[dicey]

My BIG summer trip to the pickets got whittled down from 9 days with multiple summit attempts to essentially 5.3 days and 2 summits. Bah, such is climbing in the weather fickle north cascades. A non-workable weekend forecast had us pushing our jump off day from friday to monday, which lightened our packs a little but I didn't notice an appreciable weight difference. Climbing gear is heavy - end of story. Day 1, July 23 We left Seattle around 2pm, heading north. We picked up our permits and headed to the group campsite at upper Goodell creek. We were only planning on a 3.9 mile hike this evening to the terror basin turn off, but when we arrived, it was raining, and nobody was interested in hiking this overgrown brushy road turned trail in the rain. Change of plans. Head back to Marblemount for beer and car camping in the rain! (The Newhalem store was closed). Day 2, July 24 Got up early and started hiking. Not raining, but all the brush was wet. We got really wet. Arrived at the campsite/junction for terror basin by 8:30am. Raining. Nobody wants to start the long grind/bushwhack up to the Barrier camp in wetness, so we set up the tents and hang out all day drying out our gear and napping. Pablo (mtn madness guide) and his client Chris show up at our campsite around dinner time, and I make room for them. They are heading into Terror Basin in the morning to climb Inspiration, and will head up to our Barrier camp in a couple of days.

Goodell creek camp

Day 3, July 25 The real work begins. We tip toe out of camp early to avoid disturbing Pablo and Chris, following a boot path towards Terror Creek. We arrive at the creek crossing after an hour and a half to find that the log crossing is gone. We try engineering a new one, but end up just fording the creek in the end. (knee deep) The boot path goes straight up hill after the crossing at approx. 2000ft. Don't lose it! Use your hands constantly, and be glad there is brush to assist!! We topped out on the barrier ridge at 3450 and took a break from the heavy packs. The path is obscure and easily lost in brush from here, but if you stay to the ridge crest, you will run into it eventually. Broke out to slabby meadows and rock gullies at 5400, and began the NW sweeping traverse up to the barrier camp where we found a nice snow shelf to fit our tents. There are a couple of bivy spots on the ridge proper, but they are small and muddy/rocky. We made plans for the morning, had some dinner, relaxed and enjoyed the scenery in our exhausted bodies. Sunset and views (and a touch of whiskey ) aided in the recovery process.

terror creek 'trail' 2

terror creek 'trail'

heading to barrier camp

Barrier camp 1

Barrier camp 3

Day 4, July 26 Team 1 heads for Degenhardt and Team 2 heads for the Chopping Block. We got a leisurely start (10am!!) but still needed crampons to descend and traverse Crescent Creek cirque. We roped up and placed pickets for the descent (since we hauled 'em up here), but unroped soon after descending, and didn't really need the crampons for the traverse which crossed a bunch of scree slopes/ snow slopes/ scree slopes. We had a good view of the gully accessing the west ridge of Terror for most of the way and it looked to be melted out 1/2 way up and dirt and loose rock to gain the west ridge (yuck!) The east ridge gully didn't look much better, but was less steep. Definitely a possibility in the next couple of days! We reached the base of the slabs below the ridge joining the east ridge of Terror with the west ridge of Degenhardt and tried to agree on a line of attack. Eventually, we just ended up weaving our way up the slabs by following seams and cracks up to the ridge crest where we were treated to some views of the northern pickets and straight down to McMillan cirque! Wow!

Mario climbing Degenhardt

Keith with the E ridge of Terror behind

Keith with Fury and northern pickets

Keith climbing Degenhardt

From here there is a boulder choked gully to climb to the base of the summit of Degenhardt, then Beckey talks about some 4th class ramp leading up and around the north side and then a 'rock climb' to the summit. We found a gully, and belayed Keith up it. He belayed us up and then David took off leading up to a notch which accessed the north face blocky ledges. About 40 feet of 3/4 scrambling gained us the summit from there! Whoo hoo! I've been wanting this summit since I saw it from Stetattle ridge in 2000. Summit pics and Rolos all around then it was time to head down. (3pm) We had considered adding Pyramid, but it looked junky and unpleasant, although not especially difficult to get to from here. Another time perhaps.

Degenhardt summit

Triumph and Chopping Block from summit of Degenhardt

A short rap to the ledges and another longer rap had us back to the ridge, with still a long way back to camp with a rising traverse plus a 500+ foot gain out of Crescent Creek cirque back to Barrier camp. It was hot. We assumed that team 2 (chopping block) would beat us back to camp since they had a shorter distance to travel, but when we saw them on the summit at 4pm, we began to doubt it. They had gotten an even later start than we had. We arrived back at camp around 6pm and had dinner while watching team 2 rappel the chopping block. They returned to camp around 7:30pm, and we exchanged route beta, as we planned to climb the chopping block the next day. We relaxed in the evening alpenglow as a nearly full moon peeked over the shoulder of the Snowfield group to the southeast.

