Mount Stuart Climb Project

Saturday, June 10, 2017

Route: Sloan Peak - Corkscrew Route

Mountain Information:

Name: Sloan Peak
Region: North Cascades (Mountain Loop Highway)
Summit Elevation: 7835 ft / 2388 m
SummitPost Link:

Peakbagger Link: http://www.peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=1803
Mountaineers Link: https://www.mountaineers.org/explore/routes-places/sloan-peak-corkscrew-route
WTA Link:

Driving Directions:

Trailhead:

Bedal Creek Trailhead, Co-ordinates: 48.0931317,-121.3930766
Sloan Creek Campground, Co-ordinates: 48.055777,-121.3244792

Address: Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, Gold Bar, WA 98251
Elevation: 1840 ft
Pass: Northwest Forest Pass
Directions

Mountaineers: "Drive north on I-5 and take exit to Granite Falls (SR 92 from Marysville or SR 9 from I-405). Drive through Granite Falls on Mountain Loop Highway towards Barlow Pass. Take Forest Road 4096 4 mi to Bedal Creek Trail (Trail No. 705), 2,800 ft. (Alternate route via North Fork Saul (Forsest Road 49) is described in the notes below) has been more popular in 2012 and 2013.)"
SummitPost: "From Granite Falls take the Mountain Loop Highway to Barlow Pass (32 miles), then drive 7 miles to the North Fork Sauk River Road. Take this road 4.5 miles to a pullout (approx. 1900 feet). Follow flagging and trail for 1/2 mile to a crossing of the North Fork of the Sauk River. Be careful here in early season or late in the day."
WTA: "From Darrington, drive south on the Mountain Loop Highway (SR 503) for 16.3 miles. Turn east (right) on Sloan Creek Road (Road 49). Continue 4.5 miles to the trailhead on your right."
WTA: "Take exit 208 off I-5 and drive four miles east on the Mountain Loop Highway (SR 530) to Arlington. Continue on 530 for 28 miles more to Darrington. At a three way stop turn right (south) onto Mountain Loop Highway, and continue 17.2 miles turning left on FR 4096 which is about a mile past Bedal campground. Continue on FR 4096 for two miles to the trailhead."

Highway 2 Road Condition:

wsdot.com

Weather forecast

Avalanche danger forecast:

Northwest Avalanche Center

Route Information: Corkscrew Route

Gain: 5,900 ft
Round Trip: 12 miles
Difficulty: Basic Alpine
Season: July, August, September
Source: https://www.mountaineers.org/explore/routes-places/sloan-peak-corkscrew-route
Existing tracks:

Approach and Ascent:

Hike the trail to 3,560 ft (1.2 mi), just before a major side stream. Head up slope in the trees. At around 4,500 ft a minor flat area is reached. Follow it toward the 5,300 ft saddle between Bedal Peak and Sloan Peak. Just before reaching the open area (drainage), ascend in the trees to 4,800 ft. Then up to approximately 5,000 ft in brushy areas.
At around 5,000 ft traverse the open/bushy slope to the timber to the saddle (pass by the small lake). Head up to the base of the Glacier. Camp on the saddle at 5,330 ft or on ridge overlooking the glacier at 5,800 ft. Be prepared to camp on snow through June.
Descend to glacier. Head southwest for the obvious corner where the left skyline of the summit massif joins the east ridge. Keep high (right) on the glacier, then ascend left to within 100 ft of the east rock face. Watch for evidence of rock fall from the face and move to the left if necessary.
Later in the season, it may be necessary to drop down lower on the glacier to avoid major crevasses. From the corner, follow a rock and heather covered shelf on an obvious goat/climber trail, high across the entire south face, around the corner and partway to the west face, to a prominent gully. Ascend straight up gully to its top at the ridge crest. Move east (left) just below the ridge, go up a short steep step (class 4), and scramble 200-300 ft to summit.

Caltopo Route: https://caltopo.com/m/RJ9J
Existing GPS Tracks from Peakbagger: https://caltopo.com/m/77J6

Misc

Videos:

Other Links:

Notes:

South Route - Bedal Basin to SE Shelf to upper Corkscrew Route: map, trip report.
Southwest Face Rock Climbing: map, trip report. Another trip report from nwhikers.net. Related trip report from CascadeClimbers.
Another WTA trip report via Bedal Basin.
4/21/2017 - Trailhead inaccessible: The North Fork Sauk Road is closed due to a slide before milepost 1 from WTA.

Topo maps: calTopo map.

