Forum Index > Trip Reports > Quartz Mountain and Bessequartz - Mid Fork Snoq 03/19/10
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Yana
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Yana
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PostFri Mar 19, 2010 10:07 pm 
After an unsuccessful but instructive attempt on Quartz Mountain in December, dicey and I were ready to head back, this time armed with ErinB and more first hand route knowledge. We were both drawn to the route described in Carl Dreisbach's Middle Fork Guide, mainly because it goes up a long, interesting looking gully, This is visible through the trees from the Middle Fork Road. Here's a photo from the route:
Quartz gully to Yin Yang Pass
Quartz gully to Yin Yang Pass
We'd gotten partway up the gully on our last attempt but had to bail due to short days and a rather inadvertent yet extensive exploration prior to reaching the gully. embarassedlaugh.gif This time, we made much better time on this most efficient route. The route description in the book references a no longer drivable road and does not mention the CCC Trail, which is the best approach. The trick is knowing where to turn off the trail (at least it's tricky without a GPS) - there are a number of wrong rocky streambeds you could follow up, but if you turn off too soon, you will end up going up the wrong drainage. Shortly after reaching this rock referenced in the route description, forest gives way to tall, thick brush mixed in with sharp spiky unpleasantness.
Big Rock mentioned in Middle Fork Guide route description
Big Rock mentioned in Middle Fork Guide route description
We managed to avoid the majority of it by scrambling in the stream gully.
Brush avoidance tactics
Brush avoidance tactics
Once higher, the terrain opens up a bit and you can walk beside the gully or in it. It's rocky either way but the going is easy. Because of the southern exposure and lots of large boulders, it was suddenly very hot. I decided to take off my pantlegs and my gaiters, which were making my lower legs boil. The gully grows more impressive as you ascend, tall slabby cliffs on one side and slightly less imposing slabby cliffs on the other. The snowpack is pathetic and we didn't really hit consistent snow until about 3300'. In the meantime, we scrambled up the gully which was choked with boulders of increasing sizes.
Scrambing the snowless lower gully
Scrambing the snowless lower gully
Finally it was time to kick steps in earnest when we got above the biggest boulder of them all.
Carla ascends above ginormous boulder
Carla ascends above ginormous boulder
This gully reminded me a bit of a canyon - slight bends always revealing more terrain above.
Looking up the gully
Looking up the gully
The snow in the gully varied in consistency from icy where it had been scoured by avy debris, to the avy debris balls themselves, to softer new unconsolidated snow. Footing was rather inconsistent and one step I'd be kicking in several times only to fall crotch deep into a hidden moat the next.
Missing a leg
Missing a leg
This is when I began to question the wisdom of removing my gaiters. Fortunately, the snowpack was so pathetic (only a couple of feet in places) that the likelihood of punching through a truly abysslike hole was very low. I accidentally kicked steps all the way to Yin Yang Pass, mostly because I continually thought I was closer than I was and I just wanted to finish it! clown.gif
Gully fun
Gully fun
Up the gully!
Up the gully!
After what seemed like forever but actually wasn't very long, we made it to the pass, where after a break we dropped just enough to skirt below some cliffs and began a rising traverse to the right.
Dropping down from Yin Yang Pass
Dropping down from Yin Yang Pass
We kept traversing below more cliffs, looking for a good way up. It's not obvious from below exactly where the high point is, so we ended up going up a little too soon. This resulted in some entertaining steep snow traversing to where we could regain the ridge at a more walkable location.
Steep traversing
Steep traversing
More steep traversing
More steep traversing
The last bit to the summit was narrow and interesting.
On the crest
On the crest
Interesting ridge walking
Interesting ridge walking
Arriving at the summit
Arriving at the summit
Carla on Quartz #1
Carla on Quartz #1
Erin on Quartz #1
Erin on Quartz #1
The summit offers some nice views toward the Alpine Lakes Wilderness.
Garfield and some other stuff
Garfield and some other stuff
As comfy lounging options were limited, we didn't linger too long. We also had a couple of other places to go. I should mention that the "summit" as I refer to it is pt. 4641, which is not where the Quartz Mountain label is on the USGS topo map, though this is by far the more interesting summit. However, from here, it looks like the other point is higher, so off we went back to the pass to check it out.
Following the narrow crest
Following the narrow crest
Descending from Quartz ridge, Bessemer behind
Descending from Quartz ridge, Bessemer behind
We easily reached this other Quartz Mountain directly up the ridge from Yin Yang Pass, where we couldn't decide whether it was higher or lower, but it had a cool view toward where we'd just been (note tracks in photo):
Quartz #1 with our tracks on it
Quartz #1 with our tracks on it
And it had its own little summit boulder to surmount.
Erin on Quartz #2
Erin on Quartz #2
We decided we weren't quite finished and went on to pt. 4487, nicknamed by gabrielx (I think) Bessequartz because of its location. This spot would have really in your face views of Bessemer Mountain if it weren't for the trees partially blocking the views. We did enjoy watching some eagles from here as well.
Eagles!
Eagles!
Preacher Mountain was posing across the valley for our viewing pleasure, as were some other views.
Preacher
Preacher
Lemah and stuff
Lemah and stuff
After basking in the warm sun for a while, we headed back down, then up and over Quartz #2, then back down to the pass and down the gully. The gully was a bit of a trial as the soft snow on top of a very icy layer made for slick footing, not to mention the occasional punching through weak spots in the thin snowpack and falling on one's face in the snow. lol.gif
Carla and Erin admire the gully
Carla and Erin admire the gully
We made it back to the trail from the pass in about two hours of not very quick descent - this is certainly an efficient route. Approximately another mile of flat, masterfully built trail brought us back to the cars, where some mosquitoes awaited. paranoid.gif This is an amazingly alpine-y trip for a peak that's under 5000'! I love the Middle Fork! About 7 miles RT and 5200' gain. Approximate route: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=3557793

