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Joined: 10 Aug 2008 Posts: 6392 | TRs | Pics Location: southeast kootenays |
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Tue Jul 27, 2010 1:49 pm
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summary
humbling. very humbling
extended summary
drop off bike at cascade river on FS road 1570. drive to cascade pass. begin ptarmigan traverse heading north to south. at the end of bachelor creek, cross downey creek, cross goat creek, pick up ridge to bench lake, and traverse from there to sonny boy ridge back to bike location. 8 days hiking, 1 hr biking.
background
hotpantz and i had planned to do the ptarmigan traverse this summer. we picked these dates back in march/april so we could coordinate work schedules. given that i was laid off the week prior to this trip, it afforded just enough time to get all the last minute details worked out, including getting brand new mountaineering boots the day before the trip since my previous pair failed. different brand + different size = perfect recipe for pain. plus, both hotpantz and i were dealing with nagging overuse injuries: she had IT band stuff and my achilles no longer liked me. still, we decided to push on because this trip was worth it.
but, given that the suiattle river road had questionable access to stash bikes without a long road walk or some other means of transport, i devised a plan to make a loop back to the trailhead. i looked both at sonny boy, for which there was little info, and the buckindy traverse, which was probably more involved and required more rope than i wanted to deal with. so, sonny boy it was. when looking at the map i surmised we could run the ridge for most of the route north of bench lake. how wrong i was. but, because it was a high snow year at high elevations and late in the season, easier travel was possible because of snow fields, ramps, and fingers.
day 1: cascade pass to kool-aid lake
we dropped off the bike and arrived at cascade pass around 10:30a with the parking lot nearly full on a warm saturday morning. i tried figuring out the gps i had, but gave up and left it in the car. off we went at around 11:00a. i had a queasy feeling in my stomach since my previous longest trip in the mountains was 4 days, and that was mostly on trail around glacier peak last summer.
this trip was so much larger. yes, the PT is popular, but as we would find, there would be no footprints or signs of people from cache col until we reached bachelor creek. add to that the unknown, seldom visited terrain of bench lake and beyond. we had a PLB, and emergency contacts, but that was about it. from thereon, it would just be the two of us.
our bags were heavy, for us, since we had cams, nuts, glacier rope, two pickets and pulleys each, ice screws and 8+ days (36lbs total) of food. it was the first time i appreciated the gentle grade of the cascade pass switchbacks. even still, i felt tired going up; shouldn't have done kyes two days prior i guess.
loads and loads of food departing trailhead the bent-forward position, common with heavy packs j-berg snow looking towards the route bootprints to follow for this stretch blooming heather and huckleberry we'd see a LOT of this along the way steps group of 3 on the ridge
the most challenging route finding of any trip for me is when to leave the trail. i'm fine off trail and feel very comfortable there, but when there are confusing trails, i often get turned around. fortunately, that was not the case from cascade pass. in fact, the route all the way to cache col was cake. sure, there was the occasionally steep traversing, but nothing bad.
valley towards stehekin much deserved 2nd break, cascade pass in background ah, finally, continuous snow checking out what's over the bump trail was steeper than i thought it'd be somewhat steep with a bit of exposure 1 label breaking out the 'pons for the first of many times in a sea of suncups trail to stehekin looking back towards cascade pass pelton creek approaching cache col so close to cascade pass, yet it felt very far away begining of the moat runnels and a dropoff goats on the ridge
crevasses on the cache glacier were next to non existent. we did not rope up. there was no moat either, though the snow at the col looked imposing. i couldn't gauge whether there was a snow bridge, so i opted to do the dirty scramble route. once on top, i informed hotpantz it was okay to be on the snow the whole way.
hotpantz chose the snow option or try the dirty scramble option formidable terrain ahead doubtful lake
from here the route was obvious. we couldn't see kool-aid lakes, but knew exactly their location.
descending cache col just follow the snow to the next destination 1 label the trail is always a good sign your on-route
because we wanted to make sure the red ledges had solid snow to cross, we opted to camp at the lake and wait for the snow to harden. good call as the lake was simply amazing.