Friday, May 26, 2017

Sourdough Mountain

Mountain Information:

Name: Sourdough Mountain
Region: North Cascades
Summit Elevation: 6111 ft / 1862 m
SummitPost Link:

http://www.summitpost.org/sourdough-mountain/152814

Peakbagger Link:

http://www.peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=1661

WTA Link:

http://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/sourdough-mountain

Mountaineers Link:

https://www.mountaineers.org/explore/routes-places/sourdough-mtn-pk-6308-winter

Driving Directions:

Co-ordinates: 48.749747, -121.126012 (Dec Deg)
Trailhead: From Marblemount, drive SR 20 east for 20 miles. Turn left on Diablo Road and proceed 0.7 mile. Cross the Stetattle Creek bridge, bear right and reach the trailhead in 0.25 mile.

Brief description： I405 - I5 (Exit 208) – 530 (Rockport) – 20 (39 mi keep left to Diablo St)

driving direction: The trailhead is in the village of Diablo, at the foot of Diablo Dam, just off the North Cascades highway, elevation 800'.
Elevation: 900 ft
Pass: None
Here is a drive direction from google map.
Road condition

http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/passes/northcascades

Weather forecast

Avalanche danger forecast:

Northwest Avalanche Center

Snow report

NOHRSC

Misc

Gain: 5500 ft
Round Trip: 8-10.4 miles
Difficulty: Winter Scramble
Season: Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall
Existing tracks:

gaia summer route

Related Trip Report:

2012-09-06, summer route http://www.oregonhikers.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=13266&view=previous
2014-08-17, summer route to lookout route http://www.peakbagger.com/climber/ascent.aspx?aid=468300
2012-02, a summer & autumn comparison (very good) http://www.summitpost.org/a-winter-and-an-autumn-visit-to-sourdough-mountain-lookout/775005
2013-03-29, overnight snowshoe http://www.summitpost.org/sourdough-mountain-stetattle-ridge-overnight-snowshoe/844493
2014-07-13 http://www.summitpost.org/sourdough-mountain/152814

Caltopo Route: http://caltopo.com/m/97E2

Activity Update

Total distance: 10miles
Average speed: 1mph
Average moving speed: 1.4mph
Total hours (parking lot to parking lot): 10hr 20min, 5hr ascending, 1hr on summit
Total moving hours: 7hr 8min

Saturday, May 13, 2017

Route: Baring Mountain (Highway 2)

Mountain Information:

Name: Baring Mountain
Region: Central Cascades (Highway 2)
Summit Elevation: 6125 ft / 1867 m
SummitPost Link: http://www.summitpost.org/mountain/151113
Peakbagger Link: http://www.peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=1999
Mountaineers Link: https://www.mountaineers.org/explore/routes-places/mt-baring-nw-ridge
WTA Link: http://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/mount-baring

Driving Directions:

Trailhead: Barclay Lake trailhead
Co-ordinates: 47.7884, -121.4482
Address: Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, Gold Bar, WA 98251
Elevation: 2208 ft
Pass: Northwest Forest Pass
Directions

SummitPost: "Drive Highway 2 east of Index to the small town of Baring and turn north onto road 6024. Cross the railroad tracks and follow the gravel road 4.5 miles to the trailhead for Barkley lake. Do not take the trail to the lake but instead continue up the abandoned road until a creek crossing and a cairn. Find the climbers path heading up, next to the creek."
WTA: "Take Highway 2 east to Baring. Turn north, crossing the railroad tracks onto 635th Ave. Proceed about 4.5 miles to the Barclay Lake trailhead. Be sure to bear to the left at a fork about 0.2 of a mile from the highway, the sign can be difficult to see"

Highway 2 Road Condition:

wsdot.com

Weather forecast

Avalanche danger forecast:

Northwest Avalanche Center

Route Information: Northwest Ridge Route

Gain: 4,000 ft
Round Trip: 8 miles
Difficulty: Winter Scramble, Scramble
Season: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Source: https://www.mountaineers.org/explore/routes-places/mt-baring-nw-ridge
Existing tracks:

Approach and Ascent:

The trail to Barclay Lake heads down hill while just to the right of it, the abandoned road continues on level. Hike east on this road about 1/4 mile until you come to the first creek crossing. It may be dry in summer, but if running, it will be a small waterfall. There is a large cairn in the road here.
The steep, muddy trail starts up the right side of the creek but soon heads to the left. Continue up the steep boot path. Though inconspicuous in places, the boot path goes all the way to a boulder filled basin at 4,900 feet. Do stay on this trail because it goes all the way from the cars to the basin, and will save you time.
From the basin head towards the gully and gap between the north and south peaks at 5,600 feet. At the gap, turn left and climb roughly north (14-degree bearing) toward the summit. Avoid heading too far to the left as you climb towards the summit. There is a small boulder field beneath the summit block. Climb the summit block on the left.

