[Luc]

Thanks to several folks' TRs and some backend advice, I got to check this one off my list. Started Deer Pk in the thick smoke. Encountered 3 guys starting the Deer Pk ascent when I reached Three Forks. They had just completed the same traverse in the other direction, didn't seem to want to chat, fair enough. Over the first few days there were several parties bailing on their plans due to smoke. For me, it was more of a mission than a vacation, so I stuck it out. Took two days to get to the xc tarns near GW pass with the air quality. Saw nobody on the main traverse day. The smoke was nearly gone in my immediate area by Thursday and on. Great ascent up to Grand Pass after Cameron Basin - Sweaty Betty. Decided to take the trail out instead of Lillian Ridge - I'd done that in years past and didn't have a map of the route with me. Regarding route for the traverse - most TR's are spot on in that there is more or less "one way to do it." Of course there is more than one way, but the collective report is right on as a guide. Only notes I'd add: The Cedar > Unnamed Basin piece could maybe be done one notch to the south, putting you into the upper reaches of Unnamed Basin, and could be easier and less steep dropping into the other side. Not liable. Dropping into the moraine area from the buttress that divides the traverse requires descending the buttress into the bottom of the basin where the moraine terrain flattens out at the tarns. Trying to drop over to save elevation loss was dicey and too dangerous to me. I burned through an hr figuring this out. The moraine actually continues past the upper lake to the pass. I used this to gain the pass because the snowfield that feeds the upper lake extends over the lake, and I didn't want to risk swimming to shore with my pack if there were to be a slip. I succeeded with that choice to continue on the upper moraine, but it was very much of a knife edge catwalk experience requiring focus and nerve. To slip and fall on the E side of the upper moraine would have been a bad tumble, not just a slip and scrape. This was the only portion I got verbal with the "dude this is gnarly and I'm hekka sketched right now." I'll try to figure out the pics thing here (from google photos, but says "building" then disappears on the preview):

[neek]

See here. You gotta grab a link to your photo album then use nwhiker's interface to select the individual photos.

[RodF]

That lateral moraine is a neat feature, isn't it? Eric Thorson's comments on it here tantalized me to follow in his footsteps, too. Your comments on the route all make sense to me. Neat route! It's interesting that you met others who did it the opposite way... going east, one wouldn't know (unless they'd researched the route beforehand?) that if they climbed the buttress, it goes easy and they wouldn't be cliffed out on its east side. I spoke to others who did it that way, and chose to descend to Ruby Lake instead of test the buttress shortcut. Thanks for sharing your photos! It was raining when I did it, so I missed some of the views!

[boomheist]

Nice pics. It rained hard when I did it with Rod. Climbing the moraine was actually very straightforward and easy, if slippery and slow. At the top though there was snow, including snow into the lake. I slipped between rocks and cut my finger. Rod and I climbed well away from the lake at the top, to the left, avoiding the slope and slide into the water. It was slow but went OK. Much more snow when we were up there I think.

[Fatrick]

Well done and I second your comments about possible route variations. That moraine is one of the coolest features for a XC route I've come across, such a great aesthetic.

[silence]

In spite of the smoke still a great trip .... glad you got er done and thx for posting. BTW ... I don't recognize you

[bobbi]

awesome, Luc glad you did your traverse! what's with all the facial hair?

[Luc]

Haha! I've been freelancing/self employed for a few years and don't interact with anybody in person so I figured why not save on razors

[silence]

How do your girls like it? Actually, I met R back in 1968 when he had facial hair. In the last 50 years he's only shaved it off briefly twice ...

[Phil]

Nice one Luc. Great to see youre still out there on adventures.

[ethorson]

That was a great trip in spite of the smoke. I love the beauty and isolation of what I call the Middle Cameron Basin.