1 label a rough day and into camp by 4pm 2 labels great campsite, red ledges in background a clawed visitor taking one of 1800 pictures day 1 yoga gorgeous colors
we started reading the hobbit, the prequill to the lord of the ring series. well, hotpantz read to me all trip long. i think that was the price of compensation for kicking the majority of the steps. shortly after starting, we noticed a black bear running down to our location. it was still ~.5 mi away, but was closing that gap fast, and would be upon us soon. we watched and then decided it'd be best if we didn't have a confrontation. i yelled. he paused. i yelled again. he headed uphill. we felt bad, but didn't want him to be scared or violent upon reaching us.
an all-too-friendly visitor running into the lake he was moving, FAST eventually we had to alert him of our presence to avoid an unfortunate confrontation he looked disappointed
a great sunset and surprisingly tasty dinner rounded out the day. clouds rolled in and nighttime temps stayed warm, though the single-walled tarptent experienced some condensation. sadly, my MEC sleeping pad burst some of its baffles. by the end of the trip, it would look more like a tootsie roll than a pad. fortunately, hotpantz was able to rearrange our pads and backpacks to allow me to sleep somewhat okay after two nights on a waterbed pad.
sweet smells everywhere great soothing sounds all night long from the outlet red ledges rib more reading til the sun went down still digging the campsite billowing clouds purple ridges pink clouds clouds rolling in around sunset
day 2: kool-aid lake to yang yang lakes
we awoke to partly sunny skies and great temps. a family of goats stopped by for a visit and cleaned the rocks near our campsite. the kid goat was terribly cute; too afraid to lick the salt so he just stumbled around behind the elders.
morning visitors a lil' one curious not licking very much, more just walking around the leader of the pack looks like a little toy
we packed up and moved on. sun had not yet reached the red ledges. prior to getting to the ledges, we crossed what appeared to be recent avy debris; the trail was no longer apparent in this area.
snow took us directly to the ledges, which were not bad at all. the only spot that gave pause was a sliver of snow still packed into a gully. the snow was steepish (45-50*), firm, and had a horrific runout (i.e. none). we opted not to protect the crossing and booted across. crampons may have helped, but i felt more comfortable kicking in really solid steps.
2 labels crossing boulders and recent avy debris to red ledges solid snow leading to the ledges snow still filled in approaching red ledges easy part of the red ledges steep and exposed snow crossing trust your feet fun steps hotpantz' turn thinking happy thoughts about dirt and rock chopping steps for this spot
soon we rounded arts knoll's shoulder and were offered amazing views of the middle cascade glacier.
1 label ahh, new views of the middle cascade glacier a sense of scale great alpine country cascade palm trees in awe the supposed campsite at arts knoll?
we continued on through a nice basin with up close views of the glacier. awesome! then, we donned glacier gear and headed up to the spider formidable col.
modeling the glacier gear yeah... work it lots of ice stark contrast 4 labels looking back on the route so far immense wowed by the thought of where we have traveled already gentle slopes heading up crevasses lower down on the middle cascade glacier opposing angles
we saw tracks heading up to the col. this seemed odd. where did they come from? plus, why were they so far right? it didn't appear to be the best route in terms of crevasse danger, so we stayed off it. we would later discover they were bear tracks.
we were hot on the trail of another bear nearing the col 3 labels looking over the col at le conte lakes and mountain crevasse en route
the view upon cresting the col was the most jaw-dropping moment i've ever had. le conte lakes and the huge glaciers above are like nothing i'd seen. the steep descent was quite easy with relatively soft snow. no ice like previous accounts have told.
descending the steep side of spider formidable col traversing to yang yang lakes take the lower snow finger to more efficiently get to the lakes such a difference between mountain slopes go down, go down! 1 label looking back at spider formidable col where snow meets summer
there was no trail to see on this side of the world. we spied a route and thought it would go (it would have), but upon getting to the fork in the snow, i went middle instead of down. definitely should have gone down to get to yang yang lakes. having never been here before and still being inexperienced with traverses like this, the cliffy terrain everywhere gave me pause about whether routes would go. one thing learned by the end of the trip: if there's snow, it goes. similar to bigsteve's advice, just a different color of terrain.
eventually we found the lakes after a detour and steep and gravelly waterfall and gully descent. the lakes were awesome, perched high on a bench before dropping off sharply. campsites here appeared limited.
yang yang lake glowing skies saddle above yang yang lakes pink!
day 3: yang yang lakes to white rock lakes
this was perhaps the most breathtaking day of the trip. the huge glaciers, warm sun, blue skies, and ever-impressive views is the kind of stuff you dream about.