Caltopo Route: https://caltopo.com/m/MJTR

Misc

Videos:

Other Links:

Notes:

Baring is one of the more popular BASE destinations of the Pacific Northwest.
Summer is the season of choice although Spring has the advantage of snow covered brush. Also, due to the fact that the TH is at a low elevation it can be reachable when others are still snowed in.
At approximately 600 feet elevation gain from the start, there is often a steep, muddy, root-filled dirt area that is easy to ascend. But it could be dangerous coming down for a tired party in the dark.
The basin above 4,900 feet is a very steep snowfield in early season and may be an avalanche hazard.
The south Peak is 6010ft and is much less visited.

Topo maps: calTopo map.

Thursday, May 11, 2017

Snow travel experiences

养成带头盔的习惯。
队伍前后要在视野范围内，否则用对讲机练习
在重大决定时，需要召集大家一起讨论，每个人都应该有自己的看法。一旦决定形成，按决定执行。
不要完全相信别人的路线，需要自己检查路线。在复杂路线，按情况定期核实路线
如果路途遥远，尽量减少休息时间，尽量避免走夜路。
加强基本技能训练，比如ice axe arrest. Snow travel skills等。
尽量避免risk, 如果路线不在大家的comfort zone就返回。
Snow travel应该带snow shovel，water filter等。
Gaia GPS could have issues to locate our current position sometimes. If we are not sure about where we are, we should use at least two people's Gaia GPS to double check. Sometimes, resetting the app resolves this issue as well.

Saturday, May 6, 2017

Route: Big Snow Mountain (Middle fork Snoqualmie)

Mountain Information:

Name: Big Snow Mountain
Region: Central Cascades (Middle fork Snoqualmie)
Summit Elevation: 6680 ft / 2036 m
SummitPost Link: http://www.summitpost.org/big-snow-mountain/216509
Peakbagger Link: http://www.peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=2083
Mountaineers Link: https://www.mountaineers.org/explore/routes-places/big-snow-mountain
WTA Link:

Driving Directions:

Trailhead: Dingford trailhead
Co-ordinates: 47.517272,-121.4550937
Address: MT Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, NF-5620, North Bend, WA 98045
Elevation: 1300 ft
Pass: Northwest Forest Pass
Directions

SummitPost: "From Seattle, take I-90 to exit 34 in North bend. Take 468th Ave for about .6 mile. Turn right on Middle Fork road. At about 1 mile stay to the left at a now closed fork in the road. Continue for another 1.5 or so until the road turns to dirt. This is FS RD 56. Drive about 10 miles, cross a bridge, and take a right. You will go about 6.5 miles until you come to another gate. This is the Dingford trailhead and gate, the jumping off point for the Myrtle Lake route, and also now the end of the public access road. For the east ridge route, hike or ride bicycle 7 miles further. Watch for the giant broken log in the road which is right accross from the Hardscrabble Lakes access trail. This parking area is a half mile from the road's end at Dutch Miller trailhead."
WTA: "From Seattle, drive east on I-90 to exit 34. Turn left onto 468th Street and follow it to the junction with the Middle Fork Snoqualmie Road. Turn right and continue up the Middle Fork Snoqualmie Road for 12 miles to the large Middle Fork trailhead parking area on the right. Pass the parking area and turn right onto a gravel road immediately after crossing a large concrete bridge. The road is marked for Dingford and Dutch Miller Gap. Continue six miles on a heavily potholed road to a gate. Passes and privy are available at the trailhead."

I-90 Road Condition:

wsdot.com

Weather forecast

Avalanche danger forecast:

Northwest Avalanche Center

Route Information: Dingford Creek Route

Gain: 5,280 ft
Round Trip: 16 miles
Difficulty: Winter Scramble, Scramble
Season: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Source: http://www.willhiteweb.com/washington_climbing/big_snow_mountain/snoqualmie_080.htm
Existing tracks:

Related Trip Report: http://www.peakbagger.com/climber/ascent.aspx?aid=352842
Caltopo Route: https://caltopo.com/m/KDSN

Misc

Videos:

Other Links:

Notes:

There are two main routes as described in summitpost: "There are two standard approaches for this peak. The east ridge (Hardscrabble route) is easier and less confusing, but the Middle Fork Road has been gated at Dingford Creek so it's now 25 miles round-trip. The north slope (Dingford route) is less distance but involves serious route finding and bushwhacking depending on snow conditions."
North slope / Dingford route in summitpost: "12-13 miles round-trip and 5280 feet of gain, class 2-3 with route finding. Approach from Dingford creek trail to Myrtle Lake. Ascend to Big Snow Lake making use of steep gullies. Traverse right around Snowflake Lake, then ascend to the summit. This route is now the shortest, but certainly not easiest to puzzle out. Failed attempts and running out of time is somewhat common on this route."
Big snow mountain could be reached from the east ridge, i.e., Hardscrabble route. But it is a long trip as explained in summitpost: "25 miles total but 8 miles round trip up from the road, 4000+' gain, class 2 scramble with some route finding. It might be advisable to bring a bike for the road portion. The trail starts a half mile short of the end of Middle fork road. This access trail can be found right across the road from a large fallen log. From the lower lake head east and ascend a climbers path to upper Hardscrabble Lake. Stay on the path, ascending through forest and keeping near the inlet to the lake. If one goes too far to the left you will run into cliff bands. From there, the climb begins up a gully to a col. From the col, drop down onto the open granite slab of the north slope. Follow the east ridge to the summit. This is the preferred route to the summit, and will require an overnight for all except the hardiest of souls." Here is one nwhikers.net trip report 6/30 - 7/1 2016.
There is a backcountry ski route from Miller River, Lake Dorothy to Big Snow Mountain. Route is described in nwhikers.net trip report 8/12-14/2016.

Topo maps: calTopo map.

Tuesday, April 25, 2017

Route: Ruby Mountain - NW Ridge Route (North Cascades)

Mountain Information:

Peakbagger Link:

http://www.peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=1814

WTA Link:

https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/ruby-mountain

Mountaineers Link:

https://www.mountaineers.org/explore/activities/winter-scramble-ruby-mountain-winter-2

Driving Directions:

Trailhead: a turnout located across the highway from a large boulder field on the northwest side of Ruby Mountain (this is on HWY 20 about 12 miles east of Newhalem and 0.4 miles west of Horsetail Creek, at an elevation of about 1900’)
Co-ordinates: 48.7172, -121.0773
Address: Highway 20
Elevation: 1900 ft
Pass: Northwest Forest Pass
Directions: summitpost: "1) Drive for approximately 12 miles east along Highway 20 to a small turnout (~1900' elevation). Park at one end of the turnout.
NOTE: The turnout is 2.8 miles northeast of Colonial Creek Campground, and 0.4 miles west of Horsetail Creek, along Highway 20. The turnout is located across the highway from a large boulder field on the north side of Ruby Mountain.
2) Steeply hike straight up the mountainside, starting left (east) of the large boulder field. Continue hiking straight up the hillside for approximately 450' elevation.
3) After ascending 450' elevation from the highway, begin angling left for the next 200' elevation until reaching the northwest ridgeline.
4) Follow the northwest ridge, crossing over Point 6315', until reaching the summit ridge. The final 300' elevation gain to attain the summit ridge and true summit requires scrambling." Here is a drive direction from google map.
Road condition

http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/passes/northcascades

Weather forecast

Avalanche danger forecast:

Northwest Avalanche Center

Route Information: NW ridge

Gain: 5,600 ft
Round Trip: 9 miles
Difficulty: Winter Scramble
Season: Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall
Source: https://www.mountaineers.org/explore/activities/winter-scramble-ruby-mountain-winter-2
Existing tracks:

Related Trip Report: http://www.stephabegg.com/home/tripreports/washington/northcascades/ruby
Caltopo Route: https://caltopo.com/m/5MQ9

Misc

Videos (many more on youtube):

Near summit of Ruby Mountain

Washington State Cascades Mountain Range Drive

Other Links:

Notes:

The summer route is on the south ridge as described in wta.org (RT 17 miles, gain 6300 ft)
The parking place is described by this report as: "We parked at a turnout located across the highway from a large boulder field on the northwest side of Ruby Mountain (this is on HWY 20 about 12 miles east of Newhalem and 0.4 miles west of Horsetail Creek, at an elevation of about 1900’). This start of the climb is also only shortly before the winter closure gate at MP 134, making Ruby one of the last accessible climbs along HWY 20 in the snowy season."
There are snow and cliff bands along the ride and final exposed scramble as described by this report:

The NW Ridge route starts just left of the large boulder field. We began hiking straight up the timbered ridge. The route is straightforward, and we were able to navigate cliff bands via snow ramps. We put on snowshoes at about 4000', took them off a few minutes later to negotiate a cliffy area, and then put them back on. After a few hours we popped up onto Point 6315, and from there headed up the open ridge to the summit. The snow on this open ridge was composed of a crust that would hold your weight for a split-second, then break and drop you into a layer of cold powder that would flow under your feet.
Between 12:13 and 12:45 pm, all of us summited except Bodie, who was left anchored to a tree, deemed too rambunctious to handle the final scramble over exposed mixed rock and snow to the summit. The 7,408-ft summit of Ruby Mountain is open with a unique views looking directly down onto Ross Lake, as well as far-ranging 360-degree views of other peaks in the North Cascades National Park. There is also an antenna/repeater station on the summit
The vertical mile of descent was long and tedious, but we made it out just before dark

Topo maps: calTopo map.

Sunday, April 23, 2017

Route: Mount St. Helens- Worm Flows Route (South Cascades)

Mountain Information:

Name: Mount Saint Helens
Region: South Cascades
Summit Elevation: 8365 ft / 2550 m
SummitPost Link:

Peakbagger Link:

http://peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=2353

WTA Link:

http://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/mount-st.-helens-summit-worm-flow-route

Mountaineers Link:

https://www.mountaineers.org/explore/routes-places/mount-st-helens-worm-flows

AllTrails Link:

https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/washington/worm-flows-trail

Driving Directions:

Trailhead: Marble Mountain Sno Park
Co-ordinates: 46.1426, -122.1827
Address:Gifford Pinchot National Forest, NF-83, Cougar, WA 98616
Elevation: 2700 ft
Pass: SnoPark Permit
Directions: Mount ST Helens Institute: "State Route 503, also known as Lewis River Road, closed on Monday, March 13, when a debris slide knocked trees and rocks down onto the highway near Speelyai Bay Road, about 21 miles east of Woodland in Cowlitz County. [WA Department of Transportation is] putting an emergency contract in place with Pacific Blasting to remove the slab and stabilize the hillside as soon as safely possible. While the debris on SR 503 may not look like much, it’s the instability of the slope above, including a massive rock slab, that has kept the highway closed. DO NOT Attempt to access the trailhead via SR 503 from Woodland, WA. DO Access the trailhead via 503 from Battle Ground, WA.". Here is a drive direction from google map.
Marble Mountain Sno-Park ski trails map
Weather forecast

Avalanche danger forecast:

Northwest Avalanche Center

Route Information: NW ridge

Gain: 5,700 ft
Round Trip: 12 miles
Difficulty: Winter Scramble
Season: Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall
Source: https://www.mountaineers.org/explore/routes-places/mount-st-helens-worm-flows
Existing tracks:

Related Trip Report: http://www.summitpost.org/mount-saint-helens-second-attempt/879573
Caltopo Route: https://caltopo.com/m/Q4VK

Misc

Videos (many more on youtube):

MOUNT ST. HELENS CLIMB (SPRING) from Timber

Other Links:

Notes:

Marble Mountain Sno Park:

Current Conditions:	04/18/2017: 3-4 feet of snow on ground. Road clear. Free parking.
Permit Info:	A Climbing Permit is required for each person, for each day, year round traveling above 4800 ft elevation on the slopes of Mount St. Helens. A Sno-Park Permit is required at Marble Mountain Sno-Park during the winter season.

Climbing Mount St. Helens in Winter provided both a route file and an interactive map
Trail guide: "Before you go running to the edge for a photo however it's really important to remember the cornice. Essentially a cornice is snow that has built up on its self and which hangs freely over the air below it. On the crater rim that means it’s essentially hanging over an abyss and just waiting to fall off into it so obviously you want to stay off that which may means well back from the edge!"
IMPORTANT NOTICE FOR CLIMBERS: "State Route 503, also known as Lewis River Road, closed on Monday, March 13, when a debris slide knocked trees and rocks down onto the highway near Speelyai Bay Road, about 21 miles east of Woodland in Cowlitz County. [WA Department of Transportation is] putting an emergency contract in place with Pacific Blasting to remove the slab and stabilize the hillside as soon as safely possible. While the debris on SR 503 may not look like much, it’s the instability of the slope above, including a massive rock slab, that has kept the highway closed. DO NOT Attempt to access the trailhead via SR 503 from Woodland, WA. DO Access the trailhead via 503 from Battle Ground, WA."
Drone video of the SR 503 Slide east of Woodland, WA.

Topo maps: calTopo map.