[mntsun]

Having completed OT work and not having to buy a house over the weekend, I was raring for a challenging second conditioner snowshoe this week but didn't have much time to put it together. Puzlr’s Green Mnt report sounded good, and if it didn’t work out I could visit Mooloch and/or South Bessemer. Being my first time on the CCC all of these options seemed feasible or at least entertaining I made decent time up the recently used roads (the smell of transmission oil in the morning evoking memories) until I reached my (probably arbitrary) waypoint for leaving the road to gain Green's east flank. Note to self: get better beta than a trip report. I bashed through a very decayed forest (can you bash if nothing is solid?). "duff is easy on the knees" indeed; I was up to my knees in duff and was eventually outflanked by an unending wall of slide alder surrounded by waterfalls. Decision time: was the day to be about navigation or conditioning? Would the cloud cover lift and could one be impaled on sticks if they could not support your weight? I made the executive decision to bail, a decision made easier because I was solo (it would have been easy to talk me up the next 400’ to the snow line but I ignored the voices in my head). The descent was as enjoyable as the ascent and it was apparent why this is more enjoyed as a winter climb.

Part of the bushwahck

Hmm...probably not "the trail"

Another waterfall

A waterfall

Chalking it up as a 2-hour, 3-mile, 600+/- side adventure that left marks, I returned to and headed up the CCC. The day’s tactical error of attempting Green first quickly became apparent; the remaining route was already in full sun at 9am and I would be the only one breaking 3000' of trail on snowshoes. Clouds rolled in and prevented any scoping the route up Mooloch; quickly losing palatable options I headed to SoBess in an attempt to get to the top of something.

morning clouds on Russain Butte

Last of clouds smothering Green before my batteries ran out

Mining for snow

Buttes, clouds, river

The pace slowed to a stagger as the snow turned to deepening sun-reflecting cement (having poured a lot of concrete I can vouch for this description's accuracy). I entertained thoughts of the "South Bessemer Diet"- cement snowshoes and Gu . It was sure working for me and the pounds were simply sweated away. I noticed some recent avalanche activity and then that the CCC started crossing said activity. Two of the four were only sketchy. The third was not fun. The fourth went into space around the final turn and it was time to leave to the CCC and head up through the trees and their even-steeper-and-deeper-but-not-off-a-cliff snow. The false summits and slushy snow walls inspired some creative curses, but their flat reaches on top made it a really nice summit in the snow. As the clouds lifted, my camera batteries died I tried swapping them out with any other electronic device to no avail; this stunk as I had not seen a similar view into the mountains and with the clarity, visibility and cliffs, it was like being in a different section of the Cascades. The ridge up to Mooloch was obvious; I looked and rationalized, but with melty slush conditions and a couple sketchy areas near the top awash in recent avalanches there was only one safe choice. There was also that issue of avalanches to cross on the return (cutting up/down/across trees around them was not preferable).

What is that, the Pickets of Alpine Lakes?

South Bessemer summit area

What is this, Eldorado?

The ridge up Mooloch. Having bright sun and sunglasses, I cut off the critical section at the top

At some point safely down the CCC I flopped down to watch the clouds. One looked like a dancing Natalie Merchant circa 1989. This cloud was descending down towards me and I had to see this through. As it came within touching distance of the tree tops, it underwent cycles of dissipation until there was no more cloud. It was dreamy and quiet and I could have dosed off had the snow not finally broken through my boots' waterproofing defenses. This condition made it a real joy to change into dry shoes and socks at 2100' for the final decent, under the fierce gaze of the Russian Buttes. I kept seeing all these terrific rain foresty picture opportunities not realizing everything was so green because of my sunglasses. Overall a fun excursion, probably best done earlier in the year, with a bike, or with others. Saw one person on the no-snow section 20 minutes before I was off the trail, quite a difference from a TNAB. Mozzies and spiders were out in the no-snow areas. Speed limit is 15 mph up the CCC, 10 mph down. If the Watchman really is on duty, he must be slacking. I'll be back some (other) time for Mooloch and Green. 6 hours RT for SoBess proper, ~15 miles, ~5000', 8.5 hrs total including naptime.

[puzzlr]

That's definitely the long way to S Bessemer! Great that you got your excercise and at least a couple pictures. Very entertaining TR, too , I look forward to more. It's hard to believe you were on the same ridge we were on Green. Did you see this marker (as well as other nearby pink flagging) along the CCC road when you started up? We had no problems with rocks or alder.

You refer to the CCC road several times, but the maintained one that goes up to the ridge (and beyond) is the Bessemer Road. The CCC road is less developed and mostly level as it traverses low on the valley wall from Teneriffe to the Tayler River CG.

[mntsun]

Yup, I looked at my map (without sunglasses) and noticed it was not the CCC but the Bessemer-Road-Trail Your picture looks a lot drier and less duffier than my route. I was able to find the turnoff from the Connector Trail, but missed visualizing the pink flag and probably went up the ridge too soon (3.5 on the Bushwhack Scale). Pink flagging not blue, darn!

[puzzlr]

We also saw the blue flagging at several spots and concluded that they marked locations that needed water drainage work.