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Matt
Tea, Earl Grey, Hot



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Matt
Tea, Earl Grey, Hot
PostMon Aug 15, 2011 1:27 am 
Date: August 6-7, 2011 Destination: Magic Mountain Party: Matt, cartman Cartman & I camped at Cache Col, hoping to climb both Magic & Mixup, but ended up doing only Magic.
Magic Mountain from Cascade Pass (photo taken the day after our ascent)
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Magic Mountain from Cascade Pass (photo taken the day after our ascent)
Marine air from this year’s unstable summer weather continued to push in, filling the western valleys like a tide overnight, and flowing through Cascade Pass like giant slow-motion waterfall.. There were beautiful clear periods at mid-day, but the clouds were above us on the way up to Cascade Pass Saturday morning, surrounded us at dusk Saturday night, and a solid deck below us Sunday morning. Highlights of the trip were: a great high campsite at Cache Col, deep snow everywhere up high, suprising flower gardens on the south flank of Magic, rocky route-finding along Magic’s crest, getting lost in the fog on our way back, and a beautiful sunrise casting a glory onto the cloud deck below us. And then there was the eerie experience reading the summit register, and realizing who had been the last party before us to sign it, exactly five years earlier. Saturday Cascade Pass TH 3600 to Cascade Pass 5400 (9:15am – 11:15am) Fog was dense and wet all the way up the trial. When we arrived at the pass, it was still socked in, but began breaking open to the east while we were there.
Cartman shooting a deer after he stabbed it with his poles
Cartman shooting a deer after he stabbed it with his poles
Pika by the trail
Pika by the trail
Cloudy Cascade Pass
Cloudy Cascade Pass
View opening up eastward to Pelton Peak
View opening up eastward to Pelton Peak
Mixup Arm to Cache Col 7100 (11:45am – 2:45pm) The route up Mixup Arm was mixed snow & greenery up to the bend at 6200 feet, then all snow to Cache Col.
Looking up Mixup Arm, with Magic Mountains pointy summit at far left
Looking up Mixup Arm, with Magic Mountains pointy summit at far left
Clouds caressing Sahale
Clouds caressing Sahale
Along the way, we looked at Gunsight Notch and Mixup Peak, with hopes of climbing the east face route on our way out tomorrow. Impasable snow blocked the right-hand V-notch, but collapsed snow looking probably passable in the left-hand U-notch. The light-colored face was wrinkled with myriad steps and ledges. Unknown to me until I studied the photos later, two climbers were on top.
The V-Notch
The V-Notch
The U-Notch
The U-Notch
East Face of Mixup
East Face of Mixup
Climbers on Mixup summit
Climbers on Mixup summit
The wind was also fierce going up to the col and at the col, enough to require some extra effort just to walk forward. The headwall at Cache Col was imposing. We kicked a ledge into the moat on the left side, and had to climb part of it by straddling the moat propped up between the snow wall on one side and rock wall on the other.
Cache Col (center) and Gunsight Notch (right)
Cache Col (center) and Gunsight Notch (right)
Approaching the headwall
Approaching the headwall
At the headwall
At the headwall
Looking back down the moat climb
Looking back down the moat climb
Two parties for the Ptarmigan Traverse came through shortly after us. While we set up camp, they passed us and continued onward to Kool Aid Snow Depression (in ordinary summers known as Kool Aid Lake).
Another climber approaching the headwall
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Another climber approaching the headwall
Ptarmiganers approaching below Mixup
Ptarmiganers approaching below Mixup
Climbers & shadows
Climbers & shadows
About 100 feet uphill from the col was a magnificent campsite, with rock walls to block the wind, and the dramatic views to both sides.
Campsite at Cache Col
Campsite at Cache Col
Cache Col to Magic/Hurryup Col (3:30pm – 5:00pm) To access Magic Mtn, we curved down and around southeast toward the Magic-Hurryup col. Though both cols are about 7100 feet, we had to drop to about 6300 to bypass buttresses.
