Joined: 27 Apr 2005 Posts: 7818 | TRs | Pics Location: as far away from you as i can be...
Mon Aug 08, 2005 8:12 pm West McMillan Spire 8000' PICKETS!
It is hard to describe terror basin and the climb up West McMillan spire in word and pics but I will try.
Dicey, Josh's (my son)Truck Tigger, and I arrived at the Goodell creek TH Friday morning. Truck tigger didn't want to stay in the truck so he came to climb with us.
The TH is at 600' and is a climbers path that runs up the river valley for about 4 miles. The path is brushy but still easy to follow. Around 4 miles give or take the path takes a turn at a camp with a fire ring. At 1600' or so The path turns right and goes strait up a ridge. When I say strait up I mean it...it kicked my butt. It gains 3500' in 1-1.5 miles. Many areas the vegetation and trees are your friend.
At around 5000 ' the views start to appear. the path starts to mellow a bit and drops down to a stream crossing(now water). at 5200' you come to a second stream with very little water. climb up the stream bed of large boulders for 100 feet and find the caire. this is where the traverse begins. The traverse runs though meadows, slab and rock with incredible views to the south and west.
Dicey arrived at the 6200' foot saddle before me and was waiting for me when I arrived. The plan was to descend down from the saddle into the basin for camp. That is not what happened. The steep slope is a mess of dirt, scree,loose and unstable rock. After Dicey tested the slope and we both looked at it, neither one of us wanted to descend it with our heavy packs. Dicey had a great idea to look for camp up higher with views and we could descend in the AM without heavy packs. Dicey went up the ridge to look fro a camp and water. she found a great spot with views that don't stop. Tigger liked stomping in the heather lol.
The next morning we headed down the nasty slope to the basin. It was bad every step was loose and scary. Here is a pic of the saddle after the descent.
After dropping down from the saddle hug the right side near the base of the cliff and helmets are suggested. Once down off the slope we descended a snowfield to the glacier stream and followed it down to the basin where the camps are at 5800'.
There was a tent up there near a tarn. We saw a guy and he waved as we came closer. We stopped to talk to him and Josh said he is from Ohio and just got back from living in Argentina for 7 years. He hitched rides and took buses to get to the NCNP for this backpack. As we are talking he asked if he could catch a ride back with us to seattle. We said ya no problem. He said he would cook us dinner after the climb so how could we pass that up? As we climbed for the day Josh was going to move his camp up to ours.
We started up to the saddle to get a look at lake Azure. We scrambled up slab and rock to a notch at 6200' and took a break and snapped some pics of the lake.
Now it was time to tackle The Spire.
We descended from 6200' to 5500' when you cross an outlet from a thawed glacial lake.
The lake is very nice and so green.
From here you traverse a bit around a ridge and start to head up the terror glacier.
We scrambled up rock and slab to reach the glacier.
We stopped and put our crampons on and checked out the route. We head up the side of terror glacier and skirted around some tiny crevasses. up to the snow finger in a gully.
The snow finger was very steep around 40 degerees or so. It was great fun. The finger is very thin and skinny up at the top so in a few weeks or sooner it will collapse. at the end of the finger we stashed our crampons and started the scramble up the summit ridge. The ridge is also very steep with a lot of loose rock and scree but some good rock to play on too. At the top you run into a false summit that is really nice. From there is a scramble along a small ridge with some exposure to the summit block 8000'.
The views well.........WOW is all i can say.
The pickets, shuksan, baker, south to glacier and all the other many peaks you can see. Tigger insisted he have a summit pics so i took one.
We spent about an hour and headed down. The sun was hot and there was a little concern about the snow finger collapsing under us so we got going.
The descent down the ridge was fine. We needed to get back to our crampons so we followed the same route we took up. Well it is not always easy to go down what you went up . We tried skirting around some slab but it was too exposed. so the other option was a tunnel of mud between the snow finger and the cliff base with an overhang. Dicey went first. She was succsesfull till the last ten feet or so and then ran out of move. Then she slipped and slid in the mud for about 10'+ . Just enough to get the adrenaline pumping. I followed and did the same thing. There was nothing that we could have done with the situation but slide in the mud.
We reached the crampons with mud covered butts legs and hands. my adrenaline was pumping so good now that my knees where shaking. I hate descending steep snow just a peeve. Dicey started down.
