I took advantage of Sunday's great weather by crossing this scramble off my todo list. I basically followed the route in "75 Scrambles in Washington" to the T with no problems what-so-ever, so I'll let my pictures do most of the talking. There is a lingering snow bridge on the Gothic Basin trail (pictured below) that needs to be scrambled around, but heavy boot traffic has left the route pretty clear. I ran into 3 backpacking parties on the way out of the Gothic Basin, but it was otherwise pretty empty, despite the good weather and very few bugs.
One other pair scrambled Del Campo just after I summitted. Luckily they were the only ones because I neglected to bring a helmet and loose rock on the final summit scramble is a serious hazard (a decision made since I was going solo, but a poor one in retrospect). Even stepping very gingerly, I managed to loose 1 or 2 large pebbles that tumbled all the way down; it doesn't help that the face terminates in a cliff. I ended up waiting for the pair to make it all the way down before down climbing myself.
Anyways, the trip was otherwise uneventful and full of great views. Pictures:
Joined: 02 Mar 2003 Posts: 8568 | TRs | Pics Location: Going to Tukwila
Tue Sep 16, 2008 12:36 am
Great color in those pics!
BTW - Welcome to the site!
-------------- "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
I would say "class 3 with more exposure than average" on the final summit approach. Despite the loose rock, there are great hand holds, but it is a little scary considering the cliff at the bottom.
Do you know what your round trip time was? Del Campo is on my list but I am old and not so studly as many so that hike up into Gothic is a serious piece of approach work for old codgers like me.
PS: Right around the corner from Foggy at a creek outlet is a very scary mine tunnel...not a shaft, they go down...this is a tunnel or "drift." Pretty cool.
Thanks for the report. My spiritual aorta, the South Fork Stilly River, begins in that cirque on the back of Del Campo.
Joined: 06 Mar 2007 Posts: 3269 | TRs | Pics Location: here now
Tue Sep 16, 2008 8:38 am
Great pics! You've got a good eye (and, apparently, a good lens). Classic scramble. Gothic Basin is a lovely place. Thanks for posting.
Magellan, it's class 3, exposed in places. Some of hand holds are friable: a failed hand hold resulted in a woman falling to her death on a Mountaineers scramble group several years ago.
JeffP,
Do you know what your round trip time was? Del Campo is on my list but I am old and not so studly as many so that hike up into Gothic is a serious piece of approach work for old codgers like me.
Tom
I got to Foggy Lake in about 4 hours and reached the summit in another 1.5 after stopping for lunch at Foggy. I stayed on the summit for more than an hour. The down climb back to Foggy took almost as long as the ascent due to the steepness of the scramble, but the hike out from Gothic Basin took about 3 hours. I would say I was moving at a reasonable pace, but I also stopped for photos fairly often, sometimes breaking out my mini-tripod.
Thanks for the tip about the mines. I kept an eye out for them but didn't know their locations.
Thanks for the report - keep posting more of them!
There have been number of great trip reports for Del Campo lately - however I think this one has finally tipped the balance & I'm officially adding it to my 'list'
-------------- Warning! Posts may contain traces of sarcasm.
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum You cannot attach files in this forum You can download files in this forum