PLAY SAFE! SKI ONLY IN CLOCKWISE DIRECTION! LET'S ALL HAVE FUN TOGETHER!
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EastKing
Surfing and Hiking



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EastKing
Surfing and Hiking
PostFri Mar 19, 2010 10:11 pm 
Nice work and what a great find!!!!

YouTube | SummitPost Saw the depths of despair. Now I am salvaging what time I have left on Earth.
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Matt
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Matt
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PostFri Mar 19, 2010 10:43 pm 
Yana had bare legs and ErinB didn't. What's the world coming to?

“As beacons mountains burned at evening.” J.R.R. Tolkien
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Type E
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Type E
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PostFri Mar 19, 2010 11:21 pm 
Any thoughts on your route compared to coming up from the Quartz Creek side?

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puzzlr
Mid Fork Rocks



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puzzlr
Mid Fork Rocks
PostFri Mar 19, 2010 11:25 pm 
Middle Fork Feats! up.gif

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BirdDog
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BirdDog
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PostSat Mar 20, 2010 6:32 am 
Very nice! Love the corniced ridge shot.

"There can be no greater issue than that of conservation in this country." Teddy Roosevelt August 6, 1912
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bonobo
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bonobo
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PostSat Mar 20, 2010 7:52 am 
Glad you had success this time! Those ridge walking pics are wonderful.

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Bernardo
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Bernardo
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PostSat Mar 20, 2010 8:20 pm 
Nice trip report. I will definitely add this to my MF list. I liked the picture with the Pratt River Valley in the background.

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ErinB
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ErinB
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PostSat Mar 20, 2010 9:01 pm 
Yea for WA!!! So good to be back and into the mountains right away - thanks for the invite Dicey and Yana! Very nice pics, Yana - especially catching two of the eagles! Too bad they didn't listen to Dicey's requests to come closer! Wish I had pictures to contribute, but all mine turned out looking like this:
Quartz summit
Quartz summit
Or this:
lined gully
lined gully
Hm, think I need to get my camera fixed... Such a perfect day - and such a pleasant mountain!!! Ooh and thanks for the introduction to snow mamas and ice babies!!!

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Yana
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Yana
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PostSat Mar 20, 2010 9:44 pm 
Matt - the bare legs resulted from a fit of insanity brought on by warm sun amidst warm rocks. Somehow, the insanity continued and I never put the pantlegs back on despite multiple reasons to do so. embarassedlaugh.gif Consequently, my knees are now scrached up and red from thorny annoyances. Oh well, at least there was no devil's club! Type E - I can't really compare since I have no knowledge of the Quartz Creek approach, but this route is very direct, aesthetic, and pretty quick. I'm not sure how pleasant or unpleasant the gully is when completely melted out later in the season - the lower melted out sections were fairly simple, unexposed scrambling with a couple of steps mixed in for good measure. Hope that helps! Edited to add: here's a quote from the midfork.org website, a great resource, but sadly now defunct and only accessible via the wayback machine. bawl.gif : "It's possible to do this climb from the north side, via the Quartz Creek road, but even if you hit it optimally it's a pretty brushy mountainside. If you take the wrong line you are going to thrash a lot of brush. So Carl's gully route is probably best, although a little more demanding from the scrambling point of view. " Erin - nice pictures. I feel so... pink. embarassedlaugh.gif

PLAY SAFE! SKI ONLY IN CLOCKWISE DIRECTION! LET'S ALL HAVE FUN TOGETHER!
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gabrielx
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gabrielx
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PostMon Mar 22, 2010 10:48 pm 
Yana wrote:
We decided we weren't quite finished and went on to pt. 4487, nicknamed by gabrielx (I think) Bessequartz because of its location.
It wasn't named by me, it was named by Douglas McCarville and Joe. Their TR is on the midforc.org website, which seems to be dead so here is a link to the TR via the Way Back Machine: http://web.archive.org/web/20030502233610/www.midfork.org/fram?url_id=30 Nice job on climbing both!

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dicey
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dicey
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PostTue Mar 23, 2010 1:43 pm 
Yikes! Thanks Gabriel, that sounds terrible wink.gif The difficulty of Quartz is getting to the gully without too much alder thrashing, and then finding the true summit amongst the imposters!
ballz!
ballz!
getting higher
getting higher
another view down
another view down
Erin doing some tai chi at yin yang pass
Erin doing some tai chi at yin yang pass
regaining the ridge to Quartz
regaining the ridge to Quartz
It is hard to stay on this ridge!
It is hard to stay on this ridge!
also not the summit of Quartz mtn
also not the summit of Quartz mtn
another non-Quartz summit with true summit visible to left
another non-Quartz summit with true summit visible to left
this is not the summit of Quartz mtn
this is not the summit of Quartz mtn
Yana climbing to the ridge
Yana climbing to the ridge
summit ahoy
summit ahoy
a commanding perch
a commanding perch

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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