Looking back on the traverse from Cache Col to Magic-Hurryup col.
Looking back on the traverse from Cache Col to Magic-Hurryup col.
Hurry-up Peak ahead
Hurry-up Peak ahead
A bit before the col, we angled up through meadows onto Magic’s south ridge. This mile-long traverse had taken us from winter to summer. Behind Cache Col had been wind and clouds and cold. On Magic’s meadows, we hiked through warm sunny flower gardens. You couldn’t pay a landscaper a million dollars to construct terrain so delightful to hike through. Myriad flowers were laid out in clusters and paths amid terraced ledges and rising ramps of rock.
Magic Flowers 1
Magic Flowers 1
Magic Flowers 2
Magic Flowers 2
Magic Flowers 3
Magic Flowers 3
Magic Flowers 4
Magic Flowers 4
Magic Flowers 5
Magic Flowers 5
Magic Flowers 6
Magic Flowers 6
Magic Flowers 7
Magic Flowers 7
Magic South Ridge to Summit 7610 (5:00pm – 6:30pm) Cresting the ridge, the view dropped 3000 feet to Trapper Lake. We followed the ridge crest to the summit, occasionally traversing a bit on the left side where the top was too steep. It was straightforward rock scrambling on the first part, then snow on the last stretch before the false summit.
Trapper Lake & Peak
Trapper Lake & Peak
Eric on the ridge crest
Eric on the ridge crest
Snowy part of the crest
Snowy part of the crest
We had heard that several parties turned back at the summit tower because the final 4th class pitch was too exposed without a rope. From the notch below the false summit, there was an exposed ramp on the left leading to the summit tower and a steep angled gully/notch that matched those descriptions. But we found an easier way by a most unlikely course – following Beckey’s route description. He prescribed going around to the northeast side of the summit. So we tried going down and to the right, where rock walls looked improbably steep. This required descending 50 feet of some of the dirtiest loosest boulders I’ve ever been on. But then we found a series of ledges leading around the summit. They were rubble-covered, but fairly wide and flat, occasionally obstructed by some snow and moats. At the far end, we scrambled up some third class terrain, and happily were on top, with the rope still stowed in my pack. It felt quite rewarding to have worked out this route puzzle.
Looking back from the ledges to the false summit (photo taken on return)
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Looking back from the ledges to the false summit (photo taken on return)
Ledges around the east side of the summit block
Ledges around the east side of the summit block
Going around the ledges
Going around the ledges
Difficult spot getting through a moat (photo taken on return)
Difficult spot getting through a moat (photo taken on return)
Eric at a marble corner below the summit
Eric at a marble corner below the summit
Looking back along the crest of Magic’s false summit from the true summit
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Looking back along the crest of Magic’s false summit from the true summit
Magic Mtn Summit (6:30 – 6:50pm) We didn’t stay long on the summit, because clouds were returning. The east was still clear, but the west was disappearing.
Eric arrives at the summit
Eric arrives at the summit
Matt on Magic summit
Matt on Magic summit
Trapper Lake dropping into shadows
Trapper Lake dropping into shadows
Looking west to Mixup & Johannesburg
Looking west to Mixup & Johannesburg
Boston, Ripsaw Ridge, & Buckner
Boston, Ripsaw Ridge, & Buckner
The summit register contained an eerie and poignant surprise. It was full of earlier entries, but no one had signed it recently, probably because the pencil was missing. The last previous entry was exactly 5 years earlier: “8-6-06, Ed Miller, First peak of the ptarmigan.” Reading it, we recalled that Ed had died on Mt. Formidable the following day, and realized that we might well be looking at the last words that he ever wrote.
Ed Miller’s register entry
Ed Miller’s register entry
