedition reports would intimidate "100 Hikes" hikers, and discourage them from reporting. That doesn't appear to be the case. The majority of Snow Lake daytrippers seem to enjoy reading about your assault on the "Top 100", just like most of the Cascade peakbaggers enjoy reading about Everest expeditions, without having any particular thought of joining one.
All that aside, the group has grown, from about 40 refugees from WTA when we started, to its present level, when it's not uncommon to have 100 people viewing the site at once. If the interests of the group have changed some, I think we just have to accept it.
-------------- Something lost behind the ranges. Lost and waiting for you....... Go and find it. Go!
Well Matt, you have outdone yourself. Somehow this trip report stands out amongst your many fine efforts. I personally won't be cramponing up waterfall slabs or scrambling 900' of unprotectable classs 3/4, but it's great to read about it.
I for one am glad for the variety of reports on this site. I read most everything from kid hikes to Cascadian hardmen(women) epics. Keep them coming peoples!
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