| Previous :: Next Topic |
| Author |
Message |
TheWaterboy
Hike-2-Hike
Joined: 31 Dec 2018
Posts: 37 | TRs | Pics
Location: Everett |
After failing multiple times, I finally made the summit of this obscure little monster! The hardest part I now realize is that the "prominent" creek bed everyone mentions is gone. Sort of. It is actually just obscured and does not resemble a creek bed anymore. At least not until about 200 feet into the woods where it becomes a creek bed.
Once into the correct creek bed, navigation was easy. The first two waterfalls are easy to get around. The third one is a little tough though. The only way to get past it is to scramble the left-hand side. On the try, before this, some of the loose rock had broken free and nearly crushed my foot. This round I got past it, but, I still found a lot of rock flying down below me.
Once past that obstacle, the route gets steeper and the rock gets looser. In fact, the one problem I seemed to have was taking one step up and three backwards half the time. The views are plenty to take your mind off the frustration as you go though.
I expected a trail in the upper meadows after reading so many other reports on it. I could not find one in the area. Instead, I just used some goat trails and ingenuity to navigate up towards the summit.
The best part of it all was the last couple hundred feet. The rock was finally solid. The scrambling felt like a breeze and the only thing eating at me was the bugs.
TBH the view was nothing special. But the feeling of making really upped the anty. You know, that whole "the best view comes after the hardest climb" thing. This one definitely tested my patience.
Check out more of my climb of Merchant Peak on Hike2Hike.com
[Mountains] are the cathedrals where I practice my religion - Anatoli Boukreev
Hike2Hike.com, because we all just live from Hike to Hike.
[Mountains] are the cathedrals where I practice my religion - Anatoli Boukreev
Hike2Hike.com, because we all just live from Hike to Hike.
|
| Back to top |
  
|
|
ozzy
The hard way
Joined: 30 Jul 2015
Posts: 476 | TRs | Pics
Location: University place, wa |
|
ozzy
The hard way
|
 Thu Aug 27, 2020 8:19 pm |
|
|
Oh yes Merchant!  Took me 3 times to finally get that lil beast. I too couldn't find the initial creek bed and had to pull some stupid maneuvers to get into it up higher!  The loose gully of death wasn't fun either lol! But damn, once I got it I was so stoked! The peak holds a special place in my heart. Cheers!
“I don’t know what’s gonna happen, but I wanna have my kicks before the whole shithouse goes up in flames”-Mr Mojo Risin
“I don’t know what’s gonna happen, but I wanna have my kicks before the whole shithouse goes up in flames”-Mr Mojo Risin
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Mike Collins
Member
Joined: 18 Dec 2001
Posts: 3097 | TRs | Pics
|
| ozzy wrote: | | The loose gully of death wasn't fun either |
I was in the gully of death in a spring ascent and had a microwave sized rock come skipping down.
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Jake Robinson
Member
Joined: 02 Aug 2016
Posts: 521 | TRs | Pics
|
Nice! Merchant is a tough little mountain. My friend and I did SultanHiker's route last year from the other side, and found it to be a pretty tedious but relatively safe route. Who knows if it's better than the south gully but I definitely won't be going back up there to find out!
|
| Back to top |
|
|
TheWaterboy
Hike-2-Hike
Joined: 31 Dec 2018
Posts: 37 | TRs | Pics
Location: Everett |
| Mike Collins wrote: | | ozzy wrote: | | The loose gully of death wasn't fun either |
I was in the gully of death in a spring ascent and had a microwave sized rock come skipping down. |
One of my attempts this year I nearly had a basketball-sized rock crush my right foot. I was shaking so bad I called it a day and decided coming back later was a better choice.
That gulley is awful all around. It's not often I encounter that loose of rock for a full 6 hours 
[Mountains] are the cathedrals where I practice my religion - Anatoli Boukreev
Hike2Hike.com, because we all just live from Hike to Hike.
[Mountains] are the cathedrals where I practice my religion - Anatoli Boukreev
Hike2Hike.com, because we all just live from Hike to Hike.
|
| Back to top |
|
|
TheWaterboy
Hike-2-Hike
Joined: 31 Dec 2018
Posts: 37 | TRs | Pics
Location: Everett |
| Jake Robinson wrote: | | Nice! Merchant is a tough little mountain. My friend and I did SultanHiker's route last year from the other side, and found it to be a pretty tedious but relatively safe route. Who knows if it's better than the south gully but I definitely won't be going back up there to find out! |
I had never actually heard of this route. You have a great write up on it! Looks way safer than the chossy disgusting South Gulley.
Unfortunately, I will probably never give the route a shot. Once was enough for that tiny little monster...
[Mountains] are the cathedrals where I practice my religion - Anatoli Boukreev
Hike2Hike.com, because we all just live from Hike to Hike.
[Mountains] are the cathedrals where I practice my religion - Anatoli Boukreev
Hike2Hike.com, because we all just live from Hike to Hike.
|
| Back to top |
|
|
TheWaterboy
Hike-2-Hike
Joined: 31 Dec 2018
Posts: 37 | TRs | Pics
Location: Everett |
| ozzy wrote: | | , once I got it I was so stoked! The peak holds a special place in my heart |
Completely agree. I felt as stoked as some of the big peaks I have climbed in the North Cascades.
[Mountains] are the cathedrals where I practice my religion - Anatoli Boukreev
Hike2Hike.com, because we all just live from Hike to Hike.
[Mountains] are the cathedrals where I practice my religion - Anatoli Boukreev
Hike2Hike.com, because we all just live from Hike to Hike.
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
