[Tom_Sjolseth]

Birddog and I linked up for a great traverse of the Dakobed Range this past weekend. The original plan was to climb Tenpeak and W Tenpeak from White River via Thunder Basin, but a sudden change of heart (mid-approach) led to us embarking on a rugged, scenic, and unique traverse. Day 1 From White River TH, it is ~7 miles to the turn off to Thunder Basin, the now standard approach to the Tenpeak massif. As we ascended the trail, the insects soon became oppressive. Just after Boulder Pass Trail, the White River Trail got very brushy. From that point on, we couldn’t see our feet, and could only barely make out the faint outline of a trail. After about 10 minutes of this, as I looked at the relatively brush-free cliffs just adjacent to us, I remembered a trip Paul Klenke and I shared where we climbed Clark and Luahna in a day via a watercourse draining Clark’s SE slopes - it was a very direct and trouble-free route, a from-scratch route that Paul Klenke is quite good at coming up with. I asked Geoff if he was interested in this route, and he said, “sure”. So it was settled, we were now doing a traverse. Since we didn’t leave the trailhead until about 4:30PM, we decided to camp on flat slabs just adjacent to the watercourse. We had a great sleep among clear skies. Day 2 The next morning we awoke and began climbing up the watercourse, crossing three times to avoid brush and cliffs. After about 1000’, the slabs and brush turn into very pleasant heather and abundant wildflowers. The wildflowers are in full bloom right now, and in combination with all the snow up high and the greenery and the cascading waterfalls, it was a sight! After about 4000’ of climbing, we finally topped out on a ridge overlooking Boulder Pass. We followed the ridge about 1 mile on or near its crest until we got to the slopes below Clark Mtn. The scramble of Clark on its S side is class 3. The summit register is a big white Mountaineers PVC tube placed by NWHiker’s own Modern. As it was getting later in the day, we descended Clark in search of a campsite. We found a dry one with running water at 7700’ in the basin between Clark and Pt 7970. That evening, we headed up to the summit of Pt 7970 to get a view of the sunset. I’m glad we did, because we were treated to one of the neatest sunsets I’ve ever witnessed. Glacier Peak, Kololo, and the entire Tenpeak Massif were the dominant features. Splendid.

Geoff ascending steep slopes below Clark Mtn.

Looking down to White River.

Tiger Lily.

Lupine and Indian Paintbrush.

The view towards Saul and Indian Head.

Typical terrain on the approach to Clark Mtn.

Wildflowers!

Kololo, Tenpeak, and Glacier Peak.

Geoff descending steep snow below Clark Mtn.

The slopes we traverse.

Mt. Saul and Indian Head.

Geoff traversing. The antenna strapped to his backpack is actually connected to a tiny personal locator beacon implanted in his lower back..

Views to Glacier Peak.

The Tenpeak massif and Glacier Peak.

Louis Creek. That's a lot of water!

Buck Mountain and Louis Creek Basin. Entiat Range beyond.

A pinnacle above Boulder Pass.

Geoff on the summit of Clark Mountain.

Looking towards High and Buck Creek Passes.

Clark Mountain. The gully we used to descend can be seen at upper right.

Looking N to Fortress and Bonanza.

1 label

Fortress and Bonanza.

Sunset on Glacier Peak.

Beautiful colors over Sloan Peak.

Glacier Peak at Sunset.

Sunset over the Monte Cristo Range.

Sloan Peak peeking above the lucid cloud deck, bathed in reds and ambers.

The last rays of light.