leaving the lakes after a cool morning dip, we headed up to the saddle and then over. this is not the standard route, but again, we did not see trail in this area, and would not, until below white rock lakes. the standard route goes left at the saddle, instead of around, but i knew that with a little more effort, we could find a route that would be safe and get us to where we needed to be.
looking back at spider formidable col from yang yang lakes just right for a swim yep 1 label looking up to saddle from yang yang lakes up and over we go steepish near the top 1 label perched on a platform before a big dropoff 5 labels rounding the corner after the saddle, buckindy, snowking, and sonny boy ridge in background such simple colors hotpantz digging in still smilin' talus! rejoining the good snowy terrain 1 label looking up the basin with le conte waiting for us
soon we were on the lower portions of the le conte glacier and roped up again. crevasses on the route were minimal at the time we crossed, and the major crevasses were in plain sight. this area is second-to-none.
wishing we were at le conte lakes 2 labels the bump west of yang yang lakes where the normal trail travels; we went around sentinel and old guard in the distance hotpantz enjoying the trek it's a bird-lake so wonderful 1 label it feels like a long way from the spider formidable col in this shot le conte ice a big playground le conte ice i think i see a viable campsite more smiles for scale simple
soon we were at the saddle north of sentinel peak with breathtaking views of the south cascade glacier. the descent was gradual and easy. i try to put words to being on the south cascade glacier, but i fail; it was that amazing.
first sight of south cascade glacier many tiny crevasses snow brush lines coming down from sentinel col to south cascade glacier first sight of lizard mountain saddle down to white rock lakes 1 label hotpantz and south cascade lake 3 labels dome, spire, and dana glacier (all in distance) so much snow on the south cascade glacier! south cascade crevasses sweeping snow! turning the corner love it! down from the saddle and onto the glacier ice worms
the saddle leading to white rock lakes is obvious. soon we were over into the shadowy basin. the lakes there were just starting to melt. instantly, we could tell we were in for yet another treat. we skirted the lower lake and had some nice time to "reflect."
3 labels first views of white rock lakes with sinister, dome, and spire in the background the three lakes still frozen white rock lake
we set up camp on the upper of three very obvious sites on a rib. perfect perfect spot. hotpantz took another frozen dip in the lake and we read the book late into the night. it was clear with many stars and a bright moon. a tremendously enjoyable evening.
hotpantz' footprint after a slippery, intentional dip into the lake feeling refreshed after a swim gorgeous area downing pudding dessert alpenglow doesn't get much better accidental long exposure of moon moon over spire col ominous spire ooh great tent site gorgeous night sparkling twinkles goodnight moon
day 4: white rock lakes to cub lake
we awoke to mostly cloudy skies, though still pleasant temps. here, we were faced with the decision to head for dome, or to continue on to cub lake, simply doing the traverse. most of the rock pro was carried specifically for dome since that was the main side trip we longed for. but, as we reached deeper and deeper into this remote and wild terrain, my caution factor kept rising. given that there were two of us, combined with what looked like a storm coming in, i wanted us to continue on the route. dome would have to wait. my gut read, as i am learning, is often correct.
we dropped from white rock lakes to quickly find the trail. hotpantz has eagle-eye vision, so she was able to spot it readily. this .5mi stretch proved to be the longest open stretch of trail we'd find on the PT until getting to bachelor creek.
morning yoga clouds! what are those? filling up with water before departing granite talus traverse beneath many waterfalls good to be reassured with a trail
we passed beneath dozens of waterfalls. i love the cascades! soon, we were on snow again and then gained the dana glacier. this glacier was in great shape on the route we took.
land of many waterfalls chopping down a snow bridge huge glacial moraine stay right and follow snow look at those pearly whites working towards snow 2 labels looking back at the white rock lakes basin the most trail we saw on the ptarmigan portion of the traverse wonderful smells primo bivy site near the trail with running water not liking the weather looming dana glacier variable cloud cover ice meets rock up we go lots of spires on the way
we followed snow to the base of spire point. too high. down we went along the arcing ridge. i popped my head over the ridge several times to see what would go. eventually, at the obvious saddle, we went over. there was a flower on the rock, which looked like spray paint, that seemed to mark the route ahead.