Magic Summit to Magic-Hurryup Col (6:50pm – 8:05pm) As the sun dropped lower and the heat left the sky, the air simply turned back to cloud. Above and below us and all along the west side of the peak, mist appeared and thickened fast. To the east, a few peaks glowed with evening light through gaps in the clouds.
Buckner above a moat edge
Buckner above a moat edge
Pelton and Buckner-Booker-Goode
Pelton and Buckner-Booker-Goode
Last glimpse east through the descending curtain
Last glimpse east through the descending curtain
On the west, the air simply turned opaque.
Looking back at the notch before the summit ledges
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Looking back at the notch before the summit ledges
Clouded summit towers
Clouded summit towers
Last view of Magic crest
Last view of Magic crest
Despite the ominous conditions, the flowers were, if anything, even more beautiful, somehow managing to glow with bright color in the thickening gloom.
Flowers in the fog 1
Flowers in the fog 1
Flowers in the fog 2
Flowers in the fog 2
Flowers in the fog 3
Flowers in the fog 3
Flowers in the fog 4 (my favorite)
Flowers in the fog 4 (my favorite)
Flowers in the fog 5
Flowers in the fog 5
Flowers in the fog 6
Flowers in the fog 6
Things were looking dim.
Eric in sunlight, smiling, 4:56pm
Eric in sunlight, smiling, 4:56pm
Eric in darkness & fog, not smiling, 7:54pm
Eric in darkness & fog, not smiling, 7:54pm
Lost in the Fog (8:05pm – 11:05pm) Our visibility was gone, but we still should be able to find our way back to camp. West of us were the Ptarmiganers tracks in the snow, which would lead back to Cache Col. All we had to do was traverse low till we found the tracks. We didn’t. As we traversed, we were hitting steeper sections of rock and meadows. The light faded to full dark. Our headlamps mostly just lit up blowing fog. Probably we hadn’t traversed far enough, but maybe we were already too far. The altimeters showed we were too high, probably among the buttresses and basins east of Cache Col. We had somewhere succumbed to the temptation to gain elevation rather than stay low. We could make a guess of our location, drop down and continue, but might get even more lost or run into dangerous terrain. Did I mention that it was dark and damp and foggy? Finally, we made the difficult but necessary route decision. If we went all the way back to the area below the Magic-Hurryup col, we could drop down to Kool Aid Snow Depression, and find the tracks or tread of the Ptarmigan traverse. So we trudged back through the dark depressing mist, found the right slope, and dropped down further to find the snow-covered lake basin at 6100 feet. The reflectors of a few tents glinted through the fog, but sadly no one woke up and came running out to offer us warm beds and dinner. Kool Aid Lake 6100 to Cache Col 7100 (11:05pm – 12:15am) And then we trudged across the basin and a thousand feet back uphill to camp.
Back at the bivy site
Back at the bivy site
Sunday Cache Col Sunrise (5:48am – 6:47am) The morning dawned clear overhead, with a solid cloud deck lying below us to the west. Even tired, I managed to get up and walk to a viewpoint above camp.
Cache Col Sunrise
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Cache Col Sunrise
Clouds filled the western valleys.
Sunrise descends toward the Buckindy Range, 5:48am
Sunrise descends toward the Buckindy Range, 5:48am
Spider & Formidable sunrise, 5:50am
Spider & Formidable sunrise, 5:50am
Morning gold flowed down the faces immediately west of me.
First light on Johannesburg & Mixup, 6:02am
First light on Johannesburg & Mixup, 6:02am
Light descends on the faces, 6:06am
Light descends on the faces, 6:06am
More light on the faces, 6:10am
More light on the faces, 6:10am
A slow-motion waterfall of clouds poured through Cascade Pass and evaporated into the east.
Clouds flowing over Cascade Pass, 6:16am
Clouds flowing over Cascade Pass, 6:16am
Upon the canvas of clouds, the rising sun cast long shadows of peaks and a brightening glory of its own light.
Shadows of Magic, Mixup, & Johannesburg
Shadows of Magic, Mixup, & Johannesburg
Shadows & Glory, 6:17am
Shadows & Glory, 6:17am
Higher Glory, 6:47am
Higher Glory, 6:47am