Ethan Seth and Shail return from the block

moon 2

Degenhardt and barrier ridge alpenglow

Shuksan sunrise

Triumph and the block

Day 5, July 27 When you are already in the alpine, it seems getting alpine starts isn't necessary! We headed off to climb the chopping block around 11am(!), while team 2 decided to lounge at camp and take a rest day and maybe check out the barrier crossing down into terror basin for future reference. Thanks to the previous day teams' moss digging for placements, the first two pitches went relatively quickly. From the base of the ne ridge, the route zigs right to avoid an overhanging headwall on moss covered ledges. From the base of a stout tree belay, the second pitch heads back left to gain the ridge crest above the headwall. The last 2 pitches stay on or near the ridge crest to the summit, and are fun and fairly clean. The summit is HUGE with grand views in every direction. A game of football or frisbee could be played on this summit easily!

NE ridge of chopping block

view north from chopping block

Keith and Despair

On the way up we watched the progress of a team of 2 cross the barrier, head to the ridge, set up camp, and head to the base of the climb. We suspected and confirmed it was Pablo and Chris, and we met up with them at the bottom of the first double rope rappel. This first rappel was the scariest one for me ever!! So much space below - WOWZA!! A shorter rap and then one more long one got us back to the base of the climb. We packed up and headed back along the ridge to camp.

David on rappel from chopping block

We watched Pablo and Cris top out as we relaxed with our dinner, and brought them some water upon their return. Pablo had a surprise for us as well. It seems that Keith had forgotten his nearly new goretex jacket behind at the goodell creek camp and Pablo was nice enough to carry it all the way up to return it. Thanks Pablo!! We listened with some trepidation to his weather radio whilst trying to decide what we would do in the morning. Seth and Ethan had to leave in the morning to get Ethan on a plane by Sunday. Pablo and Chris were thinking about heading over to climb wild hair crack from the Ottohorn Himmelhorn col. We were considering the east ridge of Terror or Inspiration. The weather forecast was considering messing with us by bringing in some showers saturday night through sunday afternoon.

spectre

morning low fog

Barrier camp 4

Terror and Degenhardt from Barrier camp

Mt Degenhardt

Day 6, July 28 We watched Ethan and Seth pack up and head out. We watched Pablo and Chris heading down and traversing Crescent Creek cirque for their long day in the mountains. We couldn't decide what to do. Keith and Shail had to head back Sunday morning, and the rest of us wanted a rest day, but we also knew that the forecast meant today would be our last climbing day. It would also mean a very wet and treacherous descent on Sunday, or a hang out in the rain all day on Sunday to wait for it to dry out by monday. After hours of debate, we made the sad decision to descend today, while the weather and conditions were pleasant. It was a very heartbreaking decision, but it was also the safest one. We packed up and got moving down by noon. Goodbye to our lovely camp and views, hello to steep brush. We made our way slowly down to Terror creek and enjoyed a refreshing ford across.

After a lengthy break at the creek, we followed the track back to the terror basin junction. From here, Mario, Sandy and myself shifted into turbo mode to blast the last few miles back to the cars to cool some beers in Goodell creek. We arrived sweaty, dirty, scratched, bruised, sore, bugbitten and bedraggled, but happy for our accomplishment. It was very hard to leave that place that we had struggled so hard to reach, but in the pickets, safety must come before greed. We all returned safely, and I'll be back for Terror! Gear used: Ice Axe Crampons Pickets (3) Ropes (3) Gear (2.5 light racks) Food (a lot) Heavy A$$ packs!

[Guiran]

Sweet!

[Yana]

Sweet!

[Yana]

[Prince of Happiness]

Packed full of stone-cold AWESOME.

[silence]

Double whoo hoo!!!! Awesome trip -- you guys rock!! Dicey -- your pix are great! Esp luv the rappel from Chopping Block, Mario on Degenhardt, Moon 2 and Barrier camp 4.

[trailjunky]

Sweet trip report, thanks for sharing!

[Magellan]

Great pix, and awesome work Dicey. Recently weekends seem to have some suck to them.

[dkemp]

Good stuff dicey! The P-P-Pickets are sc-sc-scary! G-good j-job!

[seawallrunner]

holy wowsome !!!

[wildernessed]

Awesome as usual, your having to much fun and making to many good memories, The Firstlight was a beautiful pic , was that Seth's, and is that the Seth from North Cascade Mountain Guides. Outstanding !

[cartman]

Great job! And I thought our Goode trip was hard work--it was cake compared to your haul to get into the Pickets.

[Trevor]

Amazing effort. That "spectre" is one heckuva a shot.

[TrailPair]

Wow! Epic adventure and awesome photos. "Scratched, bruised, bug bitten and bedraggled".....This is what we do for fun!?!?!?

[dicey]

Thanks for the kind words. Writing TR's for the long trips is a daunting task for me. So much is packed into the days, it's really necessary to skim over and just stick to the facts or I'd end up writing a novel. Rob, One of the first light tents is indeed Seths', but he is not with a guide company, he is a photo taking dude. Seths' website of photo taking