| Long day from the trail head. Ran to near Lake Kathryn, then slow boulder hopping (large and loose) for 1 mile to the base of the couloir. Left the couloir before it angles up and to the right (bad conditions- dangerous). Then scramble straight up very loose boulders and climbed 15 feet of easy 5th to gain the East Ridge. Traversed the ridge with many drops to the south side to avoid more 5th Class. Easy 4th class over large loose boulders to the East Summit, then more 4th Class over to the base of the West Summit, then straight up it (Class 3-4). No Summit register was surprising, so I left one. The Forest Fire near Jackson peak dominated the west sky. Descended the southeast slopes (some 4th Class down climbing) to the valley near Lake 8488. Then found the trail again and ran as fast as I could (after 10 hrs of climbing) to catch the last shuttle boat (barely) where I cramped up on the ride back. It was 10 hrs of hard movement, but well worth it. Very rugged and impressive peak. |
