Forum Index > Trip Reports > Mt. Larrabee, American Border Peak 09/12-13/09
 Reply to topic
Previous :: Next Topic
Author Message
goats gone wild
Mr. Goat



Joined: 19 Aug 2007
Posts: 2524 | TRs | Pics
Location: Vampireville
goats gone wild
Mr. Goat
PostTue Sep 15, 2009 11:30 am 
Bet the climb wouldn't have seemed so long for youse all if youse all hadn't done the whole thing sideways. dizzy.gif winksmile.gif

.....leaving me wanting to return over and over in what ever capacity that may be, even if one day my knees are too old and I can only see the mountains from my porch. Jason Hummel
Back to top Reply to topic Reply with quote Send private message
yukon222
Member
Member


Joined: 12 Mar 2007
Posts: 1893 | TRs | Pics
yukon222
Member
PostTue Sep 15, 2009 11:45 am 
Looks like plenty of terrain to keep your attention as you climbed higher and higher! Matt in the keyhole slot - up.gif

Back to top Reply to topic Reply with quote Send private message
TrailPair
Member
Member


Joined: 17 Apr 2005
Posts: 1699 | TRs | Pics
TrailPair
Member
PostTue Sep 15, 2009 11:56 am 
....talus and boulders and scree....oh my! eek.gif Excellent adventure up.gif

This thing called work is interfering with my play
Back to top Reply to topic Reply with quote Send private message
dicey
custom title



Joined: 11 May 2004
Posts: 2870 | TRs | Pics
Location: giving cornices a wider berth
dicey
custom title
PostTue Sep 15, 2009 12:13 pm 
Wow, a bunch of the pictures are sideways!! huh.gif Thanks for the speedy TR Yana - Matt may have some porcupine pics to add, I think. Speaking of porcupines, I had mentioned in camp on Saturday night that I had never seen a porcupine while in the mountains, and I guess this was taken as a request that I WANTED to see a porcupine in the mountains!!! It was pretty cool cool.gif Yes Zachster, we did see you at the tarns from the summit of ABP:
Yellow Aster tarns zoom
Yellow Aster tarns zoom
wave.gif TONS of people camped at Twin Lakes, btw. I suppose I need to go back at some point to hike up to Winchester Mtn. I've heard it has some nice views, and is a bit easier to get to. wink.gif

I'm not always sure I like being older but being less stupid has advantages. http://www.flickr.com/photos/32121172@N00/sets/
Back to top Reply to topic Reply with quote Send private message
Matt
Tea, Earl Grey, Hot



