Forum Index > Trip Reports > Johannesburg Mtn (8,200') - NE Buttress (1951) - 7/26-27/10
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Tom_Sjolseth
Born Yesterday



Joined: 30 May 2007
Posts: 2652 | TRs | Pics
Location: Right here.
Tom_Sjolseth
Born Yesterday
PostTue Jul 27, 2010 9:35 pm 
WOW. For anyone who has gazed up in amazement at Johannesberg Mountain from the Cascade Pass parking lot, it is a sight to see. Waterfalls and glaciers cascade down 5000' of sheer cliffs in a chaotic display of objective hazard. Booms and thunks from falling rock and ice comprise the soundtrack of Cascade Pass. It is a sheer, massive, intimidating mountain - no doubt, the epitome of N Cascades mountaineering. A prior trip into climb the NE Buttress had us reconsidering our options not 5 minutes out of the parking lot. On that day, wet brush forced us to go to plan B, and we wound up summitting via the C-J Couloir. When it comes to vertical brush, I prefer mine dry. Fast forward to Monday when Steph Abegg and I connected for what would become a fabulous trip into the mountains. We arrived at the relatively empty Cascade Pass TH at 7AM, and embarked on the 30 minute approach shortly thereafter. We ascended the C-J Couloir for ~800’ before trying to find the best route up dirty slabs to gain the route. After our first attempt fell short due to ugliness, we backed off and reconsidered. Eventually, we found another way that worked. Barely. I led up on some super sketchy, jungle slab with downward sloping holds and abundant lichen. Pro was sparse, and I had to be creative to find it. After about 30 tense minutes, I was able to pull through and belay Steph up. From here, it looked like a steep brush bash with good green belays, so we decided to put the rope away. It never came out of our packs again the entire trip. Lots of steep (vertical) bushwhacking ensued. It was hot, and carrying a full pack made it quite strenuous. Routefinding was tricky, but we managed to find a great, direct line through the dense brush and cliffbands. About 1500’ later, we emerged from the vegetable abyss onto steep but sublime heather slopes and class 4 rock. The rock was solid, and we felt entirely comfortable climbing without the rope. After about 500’ of this, the buttress steepened even more, to some vertical walls. This is where we had heard (from prior trip reports) of loose chimneys and sketchy snow couloirs. We crossed a gully to our right, gained the 1957 (western) rib and proceeded to climb straight up the crest on surprisingly good rock. Could this be our bivy site? It was!! We were amazed. The position of our bivy site was unreal. 3500’ below us was the parking lot. I could see my car and people walking around. Across the valley, peaks like Forbidden, Boston, Eldorado, and Buckner beckoned. Being in camp so early (3PM), we had plenty of time to relax and enjoy the views. We melted snow in Steph’s pack cover, taking advantage of the sun’s energy to supply us with the vital fluid. By 8:30PM, Steph’s camera was operating at warp speed, as the sunset cast an array of beautiful colors on the surrounding peaks. This is what mountaineering is all about!! We awoke at the leisurely hour of 6AM this morning to finish the climb. By 7:20, we were cramponing up the beautiful snow arete that leads almost directly to the summit. An hour later, we were on the summit, enjoying excellent views into the heart of the rugged N Cascades. Upon signing the register, we noticed two parties had climbed the route in the past 4 days. This is a mountain that rarely gets climbed by any route, and here we were looking at three ascents in four days of the NE Buttress – one solo. We spent about 30 minutes on the summit before heading back down. Since I had already done the descent down the E Ridge before, I had the descent dialed. Less than 3 hours later, we had downclimbed the entire ridge and were standing on terra firma below C-J Col. The hike out to the TH via Doug’s Direct was long, but we eventually made it, returning to the cars at 4:30, 9 hours after we left our bivy site. There are trips into the mountains that are great, and then there are those that are perfect. This trip was definitely perfect – one of the best trips I’ve ever been on. Thanks again to Steph for being such a strong partner.
Looking over to C-J Col from high on the NE Rib.
Looking over to C-J Col from high on the NE Rib.
Looking up at the upper portion of the route.
Looking up at the upper portion of the route.
Looking down.
Looking down.
That's the parking lot down there.
That's the parking lot down there.
Steph, ever the photographer.
Steph, ever the photographer.
Nature's perfect tanning bed.
Nature's perfect tanning bed.
The snow arete leading up to the summit from camp.
The snow arete leading up to the summit from camp.
The upper part of the mountain from just above the bivy site.
The upper part of the mountain from just above the bivy site.
Trying to keep up with Steph.
Trying to keep up with Steph.
Still.
Still.
Steph making the last steps up the final slope to the summit.
Steph making the last steps up the final slope to the summit.
Steph at the col just below the summit.
Steph at the col just below the summit.
Steph approaching the summit of Johannesberg.
Steph approaching the summit of Johannesberg.
Johannesberg as seen from the traverse to Doug's Direct.
Johannesberg as seen from the traverse to Doug's Direct.
The wild and impressive Middle Fork Valley.  The other Middle Fork, Dayhike Mike.   :clown:
The wild and impressive Middle Fork Valley. The other Middle Fork, Dayhike Mike. clown.gif
The Triplets.
The Triplets.
Trip Stats: TH to Camp: 1 mile, 3500’ gain, 8 hours Camp to summit: .3 miles, 1100’ gain, 1 hour Summit to C-J Col: .5 mile, 1400’ loss, 3 hours C-J Col to TH: 7 miles, 4500’ loss, 1500’ gain, 4.5 hours Total climbing time: 16.5 hours

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EastKing
Surfing and Hiking



Joined: 28 Mar 2007
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Location: 77 miles from Seattle!
EastKing
Surfing and Hiking
PostTue Jul 27, 2010 9:45 pm 
Excellent TR!! Way to go Tom!!