nearing the col the clouds match the mountains white rock lakes spire where we want to be cheese at the col lots of snow below and lots above 1 label looking for a place to cross over spire point we thought the flower was spray paint from afar; nope. but, this is the right place to cross
upon cresting, we saw the looming storms around sloan peak and glacier peak. not good. time to book. we cruised down the steep terrain and eventually headed towards the cub lake saddle. we should have gone all the way to the saddle, but decided it was ok to drop in. wrong. it was steep and cliffy north of the saddle. going was slowed. why can't there be a trail here?!
it was too late. the rain came, as did the thunder and lightning. we dropped our packs and huddled under a tree with our rain gear, which at that point, seemed inadequate. hell was unleashed for over an hour. hail pelted us and our body temps dropped. as soon as the apparent threat of lightning diminished, we picked up our ice axes and picket-lashed packs and headed down as best we could.
the entire cirque was flooded and streams emerged from every crack, nook, and cranny. amazing. fortunately for us, temps were warm and wind dried us off a bit. by the time we set up camp atop the bump between cub and itswoot lakes, our clothes were mostly dry, minus socks and boots (my boots had been wet since day 1 anyway).
it looked as though the worst had passed and we settled in for another enjoyable night of reading the hobbit and enjoying a sunset. my dslr took on some moisture, despite being fairly protected. it stopped reliably working for a day or so after the storm. nervous was i.
beaten path after the col we don't have much time to make it to cub lake, below right run! downpour coming our way steepish descent coming down eek spire col in the back gorged streams following the dumping happy to start drying out rushing water everywhere falled tree being absorbed by the earth creeks forming everywhere cool rocks weather has passed partially frozen cub lake clear waters of cub lake clearing skies on glacier peak yet another primo campsite clouds obscuring moon looking back at dome
day 5: cub lake to bachelor creek 3400' camp
warm temps and early sunshine awoke us while on the bump. awesome. we packed up, headed down to the lake, took a swim, and proceeded up the saddle to the bachelor creek basin. while ascending, i thought i saw a goofily flying grouse. i paid little attention. 2 seconds later, hotpantz said: "mike, rock!". we both dove onto the trail and heard it whiz by not far above. yikes. should have had the helmets on there.
after the steep climb, we grabbed a bite to eat and began the descent into the brushy bachelor creek area. after some searching, we found the trail around 5000'. around this time, we ran into our first human encounter in 4 days and our last for the next 4.
drying out in the warm morning sun nice early morning sun perfect for a dip, route to bachelor creek over the saddle in the background skirting cub lake cub and glacier peak heading up the steep trail; watch for flying rocks! saying goodbye to dome cub lake and our campsite on the bump
the trail soon deteriorated in the avalanche debris zone. we lost it, gained it, lost it. going was easy, but slow. then, while in the thick greenery, the trail was easier to follow, but the overgrown nature of it proved very tiring... or maybe that was the previous several days of travel. we found the log, crossed bachelor creek, and continued down. i did my best to prune the devils club and other overgrowth, but to little gain. the greenery was striking, but my energy was depleted. i begged and reasoned with hotpantz to take an early camp. wise call.
looking into bachelor creek area from saddle found the start of the trail! very green start of bachelor creek and incredibly clear waters awesome creek, undercutting the surface on both sides good spot for some aqua hairy tree typical travel in this part hotpantz putting on the pant legs not too bad at this point off the beaten path and through the downed trees melted chocolate in the trailmix yum slow going, but easy searching for the trail more awesome waters idyllic back on trail, found a nice campsite way green lovely getting a bit brushy caution, this trail is not a trail now at shoulder height so close yet so far into the old growth slide alder hefty slide alder trunks gotta stay close or you might lose each other despite the annoyance, it was gorgeous the bachelor creek log crossing easy to rest while crossing large logs yep oh joy a fine campsite near 3400' nice fire ring too nice 'n warm
the camp proved to be free of bugs and steps away from the creek. we made great progress on the book, which more and more seemed to parallel our own adventure. i knew the next day would be challenging with a steep climb up to bench, so this rest day was all too well placed.