Joined: 30 Jan 2007
Posts: 4307 | TRs | Pics
Location: Shoreline
Matt
Tea, Earl Grey, Hot
PostTue Sep 22, 2009 12:46 am 
Destination: Mt. Larrabee, American Border Peak Dates: September 12-13, 2009 Party: Matt, Dicey, Yana Our trip followed Klenke’s American Border Peak route description on summitpost.org. Check there for detailed instructions and illustrated route photos. Saturday Twin Lakes 5200 to High Pass 5900 From Twin Lakes, we hiked up 200 feet, then down 300 feet, then back up 800 feet to High Pass.
High Pass, Larrabee & Pleiades
High Pass, Larrabee & Pleiades
Larrabee from High Pass (Route starts at right, crosses red talus basin in center, then angles up to left skyline)
Larrabee from High Pass (Route starts at right, crosses red talus basin in center, then angles up to left skyline)
Larrabee 7868 We dropped the heavy packs and ascended Larrabee. Lots of talus and red rock.
Ascending the talus (background High Pass, Winchester, Goat, Shuksan)
Ascending the talus (background High Pass, Winchester, Goat, Shuksan)
Colors on Larrabee summit
Colors on Larrabee summit
Views were fine. American Border looked intimidating, gray piled atop red.
Yellow Aster Tarns
Yellow Aster Tarns
Baker
Baker
Looking east to Pleiades
Looking east to Pleiades
Looking northwest to American Border (& Canadian Border)
Looking northwest to American Border (& Canadian Border)
Back down we went. Another group had put bright orange flags along the route, apparently not noticing that there were zillions of rocks available to build less obtrusive cairns.
Back down the redness
Back down the redness
Tomyhoi Peak & Lake
Tomyhoi Peak & Lake
Flaky Larrabee
Flaky Larrabee
Flowers in the cracks
Flowers in the cracks
Side trip to Larrabee: 2000 gain, 4 hours High Pass 5900 to Garger Mine Stream 5700 From here, getting to AB required lots of downs & ups get around ribs of Larrabee. We descended the trail to the creek by Garger Mine (the only water between Twin Lakes and camp). Note: Hiking pace is inversely proportional to blueberry ripeness. Hiking pace is also inversely proportional to fall color. Where the berries are blue and leaves are red at the same time, hiking pace is inversely proportional to the product of edibility and colorfulness. Progress was slow but delicious. The slope yielded a bountiful harvest of blueberries. You could just rake them off the bushes in handfuls.
Blueberry color at High Pass
Blueberry color at High Pass
Blueberries in a crack
Blueberries in a crack
Colorful blueberry slope
Colorful blueberry slope
Yum!
Yum!
We weren’t the only animals enjoying the blueberries also
We weren’t the only animals enjoying the blueberries also
1st Basin (“Garger Basin”: Garger Stream 5700 to Forested Shoulder 5400 We angled down across the basin, following what seemed to be an old, deeply-sidecut stock trail till it faded out. Perhaps an old stock trail from the mine to the creek meadows?
Butterfly bush somewhere in the Garger Basin (See three butterflies?)
Butterfly bush somewhere in the Garger Basin (See three butterflies?)
Klenke vocabulary of the day: “unscarifiable” Quote: “Don’t try and stay high, as there is a steep, unscarifiable slope.” Turns out “unscarifiable” means dirt that is so hard that you can’t kick steps or hang onto it. We needed to hit the forested shoulder at the far end at about 5400 feet, to avoid steeper ‘unscarifiable’ terrain above. Inside the forest, the ground was softer but very steep between the trees. Matt’s Inverse Law of Terrain versus Photography: The nastier the terrain, the fewer the photographs. This is particularly true if I’m uncertain about route finding. Thus no photos inside the steep dark forested shoulder. 2nd Basin (“Thistle Basin”): Forested Shoulder to 6320 Notch In the next basin, we angled uphill to a high notch at the far end. Terrain was every possible mixture of talus, slabs, dirt, grass, & heather. My least favorite part in the middle was tall slippery grass interspersed with thistles.
Looking up toward the 6320 notch
Looking up toward the 6320 notch
Looking back from 6320 notch to Forested Shoulder
Looking back from 6320 notch to Forested Shoulder
3rd Basin (“Red Talus Basin”): 6320 Notch to Camp 5600 The third basin was not a mixture. It was nothing but red talus. Klenke phrase of the day: “maniacally talused” Quote: “…descend the maniacally talused camp basin. Oh my goodness! I’ve never seen or trod on so much redness.”
American & Canadian Border Peaks from the 6320 Notch
American & Canadian Border Peaks from the 6320 Notch
Looking down from the notch to snow patch & camp
Looking down from the notch to snow patch & camp
Carla’s opinion before descending the red talus
Carla’s opinion before descending the red talus
Carla’s opinion after descending the red talus
Carla’s opinion after descending the red talus
Carla & Yana on the snowpatch
Carla & Yana on the snowpatch
