Forum Index > Trip Reports > East Ridge Esmeralda, West Esmeralda - 9/11/10
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Spotly
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Spotly
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PostMon Jul 18, 2011 4:09 pm 
Nice. I've thought about it every time I car camp the TH but never got the energy to do it along with our other objectives. Looks like an objective in it's own right. Solid rock where you need it? That's a lot of class 3 smile.gif

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Dayhike Mike
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Dayhike Mike
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PostMon Jul 18, 2011 4:13 pm 
Solid rock where you need it, but there's plenty of loose up there that'd be happy to come home with you as well. Check your hands and feet carefully, especially on the steepest sections. I was hoping to do both Esmeralda and Teanaway yesterday, but yeah, it's a good destination in it's own right. Plan on at least 3 hours up, easy 3 hours down.

"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
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meandering Wa
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PostMon Jul 18, 2011 6:04 pm 
I know the purpose of this post is the scramble, but how did the flower action look? Thinking of heading over this weekend, I assume I have not missed the quality flower season

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Karen
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PostMon Jul 18, 2011 7:34 pm 
We hiked the DeRoux-Boulder trail yesterday to Gallagher Head Lake - there's tons of flowers in the meadow below the lake. Most campsites are under snow at the lake but where snow is melting the flowers are coming out. The trail from the DeRoux Boulder trailhead (near the horse camp on the N. Fork Teanaway road) is loaded with flowers of all kinds. I'd bet the flowers will be good for at least 2-3 weeks, maybe longer. We thought about looping out via the Esmeralda Basin trail and hiking back to the car but it was raining so we turned back. However, friends were up there and reported there was very little snow on the Esmeralda Basin trail - they also reported flowers, including lots of shooting stars. Karen

stay together, learn the flowers, go light - from Turtle Island, Gary Snyder
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meandering Wa
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PostTue Jul 19, 2011 7:10 am 
thanks Karen, That meadow at the DeRoux trailhead is amazing for orchids and elephant heads

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cathorse
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PostWed Jul 20, 2011 8:02 am 
We were camped at DeRoux after scrambling DeRoux peak on Sunday. Flowers up high were magnificant and very diverse, esp loved the Showy Penstemon. AND, speaking as the folks who gave you a ride from DeRoux back to your car at Esmeralda, I think everyone was pretty overwhelmed by your day.

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Dayhike Mike
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PostWed Jul 20, 2011 8:14 am 
I appreciated the lift! I knew that the folks waiting at our car might be a little worried that we'd taken longer than expected and I was in no mood to repeat the stretch of tread from De Roux up to the Ingalls Lake trailhead. I was thankful and relieved to find someone in the campground when we arrived... The flowers we saw up on Esmeralda were nice as well. Lots of indian paintbrush, penstemon, wild celery, lupine, etc.

"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
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RokIzGud
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PostWed Jul 20, 2011 2:08 pm 
That looks really cool up.gif up.gif I really want to try it now!