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Tue Jul 27, 2010 1:49 pm
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day 6: bachelor creek to bench lake
we woke up to overcast skies which would keep most of the day. the trail down to downey creek from our campsite was significantly easier and actually enjoyable. great forest, not unlike that along the suiattle river trail.
bachelor creek from campsite
soon, at six mile shelter, we walked up along the river until a very obvious tree begged us to cross. there was even a handrail system built on the other side of the root ball to facilitate an exit from the tree to the land.
crossing downey creek eyeing up the downey creek crossing fordable, but much better on the log handrail over the rootball and using the handrail cairn on logs more cairns
once across downey creek, we found a dry creek bed parallel to the creek. we followed this most of the way, occasionally heading into the woods. hotpantz found cairns and boot tread and we were on our way.
finding boot tread on west side of downey creek following dry creek bed doing a plank pose because she can someone left me a note
soon, we reached the junction of goat and down creeks where the ridge leading to bench lake would start. a flagged log crossed goat creek and we opted to cross there, despite the presence of branch stubs impeding a butt scoot. further up-creek, we saw other logs which might work; they also had bark. but, we were unsure if there'd be a trail close enough to those trees because we could see one on the other side of our tree.
we're on a trail! 2 labels junction of goat (left) and downey (right) creeks and start of ridge up to bench lake hotpantz bravely making the crossing of goat creek 1 label unpleasant crossing of goat creek looking down at creek junction
i got 3/4 of the way across the log and found i couldn't lift myself over a branch nub without puncturing critical male parts. hotpantz handed me her axe and i chopped that thing down. phew!
now, on the north side of goat creek, we followed trail to the ridge. the trail continued past the ridge, like the map indicates, and we followed it for awhile. it did not appear to gain elevation, so we headed back to the ridge and went up. soon we were on a boot path and slowly making our way up this steep ridge.
trail becomes defined at ridgeline steep
the ridge was awesome. there was a huge blowdown area 1/3 or 1/4 of the way up, which involved some dancing with downed giants, but other than that, a path took you where you needed. plus, there were frequent blazes taking you where needed. at 3300', being on the trail paid off to negotiate a slabby area.
green and mossy lots of blazes to follow mature forest some blowdown to start split and a double jog joyous rambling on big trees taking the low road duck! lichen blowdown area easy going cantilevered trees off to nowhere 1 label fun to be on top of downed trees looking down showing off mad balance skillz back on trail mossy tall trees mossy boulder foggy valley below lots of bark, little core brown or green, that's it healthy trees nice clear understory lichened boulders signs of former trail maintenance odd place for a lupine ridge flattens out and leads to views of lake 4936 lake 4936 lake 4936 signs of bench lake
the sun struggled to come out this day, but, it proved to be a good thing as the temps stayed moderate and made the ascent of the ridge relatively sweat-free. the only place it hurt us was in trying to find bench lake since the clouds were right on top of us. we reached the saddle in the ridge, saw the lake, and backtracked to take the west-trending ridge to the lake's outlet. we backtracked too far and found ourselves in steep forest and brush. not fun.
it tried all day long off planned route to bench lake steep descent even steeper bench lake outlet
finally we found bench lake and it was awesome. it would become even more awesome the next day with sun, but still, pretty cool. for some reason, it felt isolated, desolate, and entirely ours. with a little reconnaissance, we settled on a sweet campsite on the west edge of the lake. it was posh with chairs and all. other campsites existed higher up on the bump at the SW end of the lake, but they didn't have running water like ours did.
bench lake! log jam, walkable, but slick outlet ford dinner time! condition of my sleeping pad, baffles nearly all disconnected
day 7: bench lake to 6520+ saddle
spirits were as high as could be to start this day. the sun was so warm so early and the lake just called for a more thorough swim.
because of our camp location, we decided to head up to the saddle immediately above us to gain the south ridge of bruseth. the terrain was easy to negotiate. there were plenty of heather benches leading to the saddle north of bruseth and we gladly followed them.
campsite at bench lake a warm bench lake fire ring (above 5k) and carved chairs looking down on bench with bruseth in the back farewell bench heading up to saddle boulders and snow take you around bruseth pretty stoked about the clear weather and warm temps steep heather trekking hotpantz and bench lake easy terrain ahead buckindy quartz and granite conglomerate snow made for much easier travel
at the saddle, we skirted 7103 on mostly snow. the original route i created before the trip called for many ups and downs to each point. terrain here was rugged and simply traversing was almost always the best option if you had a date by which you needed to exit.
views of the PT from this vantage were stellar. plus, the bruseth glacier wasn't too shabby either.
