bushwhack from Porter to Big Slide?

[escapee]

Has anyone bushwhacked from Porter to Big Slide? I'm considering a trip from Cascade Rte 73 trailhead to Cascade, Porter and Big Slide, and would rather not go all the way down to the Garden and climb the Brothers to get from Porter to Big Slide. Planning on mid-January, so probably not much snow base. Thanks.

 

[Neil]

My guess: It would be faster to go the long way around. Even faster to drive between the Cascade TH and the Garden. If you go for the bushwhack traverse and encounter unconsolidated snow make sure you have lots of spare batteries for your headlamp.

 

[blacklab2020]

Definately follow Neils advice!

 

[Doc McPeak]

You want to start in the Garden and not on 73. Do Big Slide first, then drop into RR Notch, head for the Cascade trail as low as you can, do C&P, then take the Porter, Little Porter to Garden trail back to your car. The Notch is awesome. Plan on a long day.

 

[peak_bgr]

Neil has a very good point. However, so does Doc. Railroad Notch is a killer hike. Nice ponds, nice views. If the ponds are frozen, even better. But I would suspect, both Neil and Doc are right at the same time.

That Notch may be open, but it will have unconsolidated snow.

 

[Neil]

Doc's angle is way more interesting than my advice. I'm sure you know that when the snow is crusty the going is often better in winter than in summer. However, slogging up a slope when sinking in thigh deep is just too tough for me. Just wait for a thaw-freeze. Heck, can I come? I have lots of batteries.

 

[peak_bgr]

It does sound like a really cool trip.

 

[TCD]

I haven't done that route, but I've been in RR notch a bit. The woods in there are generally very open and good walking. Both Big Slide and Porter have quite a few cliffs, so you'll have to do some route finding, especially on whichever one you descend.

 

[Guinness]

Keep in mind the land ownership between Big Slide and Porter is mostly private. The standard trail (#16) has a right-of-passage on this land. There are several homes and hunting lodges. One lodge is visible during the ascent the Brothers bordering Slide Brook. The brook itself would be troublesome to cross in most sections as it has very steep embankments in that section.

There are several very steep sections coming off the Brothers / Big Slide section that would have to encountered. Some border the status of vertical. I do crazy routes that involve off trail wandering, but this is one I have not attempted. Good Luck.

 

[iceNsnow]

BS - Porter/Cascade

Having done this trip a couple of times it is not as bad as those people who haven't done it seem to like you to believe.
It took about 2hrs each time and was much better than driving around or even taking the trail.
I did not run into any steep cliffs or ledges and the woods are quite open and park-like in the notch - lots of deep ferns. I would not attempt to hit the summit of BSlide but any point below the Slide Brk / Brothers trail jct should suffice. It is thicker on those ridges than in the notch or on the slopes of Porter, but navigatible. The woods on Porter are extraordinarily lovely and going from BSlide to Porter one time I had planned to hit the trail up from the Garden but had such fun in the woods, decided to continue on my own route to the Porter/Blueberry trail.
Enjoy!

 

[Rejean]

My guess: It would be faster to go the long way around. Even faster to drive between the Cascade TH and the Garden. If you go for the bushwhack traverse and encounter unconsolidated snow make sure you have lots of spare batteries for your headlamp.

Neil is wright, I done those 3 peaks in a day last March. I start early
at the Garden parking lots and go for Big slide (4-5 hours hike). After
I drive to Cascade trail head on Highway 73 and done Cascade-Porter
(3 hours).
And the day after I went for Phelp-Tabble top-Colden-Marshall.

Have fun.

 

[escapee]

Nice to know it's been done before!

Thank you all for the information. It would be simpler, more certain, and maybe faster to drive from one trailhead to the other, but not as interesting. I'm planning on this as an overnight trip anyway, so I'm not too worried about it taking a while.

I am glad to hear that the woods in the notch are open, or at least that some of it is. Sounds like if I follow iceNsnow's advice and leave the Big Slide trail at or below the jct with the Slide Brook trail, I'll avoid the cliffs and steeps that Guinness and TCD warn about.

I also learned that an RWMS group did this route in January 1997, and made pretty good time. I'm going to contact members of that group for more info on routefinding.

Watch this site for trail condition and/or trip report post after w/e of January 13-14.

Thanks again, all.

 

[iceNsnow]

for the record

It is shorter and more fun to hike Big Slide, bushwk to Porter/Cascade and return to the Garden via the Goodwin trail.

PS Neil can still be wright, if I can be couchie.