“As beacons mountains burned at evening.” J.R.R. Tolkien
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Go Jo
of the lykkens



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Go Jo
of the lykkens
PostMon Aug 15, 2011 3:06 am 
Outstanding. Your mix of storytelling & route details never fails to make me yearn for the mountains and the visual journey you provide is equally amazing.

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silence
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PostMon Aug 15, 2011 8:01 am 
amazing trip ... spellbinding in so many ways .. great write up and gorgeous pix as always matt .. the peaks and clouds and fog .. both beautiful and intimidating .. and the flowers ... wow .. what a treasure!

PHOTOS FILMS Keep a good head and always carry a light bulb. – Bob Dylan
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Rainie Too!
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PostMon Aug 15, 2011 8:53 am 
Well told story and illustrations. It seems appropriate that the next signature on that resister, belongs to someone that could understand the significance of its last entry.

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Dave Creeden
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PostMon Aug 15, 2011 8:56 am 
As always, nice photography and write-up Matt. up.gif I was in the same area this past Friday and Saturday for climbs of Spider, Hurry-up and Magic. Coincidentially I ran into Franklin and Carla near Mixup Arm. We continued on and dropped our overnight gear at Kool Aid Lake then took off for the Formidable/Spider col. I hung a left to climb the SE route of Spider, while they climbed Formidable. I got back to camp at 8:30, while Carla and Franklin got back from Formidable around 11. Next day we joined forces to climb Hurry-up and Magic and then left before the predicted collapse of the weather on Sunday.

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honey badger
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PostMon Aug 15, 2011 10:07 am 
Nice write up and images as usual Matt. Always interesting to see and hear another's tale. Our way up Magic started all firm snow. Glissades down interupted with a butt warming to those lush heather and rock outcrops. We used the new matra when things looks a bit narly. "when things got tough, I went to the right" (quote from Matt on Tupshin). Seems to work in many places. Interesting in the essentials, one should have a pencil or pen and more often than not hikers seem to have nothing to write with. I wonder how many in the past 5 years have summited Magic. I find it hard to believe none have with it being so close and easy.

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iron
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iron
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PostMon Aug 15, 2011 10:34 am 
awesome story matt and great pics. i like the crisp black edges of the headwall against buckner. and the sunrise pano up.gif

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Hiker Mama
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PostMon Aug 15, 2011 1:04 pm 
I always enjoy your trip reports, Matt. up.gif

My hiking w/ kids site: www.thehikermama.com
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Quark
Niece of Alvy Moore



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Quark
Niece of Alvy Moore
PostMon Aug 15, 2011 1:15 pm 
Matt, your trip reports are the best.4r5ttttttt ( <===my cats commentary). Love the brocken spectre photo - you're a lucky dude. In the photo titled, Shadows and glory, you can see them forming. Where the summit tea photo~!!!!!!!!

"...Other than that, the post was more or less accurate." Bernardo, NW Hikers' Bureau Chief of Reporting
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koaflashboy
Color Analyst, REI



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koaflashboy
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PostMon Aug 15, 2011 3:06 pm 
Too funny ... umm, I know where the pencil is ... my climbing partner and I were just messing around for a day up there and wandered up to try climbing Magic's west face with nothing but a camera in hand. We didn't quiet make it to the summit (probably about 100' vertical shy) but halfway up the rock I found an old, beaten up pencil. My partner and I joked that someone had tossed it off the summit. Good times - take that you stupid pencil!

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twodogdad
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PostMon Aug 15, 2011 5:10 pm 
Matt wrote:
. The last previous entry was exactly 5 years earlier: “8-6-06, Ed Miller, First peak of the ptarmigan.” Reading it, we recalled that Ed had died on Mt. Formidable the following day, and realized that we might well be looking at the last words that he ever wrote.
TR contains some of your most beautiful photography, Matt, and the passage quoted is especially moving. Ed was one of the founders of nwhikers, right? Your photo of the reg deserves to be made part of the thread's portal. N

