Forum Index > Trip Reports > Mt Blum 7/15-16/06
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dicey
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Joined: 11 May 2004
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Location: giving cornices a wider berth
dicey
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PostMon Jul 17, 2006 11:36 am 
A previous attempt on Blum earlier this year hampered by short days and route finding errors, left a score unsettled. Amy and I left Seattle around 7am Saturday morning, and were hiking the Baker river trail by 10am. We left the main trail shortly before the bridge over Blum creek (790ft), and weaved our way through devils club and downed trees for a while before heading over towards the creek, where we picked up the trail easily. We followed the steep path (faint in places) up to a cliffy area around 2600ft, where we lost it for a while, found it again, lost it again. A couple of flags were helpful for keeping us on course, but eventually we just headed straight up, and began traversing eastward at approx. 4700ft. We continued on a slightly rising traverse, never going above 5000ft. After crossing 3 boulder fields seperated by some sections of thick brush, lower blum lake came into view. Since we were about 600 feet above it, we did a descending traverse (brushy) to find a place to cross the outlet from middle blum. Not really sure where we wanted to camp other than up high and near a water source, we kept ascending generally sw of middle blum to a high point on the ridge. We spotted the perfect campspot at the little tarn about 40 feet below, and just nw of the uppermost Blum lake. We descended to it, and set up the tent on a rocky/gravelly spot near this tarn. Beautiful! We had a front row seat views of Mt Baker and the top of Shuksan. We probably had time to tuck in the summit of Blum, but opted to wait until the morning due to some cloud cover forming on it's summit. Sunday morning dawned cold and cloud free! We headed up at 6:20am. Since there wasn't an all snow or all rock route to the summit, we put on and took off crampons several times. We chose a rocky gully just west of a better route we found for the descent. Halfway up it, I heard Amy yell "rock!", and watched that sucker come bounding down the gully. I scrunched myself to the side of the gully, trying to be a smaller target. Why didn't I bring a helmet?! When I saw it would probably hit me, it took a bounce and flew up in the air and I sort of shoved it past me. Whew! "Rock!" again! Here comes another missle, and this time I wasn't as lucky. I took a glancing blow to the upper arm, but mostly to the pack. I decided we would find another way to descend! The rest of the ascent was less stressful, and after a few more crampon on, crampon offs, we were there. I spent a little time looking for the register, but never found it. I only found some wood(?) and the benchmark. The views, however, made the hard work getting up here worth it. No bugs, no wind, no clouds. Only views. And what views they are! We lazed on top for nearly an hour, and started back down at 9:45am. We found a much better route down just south of the gully of death. Made it back to camp by 11:30 and had lunch while we slowly packed up to head down. On the way back, we traversed at 5000ft, where we found lots of flagging, but no real path. We must have been too high when we began to descend, because we never really found the trail again until 1370ft huh.gif Oh, we found flagging and bits of trail here and there, only to be lost after a few minutes. Lots of "found the trail. Hey where did it go? Should we go right this time, or left? Which way did we go last time? Where is the @##trail?" rant.gif We finally decided that flagging only meant some poor schmuck had gone that way once before. rolleyes.gif But, once we found it, we stayed on that sucker all the way out (very faint near the end). What a great weekend in the mountains! Didn't see a single person....hmmm wink.gif
middle blum
middle blum
upper blum
upper blum
light
light
pm
pm
am
am
marker
marker
baker lake and lower and middle blum
baker lake and lower and middle blum
Hagen and bacon
Hagen and bacon
amy summit blum
amy summit blum

I'm not always sure I like being older but being less stupid has advantages. http://www.flickr.com/photos/32121172@N00/sets/
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Tom
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Tom
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PostMon Jul 17, 2006 11:47 am 
Nice! I thought the shot you posted in pic of the day looked a whole lot like the pool below the outlet of upppermost blum. Too bad on losing the boot path but at least you avoided the crowds. embarassedlaugh.gif

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Stefan
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Stefan
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PostMon Jul 17, 2006 12:08 pm 
Dicey, you are a fricken animal. Jeff tells me so. You need to invite me on some of your trips so you can carry my pack to slow you down. Dang nice.

Art is an adventure.
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Don
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Location: Fairwood, WA
Don
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PostMon Jul 17, 2006 12:13 pm 
Sweet TR and pics Dicey! up.gif

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Tazz
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PostMon Jul 17, 2006 12:25 pm 
OH yeah! sweet! sweeet!!! sweeeeet !!!!!!! drink.gif rockband.gif can you break another toe before Luna? The only way to slow her down. winksmile.gif

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plain old dan
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plain old dan
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PostMon Jul 17, 2006 2:00 pm 
Very nice up.gif Love the picture of "Hagen and Bacon"!

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Backpacker Joe
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Joined: 16 Dec 2001
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Backpacker Joe
Blind Hiker
PostMon Jul 17, 2006 2:13 pm 
Great as usual Dicey. Im glad you werent hurt. Thanks.

"If destruction be our lot we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen we must live through all time or die by suicide." — Abraham Lincoln
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Jeff R
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Joined: 10 Apr 2005
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Jeff R
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PostMon Jul 17, 2006 2:32 pm 
Ya got it ! Rad up.gif

Ebrace life!
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Rich Baldwin
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Joined: 22 Dec 2001
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Rich Baldwin
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PostTue Jul 18, 2006 12:19 am 
Sounds like a great trip, Dicey!

Was you ever bit by a dead bee?
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Dayhike Mike
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Joined: 02 Mar 2003
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Dayhike Mike
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PostTue Jul 18, 2006 12:30 am 
Woohoo! Good job you two! Glad you weren't hurt...guessing the close call was a little scary... eek.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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Edd
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PostTue Jul 18, 2006 6:38 am 
Dang, so many trip reports Almost missed It. I kept thinking ah you will post it by Wendsday. You picked a great place to camp, that is a beautifull little tarn with a great view, this look familiar?
tarn
tarn
Not Tom, but the pic. I couldn't find a registar either, but I did see two benchmarks. And you are right. That ridge will get you down but with so many faint to no signs of tread can be confusing at time, it is such a relief to finally hit the river. Congrats on going back and taking care of a nemisis. Ed

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dicey
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Joined: 11 May 2004
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Location: giving cornices a wider berth
dicey
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PostTue Jul 18, 2006 11:14 am 
Hey, nice pic of Tom - I heard he's pretty famous now! prod.gif Thanks for all the kind words.

I'm not always sure I like being older but being less stupid has advantages. http://www.flickr.com/photos/32121172@N00/sets/
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captain jack
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Joined: 25 May 2004
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Location: Upper Fidalgo
captain jack
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PostTue Jul 18, 2006 7:08 pm 
Thought I would post my pic of Blum from across the river a couple of weeks ago, so maybe you could see your route up.
Mount Blum
Mount Blum
Looks like you had a great warmup for Luna in two weeks. up.gif

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McPilchuck
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Joined: 17 Dec 2001
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Location: near Snohomish, Wa.
McPilchuck
Wild Bagger
PostTue Jul 18, 2006 7:12 pm 
I would add, very nice photography! McPil

in the granite high-wild alpine land . . . www.alpinequest.com
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