Day 3 We were up and about at 7AM, but didn’t get moving until 8:30. Our goal this day was to traverse between 7400’-7800’ over to Thunder Basin, then climb Tenpeak and W Tenpeak before setting up camp just below W Tenpeak. The traverse from Clark involves crossing some minor ribs, traversing some class 3 ledges and snowfields, then dropping down onto snow in Thunder Basin. Meanwhile, the views to Glacier Peak and Kololo were jaw-dropping. The amount of snow still present up there is almost unbelievable.. it looks like June! In one tricky spot descending into Thunder Basin, we made a 30m rappel onto snow. From here, it was just a matter of linking up snowfields for a traverse over to Tenpeak. We arrived at Tenpeak rather late, so we decided to just climb Tenpeak today and then find a camp site just below the summit block. The climb of Tenpeak was delightful, with some 5th class climbing up a leftward-trending crack about 50’ below the notch in the E Ridge. We found two rusty pitons on route, and two belay stations. Tenpeak doesn’t get climbed much.. in fact, we were the 7th party to sign the register since 2000, and only the 2nd party since 2005 (the other being Fay Pullen, Matt, and Mtn Mike)! With the Suiattle access taken away, this remote massif is now even more remote. After enjoying the sunshine and magnificent views to Glacier Peak and the Suiattle River headwaters, we rappelled back down to our gear, and proceeded down to ~7500’ where we found a suitable camp site on a rock and heather island.

A thin layer of fog (or mosquitoes?) in the valley.

The Tenpeak massif.

Tenpeak.

Geoff traversing ledges and wet heather.

Rappelling into Upper Thunder Basin.

Looking down into Thunder Basin.

Geoff climbing up Tenpeak. Suiattle River headwaters below.

Upper Suiattle River.

Part of the Tenpeak massif with Buck Mountain beyond.

Luahna and Clark.

W Tenpeak and Kololo from the summit of Tenpeak.

Kololo and the Honeycomb Glacier.

Kololo, Honeycomb, and Glacier Peak.

Can't get enough of the Suiattle River. What a unique view!

Geoff on the summit of Tenpeak.

Geoff enjoying a little sleepy time on the summit of Tenpeak.

Swirling mist dances around one of the Tenpeaks.

Looking back at our traverse.

Day 4 The plan for this day was to climb W Tenpeak then descend and hike back to the TH. When we awoke, however, Geoff wasn’t feeling well, and graciously agreed to descend to the Upper Basin and wait for me while I climbed W Tenpeak - thanks, Geoff. It took about an hour to gain the col just S of W Tenpeak, where I chased a family of goats up and out of sight. I stashed my overnight gear, and headed up with a rope, some slings, and some cams (just in case). The scrambling on lower W Tenpeak was very enjoyable, high alpine ridge climbing, with great views on both sides. Just as I got to where the ridge flattens out, the family of goats that I chased down low were now scurrying across seemingly impossible cliff bands to get away from me. They were pulling moves that rock jocks would envy! Near the summit, the climbing gets wildly exposed, but the climbing is fairly easy (low fifth). The rock was coated with flaky lichen, so I was very careful to concentrate 100% on every move, and not worry about the exposure (which, admittedly, was getting to me a little bit being unroped and with so much lichen to make things feel insecure). Just below the summit, I placed a cam in a crack and clipped my personal to it and made the move above the cam with security and confidence. The summit is a tiny perch with a stack of rocks for a summit cairn. There was a Fay Pullen register up there that was placed a few weeks ago when she, Matt, and Mtn Mike climbed it, and an old, rusty, empty tube. I added my name to the register and made my way back down, rappelling twice on the N Face. The trip back down Thunder Basin was entertaining, and much trail-finding shenanigans ensued. The climber’s paths into these basins are works of art, but take much concentration to keep on them. If these trails weren’t here, getting into the basin would be an epic bushwhack. Despite there being a "trail" here, don't expect brush-free travel. The mosquitoes on the way back to the TH were the absolute WORST I’VE EVER SEEN!! 100s of mosquitoes orbited and dive bombed me all the way back to the car. I wound up hiking in a head net and schoeller jacket (hot!!) just to avoid the little buggers. Bring Deet. One of the finest areas in the range. Trip Stats: -14,000' gain -25 miles

Morning views from camp below Tenpeak.

The White River Valley begins to heat up.

Daniel and Hinman rise above the cloud deck.

Looking back towards camp from my traverse to W Tenpeak.

W Tenpeak.

Glacier Peak as seen from the col between W Tenpeak and Tenpeak. This is one of the most amazing spots I've ever been to.

W Tenpeak threatens.