High Pass to American Border Camp (excluding Larrabee side trip): 1900 gain, 1500 loss, 4:45 hours American Border Camp We had been forewarned to bring bivy sacks, because there was no flat spot big enough for a tent. Actually there was no flat spot big enough for anything, just a few relatively less bumpy spaces between rocks amid the grass. But there were lots of rocks to sit on for dinner. And the only running water, hauled up from a stream that popped out of the rocks downhill from the snow patch. Evening light made the rocks even more red, and backlit some peak in Canada. As Yana mentioned, we saw something fall burning brightly and breaking apart in the late evening sky.
Very Red Basin
Very Red Basin
Red Campers
Red Campers
Sunset
Sunset
Sunday Camp to 6840 Saddle
Predawn glow on Tomyhoi
Predawn glow on Tomyhoi
Looking back down to our camp basin
Looking back down to our camp basin
The slope up to the Saddle (later photo during descent)
The slope up to the Saddle (later photo during descent)
Casting shadows into Canada
Casting shadows into Canada
Layers of peaks
Layers of peaks
Clouds above
Clouds above
The Route The climbing route consisted of entertaining features such as: the Saddle Ridge, the Red Face Traverse, the De Gaulle Nose Gully, the Scree Apron, the Dirty Gully, the Narrow Ledge, the Birth Chimney, the Wet Gully, and the Summit Mantles. Due to the Inverse Law of Terrain versus Photgraphy, I got no photos on some parts going up, so I've included photos I got later on during the descent.
The Saddle Ridge A broken rock scramble up the ridge crest a few hundred feet to get alongside the Red Face.
Matching packs ascending the ridge
Matching packs ascending the ridge
The Saddle & The Notch (viewed later on descent) (camp is out of sight below all the red talus)
The Saddle & The Notch (viewed later on descent) (camp is out of sight below all the red talus)
The Red Face Traverse Acres of sloping rusty rock, with an unlikely-looking array of little ledges and steps all the way across.
Yana & Carla waiting on the Red Face ledges (with De Gaulle’s Nose on the far horizon)
Yana & Carla waiting on the Red Face ledges (with De Gaulle’s Nose on the far horizon)
Traversing the Red Face
Traversing the Red Face
The De Gaulle Nose Gully Named after a protruding lump of rock at the far end of the Red Face, a lumpy rock gully with a brief 4th-class move in the center.
Rappelling down the Nose Gully (descent)
Rappelling down the Nose Gully (descent)
The Scree Apron My least favorite terrain. A traverse across a slanting apron of scree hugging the base of the rocks.
My shadow looking at the Scree Apron
My shadow looking at the Scree Apron
Traversing the Scree Apron
Traversing the Scree Apron
Returning back across the Scree Apron (descent)
Returning back across the Scree Apron (descent)
The Dirty Gully Full of loose rock at the bottom and hard packed dirt at the top.
Ascending the Dirty Gully
Ascending the Dirty Gully
Rappelling the Dirty Gully (descent)
Rappelling the Dirty Gully (descent)
Red & Gray stripes on the north face of Larrabee, never touched by sunlight all day.
Red & Gray stripes on the north face of Larrabee, never touched by sunlight all day.
Exiting the Dirty Gully (descent)
Exiting the Dirty Gully (descent)
The Narrow Ledge Actually a series of narrow ledges, very exposed but surprisingly stable, almost the only place on the mountain with mostly flat solid surfaces to stand on. We belayed on the way in, but just walked across on the way out.
Exposure on the Narrow Ledge
Exposure on the Narrow Ledge
Yana traversing the Narrow Ledge
Yana traversing the Narrow Ledge
The Birth Chimney The crux of the route is a tight chimney that ends by squeezing upward through a narrow hole, somewhat like a birthing experience. The Inverse Law of Terrain versus Photography applied especially while climbing here, so my only photos were taken after rappelling down.
View of the Birth Chimney
View of the Birth Chimney
Dicey at the base of the chimney.  Her belay nest was atop the large boulder at right.  The Narrow Ledge comes in from bottom left.
Dicey at the base of the chimney. Her belay nest was atop the large boulder at right. The Narrow Ledge comes in from bottom left.
I bypassed the steep start by going up easier rock on the side. Rope drag stopped me at the rappel anchor midway up the chimney, where I brought up the others before proceeding.
Carla arriving at the midway anchor
Carla arriving at the midway anchor
View upward to the chockstone hole
1 label
View upward to the chockstone hole
Yana higher in the Chimney
Yana higher in the Chimney
The top of the chimney was almost enclosed, full of chockstones, and steep but narrow, so the only way to climb was a variety of stemming moves against the sides. I don’t think I’ve ever twisted and turned and wedged myself so many different ways into a route – feet, hand, shoulders, knees, & butt. Climbing maxim from Dicey, when I propped myself up with my feet on one wall and rear on the other: “If your butt’s against the wall, you cannot fall.” The finish required boosting oneself up around an overhanging chockstone to squeeze through the final gap