ridges in these parts are NOT easy to run bruseth glacier steep heather traverse 1 label saddle between 7103 and 7220 around 7103 onto the next saddle hotpantz searching thick tree travel still a lot of snow up here heading up from saddle ridge ahead, with sonny boy just out of sight on left still smiles on day 7
at the next saddle, we dropped in a bit and followed snow for most of the way to the subsequent saddle. it was a saddle-to-saddle kind of day. i kept a watchful eye on the map to make sure we made no mistakes as this day was probably the biggest unknown of the entire trip.
coming down from saddle 2 labels looking back at le conte glacier from above bruseth glacier gentle knife edge sure, run the ridge 2 labels dropping down from saddle via zigzag; sonny boy peak on left crevasses on bruseth glacier south cascade lake finding the snow finger of deliverance! 1 label sonny boy! so close, but so far... good snow coming from bruseth saddle tremendous relief in most of the area huge suncups 1 label snowking and kindy creek area in a wavy sea good to be on snow cliffy along most of the ridge heather traverse flowers and le conte glacier with south cascade lake in middle
travel to get to bench mountain was pretty straightforward. with the late snow this season, a lot of the flatter areas of these mountains still held snow and made travel WAY easier. on bench, we were pretty excited now about our prospects of completing the entire traverse.
taking a look down rugged ridge 1 label falling traverse to reach saddle leading to bench mountain (right) yum, snow doesn't look very appealing to stay on the west side of the ridge to sonny boy a narrow band of practical travel basin feeding long gone lake (left, out of picture) bench bench mark a little exposure 1 label looking back to bruseth and saddle we came through bench mountain is very bench-like long gone lake upper and lower long gone lake ridge looking north from bench summit
after bench, our hopes were somewhat dashed. the terrain surrounding 6631 was rough. there were thickets of trees that would simply not allow passage. it took probably an hour to move a couple hundred feet. were we to do it again, i'd probably drop NE off bench, to snow (if still there), and go to the saddle directly east of 6631; the next day, we dropped to approximately that level anyway.
oh crap, trees leaning to avoid snow steep terrain within the trees thick trees! veggie belays crawling to escape gasping for oxygen the elusive and hard-to-reach saddle we'd eventually camp at steep and loose if you go east to the saddle crampons more useful on dirt this day good ole dirt axe
once we finally reached the saddle, we called it good. here, we'd be able to melt snow and have a mostly flat spot to camp. what lay beyond was somewhat unknown at this point.
tight space for the tent on the saddle, hotpantz organizing the sleeping system shooting sunset from camp scoping out a route for tomorrow, in crocs, while brushing teeth sunset to the south crocs >>> boots love
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Tue Jul 27, 2010 1:49 pm
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day 8: saddle to cascade river
well, today was it. bittersweet. somewhat nerve wracking. will it go? what kind of crap would we find on the rest of the ridge? the density and difficulties of the trees had me worried. hopefully the snow route would go.
and it did!
we dropped from the camp saddle several hundred feet and began traversing. everything went. simple. our spirits soared again as we could see the ridge leading back to cascade river. unfortunately, we were too eager to get up to sonny boy and went up the wrong gully. i suspected as much in looking at the map, but i figured we'd be able to make it work regardless. it added considerable difficulty and time to the trip, but we wanted to come out in the dark anyway.
crowded tent with backpacks, pads, and bags 1 label checking the map, a consistent theme this day it looks like it goes hotpantz coming down from the camp saddle rib in your way to start the day still rugged ridge above traversing from the saddle wonderful nice walking surface which wraps around the corner hey look, a good looking gully to go up (DON'T!!!) crossing one final gully to get to sonny boy hotpantz searching for a summit register (none found) happy times on sonny boy impromptu register paper 2 labels huge drainage basin we'd later have to cross with a kindy creek ford a couple points between us and the easy ridge beyond 1 label saying farewell to sonny boy and high alpine more great colors
we spent some time on sonny boy peak and reflected on the trip. what an adventure thus far. i still couldn't believe we'd made it this far. the former register (film cannister) was shattered, so we left what we could.
on the way down the ridge, we came across more bears. this time, though, it was a momma bear and three cubs. we watched for awhile, but they started coming towards us. it was again time to alert them of our presence. we did, she stared us down, we slowly backed away, and then waited. we saw them go up and over the ridge and a few minutes later, they dashed past us just a few hundred feet below. the last thing we wanted to do was to upset momma bear.
cub tracks then we saw these guys so cute
onward and downward.
