WildPeaks
New member
Pucknuts & I planned to hit both Middle & East Peaks. We've both been warned about the "Ridge" but I found West, last year, nothing to write home about, as far as steep & thick.
We started a bit late, but that's not rare, as we don't mind headlamps! We headed up from 112 and right away hit the river at the worst spot. So we had to bushwhack on a bushwack
A little east was better but someone still went swimming a bit. The name will be withheld. (Are you sure you're not wet?) Off we went through nice woods, with snowshoes on (all day). Just the usual zigging & zagging, picking the best route. As we approached the first hump it got steep enough to skirt around to get up there, but still nothing too bad. We did notice the spruce & fir trees were becoming very close neighbors though.
Now we got some peek-a boo views of the area and the cone that lay ahead. And I do mean CONE!! Well, it started to let us know that it wasn't going to let us just walk on up without a fight. Oh, wow...all of a sudden we realized where all the snow was. Yes, Bill was swallowed up by a spruce trap! I couldn't see him, 10 feet away, but I knew he was being beaten up as bad as I was. It was steep, thick, deep with blowdowns, and a lot of frozen walls of woven snow and ice on the trees. I regretted excusing that idea I had of taking my new short, light ice axe. It would have helped....A LOT! As soon as you could get through 5 feet of impossible stuff, wham.... I wished I were a lot smaller at one point. LIKE RABBIT SIZE!
This can't be...we still aren't there...It's so close???
I never fought so hard to get up such a short distance. Ever! And my gear is absolutely Never seen my jacket so black.
We did make it and enjoyed it but knew we had to get going. So we headed east, yup very steep drop through thick stuff when all of a sudden, we realized how late it was. So we stopped, looked and listened to reason. No way were we going to get to East Scar by dark. Also hiking with Beth (Damselfly) & crew last Sat., she let me know that East was worse than Middle, and to stay off the ridge as well. And then we still would have to get down & out. So we headed back
I give the Cool one, cause that's good for me to turn around and know it's the right choice. Both agreed that it just meant we get to go again!
We both saw blood droplets on each other's face at some point, but neither knew which tree to blame as many assaulted us. All in all another great day! Yah, it was FUN
We started a bit late, but that's not rare, as we don't mind headlamps! We headed up from 112 and right away hit the river at the worst spot. So we had to bushwhack on a bushwack
A little east was better but someone still went swimming a bit. The name will be withheld. (Are you sure you're not wet?) Off we went through nice woods, with snowshoes on (all day). Just the usual zigging & zagging, picking the best route. As we approached the first hump it got steep enough to skirt around to get up there, but still nothing too bad. We did notice the spruce & fir trees were becoming very close neighbors though.
Now we got some peek-a boo views of the area and the cone that lay ahead. And I do mean CONE!! Well, it started to let us know that it wasn't going to let us just walk on up without a fight. Oh, wow...all of a sudden we realized where all the snow was. Yes, Bill was swallowed up by a spruce trap! I couldn't see him, 10 feet away, but I knew he was being beaten up as bad as I was. It was steep, thick, deep with blowdowns, and a lot of frozen walls of woven snow and ice on the trees. I regretted excusing that idea I had of taking my new short, light ice axe. It would have helped....A LOT! As soon as you could get through 5 feet of impossible stuff, wham.... I wished I were a lot smaller at one point. LIKE RABBIT SIZE!
This can't be...we still aren't there...It's so close???
I never fought so hard to get up such a short distance. Ever! And my gear is absolutely
Never seen my jacket so black.We did make it and enjoyed it but knew we had to get going. So we headed east, yup very steep drop through thick stuff when all of a sudden, we realized how late it was. So we stopped, looked and listened to reason. No way were we going to get to East Scar by dark. Also hiking with Beth (Damselfly) & crew last Sat., she let me know that East was worse than Middle, and to stay off the ridge as well. And then we still would have to get down & out. So we headed back
I give the Cool one, cause that's good for me to turn around and know it's the right choice. Both agreed that it just meant we get to go again!
We both saw blood droplets on each other's face at some point, but neither knew which tree to blame as many assaulted us. All in all another great day! Yah, it was FUN