Yana’s pack precedes her out of the hole
Yana’s pack precedes her out of the hole
Yana emerges
Yana emerges
Carla ready to emerge
Carla ready to emerge
The Wet Gully Dangerous when wet! Another dirt and rock gully, but the top section was wet from an unseen snow patch melting on the ridge crest. I gave myself a scare when I climbed up a couple sketchy steps thinking I could continue onto easier terrain above, but then had to back down because it was too wet and slippery.
Rope throw in the Wet Gully
Rope throw in the Wet Gully
Summit Ridge & Mantles Blessed relief! Finally some easy, un-scary scrambling up the crest toward the summit. Then steeper at the top. The final promontory required a couple chest-high mantles.
Base of the summit promontory
Base of the summit promontory
Orange and yellow hazard warning lichens
Orange and yellow hazard warning lichens
Guarding the mantle move
Guarding the mantle move
Summit A hawk had overflown us several times while climbing, and circled overhead on the summit.
Dicey & Yana on the summit (with camera shadow on my head)
Dicey & Yana on the summit (with camera shadow on my head)
Matt on American Border summit (with Yana’s shadow)
1 label
Matt on American Border summit (with Yana’s shadow)
Hawk that had escorted us upward
Hawk that had escorted us upward
Summit Views:
Pleiades & Larrabee
4 labels
Pleiades & Larrabee
Baker above Yellow Aster Lakes
Baker above Yellow Aster Lakes
Tomyhoi summit & Glacier
Tomyhoi summit & Glacier
The American/Canadian boundary ran almost right through out summit, sadly marked by the extensive clearcuts on the far side.
Canadian Border Peak
Canadian Border Peak
Boundary clearcuts stretching west from ABP
Boundary clearcuts stretching west from ABP
Boundary cut stretching east from ABP
Boundary cut stretching east from ABP
Descent The afternoon was already growing uncomfortable late as we descended. We rappelled the three gullies and the birth chimney. Racing the Darkness By the time we hurriedly packed camp, it was already 6:15. We had at least 4 hours of hiking left, but only 2 hours of daylight. We also had 1500 feet to ascend on the way out (700 to the notch, 500 from the Forested Shoulder to High Pass, and 300 on the trail below Twin Lakes). Yana got going first and disappeared into trackless wasteland of red talus.
Can you see Yana in the talus?
1 label
Can you see Yana in the talus?
Can you see her now?
1 label
Can you see her now?
By the time we reached The 6320 Notch, golden light was making the slopes glow, but ominous shadows were covering the depths.
Looking back at the slope up to The 6840 Saddle
Looking back at the slope up to The 6840 Saddle
Looking forward at the slope down to The Forested Shoulder
Looking forward at the slope down to The Forested Shoulder
My shadow on the glowing talus
My shadow on the glowing talus
Blueberries catching the late light
Blueberries catching the late light
Our hope was to get through the Forested Shoulder before full dark, because the rest of the route was open terrain or on trail. We didn’t make it. We simultaneously reached the far end of the forest, the end of the light, and the end of our hopes for an easy exit, for we were too high and couldn’t exit there. So we had to backtrack and work our way down with inky darkness hiding everything but the nearest tree trunks, impossible to see whether beyond our headlamps would be passable terrain or cliff bands. By the time we escaped the wicked forest, we were wondering if we’d have to use the rope to rappel off the trees, or maybe just tie ourselves to trees to spend the night.
Walking into shadow as we race for The Shoulder
Walking into shadow as we race for The Shoulder
The rest of the exit was just a lot of hiking in the darkness, first along the bouldery 1st Basin, and then on the trail. Signs that your trip is running a bit long:
  • You have to add 12 to the hour to calculate how long you’ve been hiking.
  • You’ve watched both the sunrise and sunset while you’re still hiking.
  • You’re traveling off trail after dark.
  • You can’t find the route you came in on.
  • Dialogue has been reduced to terse exclamations, profanities, and groans.
  • You anticipate dinner will be whatever fast food place has a drive- through open after midnight.
But it didn’t turn out to be a true northwest hiking epic, since there wasn’t fog, rain, or a forced bivy. I felt myself very privileged to be traveling with such dependable hiking companions. Despite the darkness and difficulties, there was no bad temper or despair, just steady, careful, determined efforts to keep making progress and find a way through. Near the end we found a porcupine climbing a small tree.
Quite a display of quills
Quite a display of quills
“Please go away and stop flashing that thing in my face.”
“Please go away and stop flashing that thing in my face.”

