Forum Index > Trip Reports > South Hozomeen, Southwest Hozomeen ~~ September 24 2022
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freddyfredpants
saucy



Joined: 08 Jul 2018
Posts: 40 | TRs | Pics
Location: Seattle
freddyfredpants
saucy
PostMon Sep 26, 2022 2:17 pm 
Just getting to the Hozomeen trailhead has been difficult this year. Fletcher and I made a number of plans for a rematch after last year's severe spanking, but scheduling challenges and acts of God introduced obstacles. The most civilized approach is to drive through Canada's Skagit Valley Provincial Park right to the trailhead. The road was heavily damaged by flooding last year and has been closed since November. At only 35 miles each way I considered biking it, but wasn't sure if any of the washouts might be challenging or impassable. I also wasn't sure if it was even allowed and I now that I think about it didn't think to ask. The water taxi from Ross Lake Resort gets you there too, but it is a bit spendy and also difficult to book on short notice. Unless you want to just roll the dice, that's what you need to do when the weather and smoke forecast is good/reliable enough to pull the trigger. The East Bank trail from Highway 20 for just 30 miles of trail is another approach. I tried this in 2020. It's a long way to haul climbing sh!t, and fires to the east that started in August have caused the closure of a section of the Lightning Creek Trail. I also recall a lot of blowdown around Deerlick Camp and haven't heard about any of it being cleared. When I got Castle a few years ago I went over Frosty from Manning Park so I also thought about that approach using the Skyline II trail from Gibson Pass. A huge fire has closed the east side of the park, but the west section presently only holds a comforting "Evacuation Alert Area" designation. That way involves a 20 mile ridge run each way just to get to and from Ross Lake and adds maybe 10k of round trip vert. While scenic and self-abusive just like I like it, we did not want to approach the peak completely worked. The Skagit River Trail from Sumallo Grove off Highway 3 presents another option, but the same floods that trashed the road from Hope took out the bridge over the Skagit River right by the trailhead. Alltrails comments indicated that it was closed, though in late August someone reported minimal stream crossings and mostly good trail conditions. In my mind this meant it was "closed" but not really closed and would probably work. Only 20 miles of trail and road walking. Sold. I really wanted to get to the peak this year. Because of the steep northern aspect of the approach slabs we knew the route would be out once the first substantial snow came in. This being late September, that could be any day now. Between difficulties with scheduling, weather, trail closures, and fires all around the mountain I found myself embarking on the adventure alone. Friday morning I was off. There was essentially no running water in the huge Skagit River channel, apparently all subterranean flow this time of year in that spot. There were occasional easy blowdowns, and evidence of previous flooding. Apart from a short stretch of flagged washout/logjam maze at the 4th mile it was easy. No wet crossings. I wish more trails in NCNP were this nice. Good campsites at 6th and 7th miles. After 9 miles it's the road, and it just goes on and on.
The Mighty Skagit
The Mighty Skagit
The map indicates a bridge to Chittenden Meadows, but this doesn't look like much of a bridge to me
The map indicates a bridge to Chittenden Meadows, but this doesn't look like much of a bridge to me
Not so much traffic up here
Not so much traffic up here
A little over 8 hours later I was at the TH. I found a spot to bivy close by and got some rest. In the morning I headed up the trail and found it had been cleared out from last year. In less than an hour I left it to cross east towards the treed rib between N and S Hozo. I mostly stayed to the right, and soon the slope increased. I followed game trails and managed to avoid the worst of the deadfall. I was aiming for the nasty loose gully around 4900' that would deliver me to the main drainage gully. I came prepared for it. Because it's so loose I set up a 30m rope to rappel, and I knew with a guide ATC it would make a good autobelay later.
Hozomeen Lake
Hozomeen Lake
Nasty nasty nasty
Nasty nasty nasty
Temporary littering
Temporary littering
I was happy to hear and see a little water running in the gully. I wasn't expecting any water at all so I had started with 5 liters. At least I could ditch one of them. The gully was mostly dry but for the enchanting stream of water flowing from an unseen source. Above about 5200' it was gone. I continued up the gully on mostly stable boulders, many covered in thick flour.
Flour
Flour
There she is
There she is
Soon I was at the slabs. I had really been dreading this section. Last year I found it to be uncomfortably exposed wet and slimy yuck yuck. This time it was bone dry. I had brought lighter boots as well which I have found a lot more comfortable for scrambling. It was great. Like a staircase. There was always a good next foot placement. The angle picked up more. I was headed for a kind of drainage gully on the saddle which appeared as a very shallow depression from below. The wall is crisscrossed with ledges, so there are a lot of ways up there. Since last year I had gotten pretty sketched on the left hand side, this time I stayed more to the right. There were just a few exposed moves and soon enough I was at the saddle in the sun enjoying a comfortable lunch less than 5 hours from the TH.
Why yes I'd like to go climb a stack of countertops
Why yes I'd like to go climb a stack of countertops
Hey Jack
Hey Jack
Paeneregurgitare Point
Paeneregurgitare Point
I was feeling really good. So much of the hardship we encountered last year was absent. Temperature was good, attitude was good, energy was good. Lessons had been learned. I dropped down 100' or so to traverse south around point 7240, which after last year I had started calling Paeneregurgitare Point since that's where we had gotten shut down. Easier it turned out to actually go down a full 200', then regain a little to get to the saddle. From there the first gully was visible, and it really didn't seem too bad. I moved across some ribs and crossed below a deep gully at 7400'. Above that was some steep rubble strewn choss/slab terrain. There were also a lot of little ramps and ledges, though it took some care to link them.
Easy
Easy
Easy
Easy
Uch, glad I traversed around that thing lower down...
Uch, glad I traversed around that thing lower down...
Gully
Gully
Looking back to the last bit before the ridge
Looking back to the last bit before the ridge
And just like that, I was on the ridge. The top really isn't far from here, and it's all solid enough. I was on the ridge or just off to the right. The slabby ramp was fun, though I didn't see the old rusty piton above until I was heading down. The crux is real, but it's short.
5.6 bulge crux
5.6 bulge crux
The last bit
The last bit
I took some time to relax and soak it in. I've gotten a lot of good weather summit days this year, and I felt fortunate to experience another. After some time I reversed the route and headed up to tag the SW summit by 5. The S peak cuts such a striking profile from this vantage. I didn't stay too long at the top since my goal was to be back to the nasty gully by dark. I returned to the saddle, pounded water and food, and made 3 30m raps off good trees and boulders to the slab section below. Progress down was quick, and soon I was back at my rope. I am glad I had it there. Whenever the ground crumbled under me I could hold on to it and not have to rely on the poised boulders embedded in the dirt. Maybe there's a less sketchy way to the water gully, but this worked. Downhill bushwhacking and I was back to camp for much needed chow and whiskey.
Souf Hozo
Souf Hozo
Norf Hozo
Norf Hozo
Downside of the short days with my now customary late starts, but I'll take it over blast furnace temperatures of summer.
Downside of the short days with my now customary late starts, but I'll take it over blast furnace temperatures of summer.
I slept late and trudged back up the road and the trail to my car. On the road all I could think of was how nice it would be to be ripping along at 30 mph. Even 10 mph. It occurred to me that I had had an easy Hozo trip, maybe the only one ever. Nothing had sketched me out. I had gotten annoyed with the brush and climbing over the eight hundredth goddamn fallen log, but I think I was just getting tired and grouchy. I felt pretty lucky.
Silvertip
Silvertip
55 miles 9000' 3 days