I told her that I would find a route down the rock. HA! not a chance got part way down a slick slab with no holds and started to slip. That was when I did a backward spider climb back up to safety as quick as I could. OK.... WHEW....BREATH!!!! BREATH!!!!! that was all i could do to try to calm down. After the mud slide, the rock slip and the thought of having to descend that steep snow I was freaked.
I had no time to sit and ponder to calm down Dicey was halfway down the snow finger and it was my turn. I put every bit of concentration in each step. With the help of Dicey's steps, some encouragement, and instruction I calmed right down and made it down safe and sound. We removed our crampons and did a little glissade. It helped clean the mud off .
the traverse back to the camp areas was uneventful.
Now the only obstacle was to ascend that saddle back up to camp. Dicey went first and I waited till the danger of rock would be clear. I have never hugged rock the way I did getting up that slope. every step I took seemed to not want to hold at all. I was so glad when I reached the top.
When we reached our camp our new friend was waiting. He was ready took cook us dinner after conradulations where given. He made something and I can't remember the name but it was good and filling.
After some good food, conversation and a great sunset we all retired.
the next morning we got out slow. The worst part of the way back to the th was the steep section on the ridge. It pounded the heck out of me. But it was nice to have a good 4 mile cool down before the truck.
This was and will be one of my favorite climbs. Great area Great climb companion and got to meet and get to know Josh. I am glad Tigger came along cause it was a nice reminder of what i have back at home. Plus he loves to climb I hope that Dicey will pipe in with her experiece of the climb and maybe some more pics too.
brought crampons...used them but didn't need to
ice axe...used them
helmets...used them
my altimeters said total acc elevation was 13, 300+' I think that is gain and loss maybe. I know my muscles are telling me it was alot!
, a portion of scrambler's heaven. Glad you guys got up there .I'm salivating over a potential trip. I'll have to consider a tigger or a pooh as a means to further spice up my compositions.
The steep slope is a mess of dirt, scree,loose and unstable rock. After Dicey tested the slope and we both looked at it, neither one of us wanted to descend it with our heavy packs. Dicey had a great idea to look for camp up higher with views. I have never hugged rock the way I did getting up that slope. every step I took seemed to not want to hold at all. I was so glad when I reached the top.
Way to go! I'm still trying to digest some of your difficulties, but great job! You have passed Pickets 101 and are now ready to tackle bigger and better areas within the range!
Joined: 02 Mar 2003 Posts: 8568 | TRs | Pics Location: Going to Tukwila
Mon Aug 08, 2005 10:17 pm
Very very nice!
Dicey's a load of fun to hike with, isn't she?
-------------- "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
Dang! You camped in the same area we did. I believe we had more snow, even though it was later in the season. We just had no difficulty traversing from camp to the glacier. Hey, that is why every time out is a new experience!
As I peruse through your images yet again this morning, I realize I failed to compliment you on your pics. They really tell the story - good job! I took particular notice of (dicey?) descending snow in the rotten gulley below the notch. Lucky you. It was bare for us and the most difficult part of the climb. Again, interesting how different an experience can be different times out.
Hey, where's the waterfall pic? You're missing the waterfall pic! You can't come back from Terror Basin without the waterfall pic!
Joined: 27 Apr 2005 Posts: 7818 | TRs | Pics Location: as far away from you as i can be...
Tue Aug 09, 2005 7:30 am
Thankyou Don and all.
What we both forgot to mention is that when we where taking our crampons off the upper portion of the snow finger collapsed right next to us. scared the ...... out of us that was when we started to have some concern about the rest of it going while we where on it
one waterfall pic and it was a bad one sorry. I do have an ok tarn shot for ya though.
Dicey thankyou for posting your pics you have some great ones! I love this one it is a beautiful shot that shows just how steep it was up there. I LOVE IT!!!!!
thanks for inviting me it was a great time!
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. We tried skirting around some slab but it was too exposed. so the other option was a tunnel of mud between the snow finger and the cliff base with an overhang. Dicey went first. She was succsesfull till the last ten feet or so and then ran out of move. Then she slipped and slid in the mud for about 10'+ 
. Just enough to get the adrenaline pumping. I followed and did the same thing. There was nothing that we could have done with the situation but slide in the mud.
.