“As beacons mountains burned at evening.” J.R.R. Tolkien
Back to top Reply to topic Reply with quote Send private message
Sultan Guy
Member
Member


Joined: 22 Jul 2008
Posts: 353 | TRs | Pics
Location: Now reinforced with Concrete
Sultan Guy
Member
PostTue Sep 22, 2009 10:58 am 
[quote="Matt Signs that your trip is running a bit long:
  • You have to add 12 to the hour to calculate how long you’ve been hiking.
  • You’ve watched both the sunrise and sunset while you’re still hiking.
  • You’re traveling off trail after dark.
  • You can’t find the route you came in on.
  • Dialogue has been reduced to terse exclamations, profanities, and groans.
  • You anticipate dinner will be whatever fast food place has a drive- through open after midnight.
[/quote] I love your list since I have had all of these happen to me! I can add some more. You could care less about rock hopping across streams or keeping out of mud. You just walk right through the deep sections. hockeygrin.gif You split a Clifbar into four equal sections very carefully. paranoid.gif You try and remember exactly what food if any you left in the car. embarassedlaugh.gif

Any worthwhile expedition can be planned on the back of an envelope- H. W. Tilman
Back to top Reply to topic Reply with quote Send private message
Yana
Hater



Joined: 04 Jun 2004
Posts: 4212 | TRs | Pics
Location: Out Hating
Yana
Hater
PostTue Sep 22, 2009 7:26 pm 
Wow! Awesome porcupine shots, Matt!

PLAY SAFE! SKI ONLY IN CLOCKWISE DIRECTION! LET'S ALL HAVE FUN TOGETHER!
Back to top Reply to topic Reply with quote Send private message
dicey
custom title



Joined: 11 May 2004
Posts: 2870 | TRs | Pics
Location: giving cornices a wider berth
dicey
custom title
PostWed Sep 23, 2009 10:32 am 
Thanks for adding your pics and story Matt! I agree with Yana about the porcupine pics = cool up.gif What funny critters they are....

I'm not always sure I like being older but being less stupid has advantages. http://www.flickr.com/photos/32121172@N00/sets/
Back to top Reply to topic Reply with quote Send private message
   All times are GMT - 8 Hours
 Reply to topic
Forum Index > Trip Reports > Mt. Larrabee, American Border Peak 09/12-13/09
  Happy Birthday speyguy, Bandanabraids!
Jump to:   
Search this topic:

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