North by Northwest
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Dayhike Mike
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PostWed Jul 20, 2011 3:50 pm 
Here are a couple pics from our trip this last weekend:
The gang, pre-climb
The gang, pre-climb
The goal, Esmeralda's East Ridge
The goal, Esmeralda's East Ridge
After finding the river flowing at a good clip and all the rocks to cross under water, we ended up heading up the valley (less than a half mile) to a place with a footlog for easy crossing. From there, we headed up the low shoulder in the right of the second picture. A little ways up the hillside, I found a old built trail that traversed across the hillside, keeping relatively level. I have a feeling that this trail ultimately connected with another built trail that I found on our first trip up there, a bit farther south on the hillside. We followed that trail for 200 feet or so until I found a nice gully that brought us up onto the lower edges of the rock.
Heading up the gully.
Heading up the gully.
Anahita having a good time...
Anahita having a good time...
The gang, breaking out into the choss-covered lower slopes...
The gang, breaking out into the choss-covered lower slopes...
We traversed and climbed slightly running along the chossy ramps until we arrived at the route that I'd taken up on my first trip. Two people in the party weren't feeling confident/enthusiastic about the rock and indicated that they'd prefer to relax in the valley while we continued on up, so I worked with them until they were down to the gentler slopes and could descend without too much trouble. Afterwards, I scrambled back up and caught up with the other two. And we headed up.
Todd and Diana making short work of the ridgeline.
Todd and Diana making short work of the ridgeline.
Todd working his way up one of the steeper / Class 4 sections.
Todd working his way up one of the steeper / Class 4 sections.
Todd and Diana happy to be past the steepest sections.
Todd and Diana happy to be past the steepest sections.
The summit is finally in view.
The summit is finally in view.
Once you're past the steepest section, there are still quite a few bumps along the ridgeline that you have to work around. Left, right, up and over...every one has a slightly different character.
Todd and Diana, working up one of the bumps
Todd and Diana, working up one of the bumps
Todd coming up the face of one of the bumps. Diana and I had taken a ramp out of sight and to the right.
Todd coming up the face of one of the bumps. Diana and I had taken a ramp out of sight and to the right.
Pretty purple flowers, a towering snag, and one of the final large bumps we have to work our way over looming above.
Pretty purple flowers, a towering snag, and one of the final large bumps we have to work our way over looming above.
Todd and Diana, negotiating the slope below the snag.
Todd and Diana, negotiating the slope below the snag.
Todd and Diana traversed around that bump, and up a gully to gain the ridgeline on the far side.
Todd and Diana traversed around that bump, and up a gully to gain the ridgeline on the far side.
A little closer view -- Todd's trying to avoid rolling rocks on top of Diana as he climbs.
A little closer view -- Todd's trying to avoid rolling rocks on top of Diana as he climbs.
And finally, we were on top.
"You're serious? That's *really* the top?" Yep, no more silly ridgelines.
"You're serious? That's *really* the top?" Yep, no more silly ridgelines.
Diana took a more direct approach to the summit block, coming straight up a cliff. "We've been climbing all day. Why stop now?"
Diana took a more direct approach to the summit block, coming straight up a cliff. "We've been climbing all day. Why stop now?"
The ridgeline we came up. Yeah, it's steeeeep...
The ridgeline we came up. Yeah, it's steeeeep...
Mount Stuart, across the valley, showing off the mixed weather we "enjoyed"
Mount Stuart, across the valley, showing off the mixed weather we "enjoyed"
Todd and Diana, happy to be resting on top.
Todd and Diana, happy to be resting on top.
One final pic before we head down. South ridge scramble route is off to the left.
One final pic before we head down. South ridge scramble route is off to the left.
The descent was pretty gentle in comparison. We did pretty well, finding trails that traversed across the hillside and connected up to the sheepherder's path that exits out via De Roux. We followed that trail all the way down to the official / maintained trail and enjoyed the 10-15 minutes of groomed path before hitting the campground. Timewise, it took right around 3 hours from when we split up to the summit and 3 hours down from the summit via the scramble route.

"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
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Quark
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PostWed Jul 20, 2011 3:53 pm 
Dayhike Mike wrote:
Todd and Diana happy to be past the steepest sections.
Todd and Diana happy to be past the steepest sections.
Gee, I dunno, looks like they're still on a steep section. But I guess "steep" is a relative term, no?

"...Other than that, the post was more or less accurate." Bernardo, NW Hikers' Bureau Chief of Reporting
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Dayhike Mike
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PostWed Jul 20, 2011 3:57 pm 
Har, har. Already fixed. wink.gif I hate it when ImageShack actually honors the rotate flag, even if you've already manually rotated it so it looks right in Windows. Here's a GPS track and elevation profile that Todd posted for us:

"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
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puzzlr
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puzzlr
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PostWed Jul 20, 2011 11:01 pm 
Nice report. I've been eyeing the south ridge of that peak (from DeRoux TH) for a long time, right of your descent route. I never considered going up the even steeper route on the other side. Thanks for letting us tag along in photos.

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Dayhike Mike
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PostWed Jul 20, 2011 11:54 pm 
We skirted right (west) at the top because of cliff bands to the left (east). There was one more direct ridgeline that looked like it might go okay (it's obvious on the topo), but it also looked a little unconsolidated when viewed from below. I saw one relatively strong boot path heading down that way that made me tempted to check it out, but we ended up following a different one that worked well all the way to our intersection with the sheepherders trail. If you do give it a go, I'd definitely like to hear how it turns out.

"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
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Dayhike Mike
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Dayhike Mike
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PostFri Jun 01, 2012 4:20 pm 
I'm putting together a trip up the East Ridge again this year. Date is set at Sunday, June 17th. Would love to have a few of you guys along. Since I'm listing it on the Mountaineers website as a Basic Alpine trip, the people that join me need to either be Basic Students or Grads or have qualified into the Intermediate program. This is a great trip and one of my favorite short approach hikes. That being said, here are the caveats I'm presenting to folks that are interested:
  • The route we're going up is a mix of Class 2, 3, and 4 terrain.
  • The rock itself is sound, but as this route isn't used frequently, there will be loose rock occasionally and places where we need to be careful with hand/foot placements.
  • There is significant exposure at several points on this route. The hardest moves are in relatively safe settings, but if you're afraid of heights or not comfortable with exposure, this is not a good trip for you.
If you're still interested in joining me, here's what I need from you:
  1. What kind of mountaineering background do you have? If you're in a Basic class, is the class your first experience with rock climbing and scrambling?
  2. List several scrambles / climbs have you done involving rock, height, and exposure in the last few years.
  3. If you're in a class, who is your mentor? What climbs have you done with the Mountaineers and who led each?
Thanks in advance! Like I said, I'd love to have a few fellow NWHikers along on this trip. It's one that I think really deserves a little more attention.