YouTube | SummitPost Saw the depths of despair. Now I am salvaging what time I have left on Earth.
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Jason Hummel
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Jason Hummel
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PostTue Jul 27, 2010 9:49 pm 
Your still killing it Tom. As my ski season ends, your climbing season is just beginning...not that you let winter slow you down.

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iron
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iron
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PostTue Jul 27, 2010 9:55 pm 
good stuff. glad to see it went safely and with ideal weather. eagerly awaiting the pics...

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Magellan
Brutally Handsome



Joined: 26 Jul 2006
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Magellan
Brutally Handsome
PostTue Jul 27, 2010 10:11 pm 
You guys are amazing climbers! up.gif Looking forward to Steph's pictures.

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Josh Journey
a.k.a Josh Lewis



Joined: 01 Nov 2007
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Josh Journey
a.k.a Josh Lewis
PostTue Jul 27, 2010 10:32 pm 
Awesome! up.gif up.gif I want to climb this some day! I always love the huge look Jburg has!

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Bryan K
Shameless Peakbagger



Joined: 29 Sep 2005
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Location: Alaska
Bryan K
Shameless Peakbagger
PostTue Jul 27, 2010 10:46 pm 
Re: Johannesberg (8,200') - NE Buttress (1951) - 7/26-7/27
I can't wait to see the photos from this adventure. I'm still humored by the comment you made at the social when you said that you consider yourself just a hiker biggrin.gif Your trips are epic and help me aspire to improve my abilities and expand my comfort levels. As something you mentioned in another thread, I'm going to ask what you meant by the following sentence in your post:
Tom_Sjolseth wrote:
Pro was sparse, and I had to be creative to find it.

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gyngve
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gyngve
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PostTue Jul 27, 2010 10:57 pm 
Re: Johannesberg (8,200') - NE Buttress (1951) - 7/26-7/27
Bryan wrote:
Tom_Sjolseth wrote:
Pro was sparse, and I had to be creative to find it.
Pro = Protection. Anchors to the rock. Some routes climb cracks, and you can place a cam or nut whenever you want. Other routes may have a small crack, eyebrow, etc., every twenty or fifty feet.. You may see a pro placement only to realize it's behind a loose flake. Or you may discover a secret keyhole or chockstone. Or loop a clump of brush...

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Dayhike Mike
Bad MFKer



Joined: 02 Mar 2003
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Location: Going to Tukwila
Dayhike Mike
Bad MFKer
PostTue Jul 27, 2010 11:00 pm 
Tom_Sjolseth wrote:
It never came out of our packs again the entire trip.
Hooooooly crap! up.gif up.gif

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke "Ignorance is natural. Stupidity takes commitment." -Solomon Short
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mtn.climber
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mtn.climber
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PostTue Jul 27, 2010 11:19 pm 
You're both amazing. agree.gif Great trip!! up.gif up.gif

Reach for the sky, cuz tomorrow may never come. Live the life of love. Love the life you live.
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puzzlr
Mid Fork Rocks



Joined: 13 Feb 2007
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Location: Stuck in the middle
puzzlr
Mid Fork Rocks
PostTue Jul 27, 2010 11:32 pm 
Awesome. I'm thinking I'll probably never see the top of J-burg myself. I'll have to enjoy it vicariously through reports like yours.

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StephAbegg
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Joined: 12 Jan 2010
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Location: Bellingham, WA
StephAbegg
Member
PostTue Jul 27, 2010 11:39 pm 
Magellan wrote:
Looking forward to Steph's pictures.
Here's a route overlay I've put together. I hope to have some photos ready by tomorrow evening. What a fun climb, thanks for being a great partner for a great route, Tom!

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gyngve
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gyngve
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PostTue Jul 27, 2010 11:59 pm 
puzzlr wrote:
Awesome. I'm thinking I'll probably never see the top of J-burg myself. I'll have to enjoy it vicariously through reports like yours.
You can climb J-Berg by the "Klenke Route" (the Doug's Direct descent).

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veronika
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veronika
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PostWed Jul 28, 2010 12:29 am 
puzzlr wrote:
Awesome. I'm thinking I'll probably never see the top of J-burg myself. I'll have to enjoy it vicariously through reports like yours.
ditto.gif Even though I would love to learn I probably never will. frown.gif Nice report and great accomplishment! Very amazing bivy spot indeed. up.gif up.gif up.gif I am secretly jealous!

Take risks not to escape life, but to prevent life from escaping I may not have anyone rocking my world right now but, I don't have anyone messing it up either.
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peakbagger
Sean Martin



Joined: 22 Apr 2008
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Location: Seattle
peakbagger
Sean Martin
PostWed Jul 28, 2010 11:11 am 
WOOOHOOOO!!!!!! Nice work! Wish i could have been there! cheers.gif

The liver is evil.......and it must be punished!
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