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Bronco
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Joined: 20 Jun 2010
Posts: 134 | TRs | Pics
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Bronco
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 Tue Aug 01, 2017 1:50 pm |
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Nice work Steve, looks like (mostly) a fun time! Thanks for posting some pics -
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canadug
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Joined: 25 May 2007
Posts: 110 | TRs | Pics
Location: Canada |
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canadug
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Tue Aug 01, 2017 2:31 pm |
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Most Xcellent. Great looking journey.
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olderthanIusedtobe
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Joined: 05 Sep 2011
Posts: 7708 | TRs | Pics
Location: Shoreline |
 This looks amazing. Thank you for posting your TR.
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silence
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Joined: 25 Apr 2005
Posts: 4420 | TRs | Pics
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silence
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Tue Aug 01, 2017 5:08 pm |
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PHOTOS
FILMS
Keep a good head and always carry a light bulb. – Bob Dylan
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JasonG
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Joined: 01 Aug 2017
Posts: 11 | TRs | Pics
Location: Mount Vernon |
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JasonG
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Tue Aug 01, 2017 8:37 pm |
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Well, based on the description on your 2008 TR I don't think so? We were trying to figure out which gully you used since you said you descended it to the glacier. The only couple we saw looked terrible and were a bit below the summit of Crowder. The one we used was pretty far west and ~1300' below the summit. It didn't put us anywhere near the glacier on the north side of Crowder, we were well below it.
It was quite a trip, that's for sure! I have to say that your couple trips in there over the years were definitely an inspiration. I think only like 4-5 parties have traveled thru since the 80's? Hard to say for sure since you wouldn't necessarily sign in to the registers on Pioneer, Mystery, etc.
Oh, and the nice register box on Pioneer has been hit by lightning, blowing the hinge apart. It's a mess inside and there is no way to seal it. A shame.
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Tom_Sjolseth
Born Yesterday
Joined: 30 May 2007
Posts: 2652 | TRs | Pics
Location: Right here. |
My dad had that register made as a memorial to Cliff Lawson, so it is definitely a shame. I will talk to my dad about having a new memorial register made and will bring it up there in the future.
The gully we used was about 600' below the summit if I recall correctly at an obvious notch. It was a really steep snow gully (~60 degrees) and it allowed us to contour around the N side of Crowder on steep heather and brush. We did not pop out of that gully on the glacier itself, we were above it by a few hundred feet. We also had to make a rappel in the trees to get down to it.
Again, awesome trip. I am psyched someone else went in there and got after it!
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Brushbuffalo
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Joined: 17 Sep 2015
Posts: 1887 | TRs | Pics
Location: there earlier, here now, somewhere later... Bellingham in between |
Good adventure, and spectacular photos! | trent wrote: | | Climbed Crowder (cl. 2), descended back to camp, and traversed around the north side of Crowder. This involved descending a 40-50 degree snow gully on the west ridge of the peak at about 5680 that let us down to a traverse around the north side of the peak. Traversed over two snow gullies, then descended a forested rib until we were able to descend to the north at 5200 to the snowfield north of the peak. The traverse and descent were steep but manageable. We got our beta from Crowder and Tabor's book "Routes and Rocks in the Mt. Challenger Quadrangle", and by looking at GE and pictures. We side-hilled to Pickell Pass, sometimes referred to as Pickett Pass, and camped there. |
In August 1967 Dwight Crowder, E.K. Ragsdale, and I were possibly the first climbers to approach the Pickets via Pioneer Ridge. We also started at Baker River and on our second day left the ridge using that super steep, loose gully you mention. It was snowfree, which I think made it scarier ( we didn't have helmets in those days, either). We camped at the base of a long snowslope/couloir beneath the south side of Phantom, which we climbed on the third day. Rowland Tabor, NeeIy Bostick, and John Harbuck joined us, having come in from Easy Ridge, Perfect Impass, and the Challenger Glacier. We traversed over to the Southern Pickets and exited via the Elephant Butte High Route, which we had to figure out in the rain and fog. (Rowland and Dwight didn't have their book to refer to then  ).
It is wonderful to know that adventures are still to be had by the adventurous!
edit, added from Jason's post:
"The only couple we saw looked terrible and were a bit below the summit of Crowder. The one we used was pretty far west and ~1300' below the summit. It didn't put us anywhere near the glacier on the north side of Crowder, we were well below it."
I'm quite sure that's the gully we descended to exit Pioneer Ridge. It is key. We didn't go all the way to Mt. Crowder, as it wasn't named yet. (Dwight was tragically killed a few years later when hit by a car while he was bicycling.  ). I think Mt. Crowder was named Brownie or something previously. Renaming it in his honor is a fitting tribute to his pioneering along Pioneer Ridge.
These pictures from trent's OP look like the key gully, but snowfree in late August 1967.
Passing rocks and trees like they were standing still
Passing rocks and trees like they were standing still
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cascadetraverser
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Joined: 16 Sep 2007
Posts: 1407 | TRs | Pics
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Great Route. Nice how you put together a series of mini traverses into one grand one. I have traveled all but that gully...How was the terrain from the bottom of the gully over to Pickell Pass with heavy packs?? (how about that view toward the Northern Pickets there??!!!)
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Matt
Tea, Earl Grey, Hot
Joined: 30 Jan 2007
Posts: 4307 | TRs | Pics
Location: Shoreline |
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Matt
Tea, Earl Grey, Hot
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Thu Aug 03, 2017 5:54 pm |
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Terrific traverse. Well done.
“As beacons mountains burned at evening.” J.R.R. Tolkien
“As beacons mountains burned at evening.” J.R.R. Tolkien
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Magellan
Brutally Handsome
Joined: 26 Jul 2006
Posts: 13116 | TRs | Pics
Location: Inexorable descent |
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Magellan
Brutally Handsome
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Thu Aug 03, 2017 8:16 pm |
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Sepultura
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Joined: 05 Aug 2013
Posts: 29 | TRs | Pics
Location: Chugach |
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trent
Suffering fool
Joined: 02 Oct 2006
Posts: 65 | TRs | Pics
Location: Stanwood |
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trent
Suffering fool
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Sun Aug 06, 2017 11:29 am |
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| cascadetraverser wrote: | | How was the terrain from the bottom of the gully over to Pickell Pass with heavy packs? |
Steep but manageable, comparable to the traverse around Pioneer. We descended of off the timbered rib too soon and ended up doing two rappels down a steep and lose gully to get us to the snow field. Upon looking back at the rib, it seemed a further descent would have led us down without the rappels.
It's all downhill from here!
It's all downhill from here!
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JasonG
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Joined: 01 Aug 2017
Posts: 11 | TRs | Pics
Location: Mount Vernon |
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JasonG
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Sun Aug 06, 2017 4:06 pm |
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I LOVE the history from the 1967 traverse, we relied heavily on your team's experience from that trip. The gully is not bad at all when snow filled and, as Steve said, the rest to Pickell Pass was pretty manageable (minus my routefinding error-induced raps).
It is amazingly rugged country back in there, and still quite adventurous feeling all these years later. We didn't see really any sign of passage aside from a few balloons and summit registers. Just us and the goats.
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JasonG
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Joined: 01 Aug 2017
Posts: 11 | TRs | Pics
Location: Mount Vernon |
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JasonG
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Sun Aug 13, 2017 8:26 am |
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For those that love wasting time looking at pictures, I added a trip report over at Cascade Climbers. I'm so glad we finished before the smoke came down from BC!
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awilsondc
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Joined: 03 Apr 2016
Posts: 1324 | TRs | Pics
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