"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
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Dayhike Mike
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Dayhike Mike
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PostWed Mar 27, 2013 4:11 am 
Just realized that I never posted a TR or pics from last years' trip, so here it is. We ended up going in mid-July. Water was still high, so we took the Esmeralda Basin trail up valley roughly 3/8ths of a mile to cross on the same log we'd used last year. On the other side of the river, we followed a faint boot path up to the more defined trail which runs back down-valley for 100ft and then headed up the obvious gully to reach the base of the mountain and exit the valley vegetation.
The whole gang, at the top of the first gully.
The whole gang, at the top of the first gully.
Traverse at the top of the gully.
Traverse at the top of the gully.
Traversing from the first gully onto the base of the mountain.
Traversing from the first gully onto the base of the mountain.
Heading up after the initial traverse.
Heading up after the initial traverse.
Follow the leader.
Follow the leader.
The second gully
The second gully
Across the valley, Fortune Peak
Across the valley, Fortune Peak
Ingalls Pass, Not Hinkhouse, Longs Pass
Ingalls Pass, Not Hinkhouse, Longs Pass
After another 100-200 feet of gain, we entered and exited the second gully via an easy rock scramble on the left side of the gully. Once on top of the rock, it's an easy, gently rising, Class 2 traverse on a ledge to reach the base of the route. The next pitch is fun, solid class 3 terrain -- plenty of hand holds and foot holds -- but a little exposed. It's not difficult -- just choose good holds, watch out for small loose pebbles, and take your time on the final traverse to the right.
Easy class 2 traverse on the ledge.
Easy class 2 traverse on the ledge.
Start of the route. Fun class 3!
Start of the route. Fun class 3!
Looking down from halfway up the first pitch
Looking down from halfway up the first pitch
The crew begins to collect
The crew begins to collect
Traversing at the top of the class 3 pitch.
Traversing at the top of the class 3 pitch.
Veggie belay?
Veggie belay?
Traversing carefully...
Traversing carefully...
Traversing carefully...
Traversing carefully...
Feeling strong!
Feeling strong!
Happy to be resting on the first bench
Happy to be resting on the first bench
We relaxed for a bit on the bench at the top of the first pitch, then continued up. It's steep but easy class 2/3 up to the base of another steep section. At the end of the ledge system (before the gully), head straight up the face with another set of large hand holds. After this steep section, it flattens out a bit and there's another large bench (good place for lunch) before a steep step with a single 4th class move. Above the 4th class step, work your way up the final steep section to reach the top of the ridgeline.
Steep but easy class 2/3 above the first bench
Steep but easy class 2/3 above the first bench
Steep section above the 4th class move
Steep section above the 4th class move
Liz liked it! Stuart looming behind
Liz liked it! Stuart looming behind
Sarah
Sarah
Kelsie
Kelsie
Thumbs up from Tom...
Thumbs up from Tom...
Looking down to the parking lot.
Looking down to the parking lot.
On top of the steep section.
On top of the steep section.
Ready to run the ridge.
Ready to run the ridge.
Once you're on top of the final steep section, you can finally see the true summit in the distance. From here on up, it's mostly easy Class 2 all the way to the top. Along the way, there are several short class 3 steps, but these are easy to negotiate. Head right when you get to the base of the knob, and you'll find a slightly exposed ledge that runs up the right side. Traverse back to the notch, descend on the left side of the ridge, then back up. Finally, find the easiest way along the top of the ridge to reach the base of the summit where the ridgeline finally widens. Traverse on the right flank of the summit and work your way up to an easy notch in the summit ridgeline. There's no need to take the direct, steep route...you really don't save any time by getting onto steeper terrain.
The summit is finally in view.
The summit is finally in view.
Fun class 2 up the ridgeline.
Fun class 2 up the ridgeline.
Kelsie makes it look easy. :)
Kelsie makes it look easy. wink.gif
Minor class 3 steps on the ridgeline.
Minor class 3 steps on the ridgeline.
The snag and the knob above.
The snag and the knob above.
The ledge on the right of the knob.
The ledge on the right of the knob.
Top of the ledge.
Top of the ledge.
We enjoyed ourselves with the views from the top before heading back down the easier slopes on the back side of the peak. Keep heading down and right until you've entered the forested flanks, and then find an old sheepherders path that will take you all the way back down to the De Roux trailhead.
Kelsie and her dad on top!
Kelsie and her dad on top!
Tom and Sarah
Tom and Sarah
The whole gang posing on top.
The whole gang posing on top.
Time to head down the back side.
Time to head down the back side.
Relaxing at Mexican in Cle Elum
Relaxing at Mexican in Cle Elum
I'll be heading back up again sometime in 2013. This is still one of my favorite short daytrips. Only thing I'll do differently is keep the party size down to 6. We did fine with the larger party, but it's just faster and less dangerous (rockfall) with fewer people in tow. Finally, I've updated and annotated a photo I posted earlier in the thread showing the route from the valley below:
Route up the east ridge, with annotations.
Route up the east ridge, with annotations.

"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
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