phew sonny boy lakes no. 2 let's go thataway 2 labels two more big bumps til the easy ridge
one of the big bumps, 5785, proved to be more than we anticipated. upon returning to seattle, i read matt's and fwb's reports about traversing around this. we opted to go up it and it was somewhere between exposed class 3 and low 5th class climbing. at this point in the trip, i couldn't gauge. we didn't protect, but should have. it was easily the biggest lapse in judgment on the trip.
heading up 5785 (should have traversed through trees) not sure what class moves these were, but by this time, we could've gone without them crumbly hotpantz' turn up the exposed route traversing around the bumps didn't seem appealing for the most part
the ridge to 5775 was straightforward. we opted to descend to the west of the bump, which proved to be a mistake. more brushy traversing. it wasn't until getting to about 5000' that a solid boot path guided us down. the ridge was sharp and defined. pretty cool. in hindsight, it nearly mirrored the ridge on the south end of bench lake.
skirting beneath 5775 to get ridge below (should have gone right) steep, grabby traverse before the forest a little more bushwacking for good measure RIDGE! and on a trail! found a flag too! cool ridge with defined edge and steepish dropoffs signs of former trail maintenance a tilted arm
further down the ridge, things became quite mossy. it also became difficult to stay on the ridge or on the trail due to excessive blowdowns in every single direction. still, the ridge was super soft and you could pretty quickly find a fast way down and around.
a nice green way to exit logs being absorbed into the soil sun is still shining lots of downfall on the ridge
we pushed and pushed as fast as we could. we needed to reach the river tonight or we'd be rationing water we collected with the last location of snow. nearing 2000', we took the right fall-line to run into the road. we crossed a road at about 1800' and headed closer to the ridge on a relatively brush-free path. then down again to the next road around 1600'. we followed that east until it switch-backed to the washed out bridge. there was a good deal of devils club on the road, so it wasn't the most pleasant way to exit.
old trailhead sign on the overgrown road ~1500'
we arrived at the gorged kindy creek to find car campers on the other side. i knew of a log crossing down creek, but the water looked shallow enough to ford. we put on the headlamps, unzipped the convertibles, and headed across. it wasn't bad. somewhat slippery with a fast current. after a short road walk back to the river, hotpantz dug out the guinness she stashed in a creek and we celebrated under warm skies. after 2 drinks each, we were feeling quite good.
hotpantz retrieving the guinness clutching it tightly congrats!
day 9: cascade river to cascade pass
while most of our days offered lazy starts, this one was the best. eventually, i rolled out of the tent, splashed some water in my face, and walked to get the bike.
once on the bike, i remembered why i like biking so much. so much speed, so little effort. that is, until the steep section at the end of the road. it was tough, but i vowed to myself not to stop pedaling no matter what.
awesome biking clothes (i'd lose the longjohns and switch to shorts) camping near the road just east of bridge on cascade river bike is still stashed on the road with good chipseal biking in crocs
and soon i was at my car. that's it. it's over.
made it!
and for some reason, the previous 8 days, the countless decisions, route finding, nervousness about whether or not things would go, what the weather would hold, and all the other elements... they all vanished. i felt like that entire time period was a void in my life. i know it's not a void, but on this day, it felt like it.
and as we transitioned back to the speed of life --- slow hiking, to biking, to driving down the single lane cascade river road, to driving through marblemount to darrington, and then to the madness of i5 and seattle --- i felt the clutter and stress of normalcy. it's something i don't normally feel, but after 9 days of the ultimate simplicity - eat, hike, drink, sleep - i now felt it. i didn't enjoy that transition, but i'm not sure how to avoid it.
regardless, the trip will forever be special to me and to hotpantz. it's a credit of several years of rapid learning and growth of mountaineering skillz and knowledge. i have been fortunate to meet many more experienced than myself and have gleaned much from their knowledge. i knew it was a big trip with the possibility to go off track in a hurry. but hotpantz and i work together quite well in many ways, and the mountains are no exception.
so, a big thanks to hollywood (b00) and the snolanator as they taught me the most. modern, cartman, dicey, tom_sjolseth, fwb2, matt, baddog, justus, mike collins, and many others - i have learned bits and pieces from all of you. thank you! and thanks to bigsteve, borank, matt, DHM, and steph abegg for the beta.