A little tarn on the way up to W Tenpeak.

Looking SW from the notch in W Tenpeak's S Ridge.

Enjoyable high ridge scrambling.

"Yes" Peak.

Looking up to the summit of W Tenpeak from the S Ridge.

Glacier Peak sits watch above the clouds.

Stunning views just below the summit of W Tenpeak.

The climbing route above me.

Lots of exposure here.

Peering through the cloud deck at a lake-tarn at the toe of the Honeycomb Glacier.

"" "".

I've seen a few of these around.

Tenpeak from the summit of W Tenpeak.

Looking down from the summit of W Tenpeak.

Upper Thunder Basin.

Geoff enjoying some high alpine roaming on the descent into Lower Thunder Basin.

The views on the descent.

Thunder Creek.

Brushy. The trail certainly helps.. if you can find it!

Meadows in Lower Thunder Basin.

Geoff headed for home.

[silence]

sweeet trip tom .. and as always a great tr and pix ... way to go!!! kyle had a run in with those goats when he and jace were there in 09 .. rascals btw is there some place where we can read about fay's ongoing climbs to place the summit registers? her name keeps popping up every where now .. in the olys and cascades

[Stefan]

great stuff Tom. the traversing in the wildflowers and heather looks awesome! me jealous? You bet!

[iron]

cool views of the suiattle headwaters. such an amazing river! looks like a lot of lichen on the summit. any camp spots near that tarn that's not yet melted out?

[Tom_Sjolseth]

There are some very choice camp spots (up high) that overlook the Honeycomb Glacier. Currently you would be camping on pumice, and would have access to running water within a few hundred feet of camp. The camp at the col is one of the nicest camps around.

[Nietzsche's Horse]

Thank you for taking the time to put together these reports, replete with useful beta, fine imagery, and wry, terse wit. That range is wonderfully rugged, as seen from the traverse to Buck Creek pass from the north. It is like a long and beautiful tail extending from Glacier/"Yes" peak. Thanks for sharing some of what it's like, up close.

[iron]

oh, and that pic of louis creek gotta love the napeequa valley. none other like it.

[belowfellow]

nice work

[dicey]

Fantastic trip! What great views you guys had

[Matt]

Great way to do the trip. Your approach up Boulder Basin and traverse from Clark looks far better than the brush route up Thunder Creek. If you thought it was bad going down, it's even more special going up.

[BirdDog]

Wow, what a great trip into an awesome area. I'm glad we chose an eastside route for this trip as we watched the cloud layer stack up just west of the crest for three days. Every night at sunset we watched as the marine layer poured over the crest and instanly disapated as it hit the warm dry eastside air. Stunning scenery in remote and seldom visited area. There are still massive cornices all over up there, and it's August. The views of the upper Suiattle river valley were a spectacle. Can't add too much more as Tom did a first rate job on his write up. Thanks for being a great partner Tom. Excellent route choice.

Looking west towards Glacier Peak from ridge leading to Dakobed Traverse

Quite the flower show up there.

Looking back on the ridge leading to Clark Mt.

Tom crossing on of the numerous ridges

Tom on the snowfields between Clark & Tenpeak

Looking at Tenpeak Mt. from Upper Thunder Basin

Sunset from our bivy

Monte Cristo group above the clouds

Tom traversing under Tenpeak to West Tenpeak

[Tom_Sjolseth]

Wow, your sunset shots came out great! @Matt, the others in Fay Pullen's party were you and MtnMike, of course. No malice intended for not mentioning you both in the TR, and I apologize, I should have included your names for a complete report. I only mentioned Fay because she was the one who placed the register. I have edited the report to include yours and Mtn Mike's names.

[Stefan-K]

"The antenna strapped to his backpack is actually connected to a tiny personal locator beacon implanted in his lower back.." that's pretty funny... super views from W. Tenpeak with the clouds and all - wow! - still want to ski that Tenpeak couloir

[Magellan]

Simply awesome!

[reststep]

Great report and pictures. I like the picture that shows Louis Creek because I hope to take that high route some time.