Seven Fingered Jack 08/18/2011

I met up with Joe Ferguson who I got a ride with. We were surprised that no one else rode with us. We made good time and when got to the turn off of highway 2 there were no hotels so we just whet no a forest service campsite which was nice. It cost $17 and was by a lake or river, which had no bugs but there was a noise that was coming from a fish ladder which I thought was maybe a bear.

When we got to the trailhead we were the first ones there. We met up with Paul and Eric and Brian , two people canceled to it was just us. The hike up to the trail to Seven Fingered Jack was steep but not as steep as Putvin trail on Mt. Stone. It was about three and a half miles to the camp.

There were all types of wildflowers about. When we got to camp and I set up camp by the river. But the other campers were more inland. The next day we went to climb Mt. Fernow.

The hike up to the saddle was fine but then the exploratory aspect came in. Bob Breivogel said it took like thirteen hours. Anyhow we got to the saddle and they're was a way down but it was too steep. So we went around the moraine and they came up the other side.

We went up some steep terrain but it was getting late. We would have bivy and we had no bivy gear so we went back to camp. It was a good practice day. I had a good time climbing down at a 25 degree slope of snow.

When we got back camp the deers were out enjoying the camp, there were like three of them. The next day we got up early and went to climb Seven Fingered Jack

There were at least two routes that we saw, we decided to take the ice gully up which was more direct the going all the way around on the rocks The ice gully was by far the most challenging thing I've climbed. It was straight up and I had to put my crampons almost perpendicular to the gully and then put my spike of my ice ax like 2-3 inches into the ice. I was slow but I just wanted get up and not look down.

Here it is from above. When we got the top of the ice gully we took a break, but I knew that we would make to the top as that was probably the crux of the climb. We went through rocks the rest of the way up, there were a couple large rock that fell but no one was hurt

We made the summit and came down a different way. There was a little rock climbing on the way down. There was some down climbing on snow, but I choose to take the rocks down instead of using the French Tenquice. We had to step up a fixed line as we traversed across a steep icy slope.

Mt. Stone 08/07/2011

Seeger Fisher picked me up an hour later because he slept in. We then picked up Jennifer our assistant leader. She is very involved with the Mazamas, and is the President of the Foundation.

We then were at Purvin trail, the beginning of our trek to Mt. Stone. Putvin Trail is a real killer. In under 4 miles it gains 4,000 plus feet. It's like 2 or 3 Murna Points or Rock of Ages.

Both Lake of Angles and Lake of the Prophets were snowed in. We camped around Lake of the Angels. I slept on the snow with my Eureka Solitaire, I wasn't sure how it would hold up...it did fine with no precipitation.

We woke up at 5:30 to leave for Mt. Stone at 6:30. We went up to Lake of Angels, so far so good. We crossed some large rocks and then back into the snow and up the ridge. There were suncups there on the hill

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Then came a part that was a little sketchy, there was a rock gully with a snow covered left side that was 35 degrees. We were unprotected and we then had to do some 3rd or 4th class climbing up two gullys. This was actually the toughest part of the climb because we had no rope and if we fell we would fall like 200 yards.

We did a bit more rock climbing and another snow push and then we were at the summit block. The guide book was right take the less obvious route to the right. Bob then used a rope and we tied prussics on to it. We were at the summit in no time, but we were a bit late like 12-1 PM.

We then down climbing using pussics. When we then rappelled down to gulley's, with only one tree as an anchor. Seeger didn't have a harness with him, so David hooked up a munter hitch one time and made a webbing out of webbing. The snow ridge that formed a basin, a glissaded down. It was the longest glissade I have done yet, maybe 150 yards.

Then came some steep snow down climbing. I used the French technique of down climbing, but the snow was somewhat melted and I fell and self arrested, but I could get back up on my feet so I fell again. We were the almost to Lake of Angels and when we got to our camp we had 15 minutes to break camp before we head out to capture the remaining sun. We made down in under three hours, at 9:00, 4 hours behind schedule. Seerger drove all the way home and we stopped by McDonalds to have a bit to eat. I made it home by 2 AM and put my thing away.

Some of these photos are taken from my team and are copyrighted.

Sahale Peak - 07/30/2011

Bruce emailed some of us that he had a spot open for Sahale, this was amazing because it is a popular climb. Andrew drove me and Dan and Darin up in his 1980's Subaru. We got coffee in Sedro-Wolley the gateway to the North Cascades and went on to Mablemount. Bruce had to get up there the day before to get our permits, what a guy! When we met him at the Ranger Station he had Krispy Kreme dough nuts for all of us and also the rangers. We had to bring bear cans at the rangers request.

There was a doe and her fawns and they were at the campgound looking for food. They seemed rather food conditioning and didn't seem to mind people.

When we got to the trail head we saw a group of four Mazamas females that were also going up to Sahale. The first part of our hike was rather moderate, and I got to know the rest our climb party. We heard an avalanche somewhere in the distance.

We stopped at Cascade Pass for a break. We met a ranger up there. I was felling good even though I'd been up since early that night. When we got toward Sahale arm we saw a buck. Like the deer we saw in the parking lot we wasn't very afraid of us. They're were Marmot's too, this might have been my first Marmot experience up close, I don't think they have them in Oregon.

We finally made it to camp on Sahale Glacier. We picked the campsite with the ground and left Dan, Andrew, and to camp in the snow. Ted had a MSR Hubba Hubba which worked out great, it had two doors.

Also at our camp were Mountain Goats, about three of them. They liked liking pee off of the rocks. On Sahale Arm there was a solar toilet, which was the best views you've ever taken

They climb was moderate and only at the very top did I learn another technique and low and high dagger with my ice ax. From there we rested at the foot of the summit block while Bruce got ready to lead. The climb to the summit there was maybe two difficult moves.

Then I rappelled down. I did much better than I did at Horsethief Butte.

The views from Sahale were so beautiful, I really love the North Cascades, it's like a mini Alps. We made it down to camp and relaxed for an hour before heading out. We got back just before dark. We wanted to have a beer but no place was open. It was 4 am when I arrived home.




Some of these photos are taken from my team and are copyrighted.