PS: 500 pics in this report
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gyngve Member
Joined: 26 Nov 2003 Posts: 1161 | TRs | Pics
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gyngve
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Tue Jul 27, 2010 2:09 pm
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I like the creativity of adding on Bench + Sonny Boy!
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silence Member
Joined: 25 Apr 2005 Posts: 4420 | TRs | Pics
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silence
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Tue Jul 27, 2010 2:23 pm
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i don't have time to read right now .. but i will cuz i always enjoy you trs and pix .. i was wondering when you guys would get around to the pt
PHOTOS
FILMS
Keep a good head and always carry a light bulb. – Bob Dylan
PHOTOS
FILMS
Keep a good head and always carry a light bulb. – Bob Dylan
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Jason Hummel Member
Joined: 31 Aug 2006 Posts: 1209 | TRs | Pics Location: Tacoma Washington |
Awesome, awesome....so far. I look forward to reading about the 2nd half.
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silence Member
Joined: 25 Apr 2005 Posts: 4420 | TRs | Pics
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silence
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Tue Jul 27, 2010 2:41 pm
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me too
PHOTOS
FILMS
Keep a good head and always carry a light bulb. – Bob Dylan
PHOTOS
FILMS
Keep a good head and always carry a light bulb. – Bob Dylan
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Man-inna-hillz Member
Joined: 25 Aug 2005 Posts: 286 | TRs | Pics Location: Berkeley, CA |
Man, there's just so much snow in the Cascades right now. This looks like a March or April Ptarmigan report.
I'm doing this trip next year if all goes according to plan. Looking forward to the second half of your excellent report.
The God of language forgives all crimes.
-W.H. Auden
The God of language forgives all crimes.
-W.H. Auden
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Quark Niece of Alvy Moore
Joined: 15 May 2003 Posts: 14152 | TRs | Pics
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Quark
Niece of Alvy Moore
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Tue Jul 27, 2010 3:14 pm
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Excellent trip, iron.
I realize this may not be the best timing and all, but I'd rather you hear it from your friends, and not from some dirty kid on the street -
They changed the schedule re: closing the Suiattle Rd, and it's open to m.p. 12 til September.
"...Other than that, the post was more or less accurate."
Bernardo, NW Hikers' Bureau Chief of Reporting
"...Other than that, the post was more or less accurate."
Bernardo, NW Hikers' Bureau Chief of Reporting
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Allison Feckless Swooner
Joined: 17 Dec 2001 Posts: 12287 | TRs | Pics Location: putting on my Nikes before the comet comes |
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Allison
Feckless Swooner
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Tue Jul 27, 2010 4:00 pm
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Super sweet trip. The PT is so gorgeous. I hope you don't mind that I captured several lake pics for my screen saver set.
www.allisonoutside.com
follow me on Twitter! @AllisonLWoods
www.allisonoutside.com
follow me on Twitter! @AllisonLWoods
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The Angry Hiker SAR Blacklistee
Joined: 13 Jun 2008 Posts: 2890 | TRs | Pics Location: Kentwila |
Quite an adventure!
But I don't think you showed enough remorse for spooking the bear.
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raising3hikers Member
Joined: 21 Sep 2007 Posts: 2344 | TRs | Pics Location: Edmonds, Wa |
I couldn't wait for your TR!
Epic adventure you two will remember forever! I like how you made up your own way back to the TH with a different route. Beautiful pics I really want to visit some of those big glaciers sometime. Glad everything worked out fine
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Matt Tea, Earl Grey, Hot
Joined: 30 Jan 2007 Posts: 4307 | TRs | Pics Location: Shoreline |
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Matt
Tea, Earl Grey, Hot
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Tue Jul 27, 2010 4:47 pm
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Awesome job of route-finding and cross-country travel. I'm looking forward to reading more thoroughly to enjoy the scope of the story.
“As beacons mountains burned at evening.” J.R.R. Tolkien
“As beacons mountains burned at evening.” J.R.R. Tolkien
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BarbE Member
Joined: 28 Jul 2006 Posts: 1153 | TRs | Pics
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BarbE
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Tue Jul 27, 2010 5:05 pm
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iron wrote: | summary
humbling. very humbling |
humbling to you -and awe inspiring to most of us.
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belowfellow Transplant
Joined: 22 Feb 2009 Posts: 261 | TRs | Pics Location: Seattle |
epic trip and excellent photos.
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