achildinthesehills, Midnight Slogger, geyer, Justus S., ozzy, fffej50, Bluebird, RAW-dad, Eric Gilbertson, Prosit, Downhill, Silas, Kascadia, gymcarrey, rubywrangler, dave allyn, GaliWalker, RichP  rstoddard24, ~*CutebutChossy69*~  KascadeFlat
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RichP
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RichP
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PostMon Sep 26, 2022 3:08 pm 
Congrats on finishing the top 200 list. up.gif

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Gimpilator
infinity/21M



Joined: 12 Oct 2006
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Location: Edmonds, WA
Gimpilator
infinity/21M
PostMon Sep 26, 2022 3:41 pm 
Stoked for you. Well written and well climbed. Persistence pays off. Thanks for sharing the experience with us. up.gif up.gif

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raising3hikers
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Joined: 21 Sep 2007
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raising3hikers
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PostMon Sep 26, 2022 4:40 pm 
Great job, Fred! Pics are awesome and the way you finished #200 is amazing And good on you for getting the SW pk, too

Eric Eames
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~*CutebutChossy69*~
bluebagprincess



Joined: 08 Jul 2019
Posts: 58 | TRs | Pics
Location: Seattle
~*CutebutChossy69*~
bluebagprincess
PostMon Sep 26, 2022 8:04 pm 
Congrats Fred!! On completing the T200 & on wrestling with the demons of the past to get up there! Seriously cool cool.gif Mountains of the mind are no joke, and are perhaps harder to summit than the physical ones.

Choss is a girl's best friend

rstoddard24
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rstoddard24
BBQWingz



Joined: 30 Dec 2016
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rstoddard24
BBQWingz
PostMon Sep 26, 2022 8:31 pm 
congrats! This one must feel so good. What a way to finish #200; thx for sharing

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awilsondc
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awilsondc
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PostMon Sep 26, 2022 8:54 pm 
Congrats, Fred! I like that this is your T200 finisher. Nicely done!

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Fletcher
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Fletcher
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PostMon Sep 26, 2022 9:45 pm 
Sooo awesome. Once again, shoulda been there. I’ll probably be able to convince you to repeat next year anyways though. cool.gif

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iron
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iron
Member
PostMon Sep 26, 2022 11:33 pm 
congrats. awesome pics.

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Alden Ryno
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Alden Ryno
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PostTue Sep 27, 2022 2:44 pm 
Awesome achievement, Fred! You detail of the possible approaches had me thumbing over maps to see the variety of ways to get to the mountain. You had to hop through several hoops and, still, it was a trek and a half.

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ozzy
The hard way



Joined: 30 Jul 2015
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ozzy
The hard way
PostWed Sep 28, 2022 9:10 am 
Another badass trip man and congrats on finishing the T200!! rocker.gif Hopefully I find myself on N Hozo someday, S Hozo most likely not lol. Killer trip, 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
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Bruce Albert
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Bruce Albert
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PostWed Sep 28, 2022 9:09 pm 
Another very impressive solo undertaking. In the spirit of John Clarke and Roger Jung. Carry on.

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Forum Index > Trip Reports > South Hozomeen, Southwest Hozomeen ~~ September 24 2022
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