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cartman
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PostTue Aug 16, 2011 8:31 am 
With a Mostly Sunny forecast, Matt and I headed up the Cascade Pass Trail...
Mostly sunny
Mostly sunny
Still Mostly sunny
Still Mostly sunny
Love That Sun
Love That Sun
On the way up, we encountered a very focused doe and her fawn.
Doe feeding
Doe feeding
Fawn
Fawn
At the pass, the fog did finally part to reveal our destination for the weekend.
Pelton in the mist
Pelton in the mist
Pelton appears
Pelton appears
Misty Magic
Misty Magic
Magic
Magic
Pelton and Magic
Pelton and Magic
Up the good climber's trail and over to the Cache Glacier.
Hellebore trail
Hellebore trail
Approaching Cache Col
Approaching Cache Col
Nearing the glacier crest, what had appeared to be a large cornice was actually the glacier headwall--very different from the steep slope I encountered when last here several years ago to climb Formidable.
Cache Col
Cache Col
Schrund wall
Schrund wall
The schrund hasn't yet opened up, so we walked along the headwall to check out the best route around the wall.
Schrund
Schrund
Right was no good with schrund, moat, and snow-blocking issues, so we went left. To get up the moat on the left was essentially a brief snow traverse on the side of the wall, then a chimney problem with rock to the left and snow on the right. About 75' up the slope to the left is a great site, room for two tents with a rock wall, and a view to the headwall below.
Cache Col from camp
Cache Col from camp
Great views of peaks across the valley from camp.
Sahale and Buckner
Sahale and Buckner
We dropped gear, packed our daypacks, and began the traverse around Magic's South Face, mostly on snow.
Traversing to Magic
Traversing to Magic
Nearing the Magic/Hurry-up saddle, we cut uphill on a reasonable slope to gain Magic's E Ridge.
Up to the ridge
Up to the ridge
More great views:
Trapper
Trapper
Trapper Lake
Trapper Lake
Trapper Lake and Glory
Trapper Lake and Glory
The east ridge is an undulating scramble on rock or snow, either on the crest or just off to the left. Never more than Class 3, generally on decent rock.
Traversing rock on the ridge
Traversing rock on the ridge
Approaching the final summit pinnacles, we needed to find a route to the summit block behind. Left looked steep and sketchy; right looked heinous, a nasty gully filled with widowmaker boulders and debris.
Key gully
Key gully
Ah well, neither of us are married. We went right. Matt dropped around 50' finishing on a steep dirt bit; I didn't drop as far and avoided that pleasantness. Then we simply traversed next to the rock wall on the left upwards, dealing with a short moat to gain Magic's North Face.
Drop and traverse up
Drop and traverse up
The north face was a surprisingly short and easy Class 3 scramble to the summit.
Matt on the summit
Matt on the summit
High point of Magic
High point of Magic
Summit of Magic
Summit of Magic
As Matt mentioned, the last entry was five years ago by Ed Miller. There was no pencil in the register, so I left mine. As we downclimbed the ridge, the fog descended again
and we decided the easiest route was to go all the way to the M/H col, and then traverse over to camp. By the time we reached the col conditions were near white-out and it was getting dark. We did traverse too high coming back, so did not find our approach tracks. We also did not traverse far enough, so didn't reach the tracks of the Ptarmigan climbers who had come in after us. We weren't sure of any of this at the time, so did the wise thing and reversed our return track back towards the col. As we approached the fog lifted just enough to reveal the col above us, which allowed us to take a bearing on Kool-aid Lake, find the climber's track, and return to camp a little after midnight. Next day dawned with a low cloud deck but with all the peaks revealed.
Room with a View
Room with a View
Inspiration
Inspiration
Sahale and Boston
Sahale and Boston
Back down the moat chimney and out.
Down the moat
Down the moat
Returning from Magic
Returning from Magic
Cascade Pass
Cascade Pass

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Snowdog
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PostTue Aug 16, 2011 8:50 am 
great, great , great TR! My favorite pic, and calendar contender is the marine layer pouring over Cascade Pass- up.gif up.gif up.gif

'we don't have time for a shortcut'
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the Zachster
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PostTue Aug 16, 2011 8:51 am 
Amazing trip, amazing scenery! up.gif up.gif up.gif

"May I always be the kind of person my dog thinks I am"
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themadgaffler
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PostTue Aug 16, 2011 9:15 am 
amazing shots - love the pano!

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