| Lost in the Woods Trip Report |
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| Lost in the Woods   | 
| Page Type: Trip Report Location: Washington, United States, North America Lat/Lon: 47.55200°N / 123.255°W Date Climbed/Hiked: Jun 27, 1998 | Page By: Alpendave Created/Edited: Dec 8, 2003 / Object ID: 169180 Hits: 451 Loading... Page Score: 87.03% - 3 Votes Loading... Vote: Log in to vote |
Left the truck at Jefferson Creek at 9:15 a.m. Saturday moring. Found the faint waypath on the north side of the creek and tried to follow it through incredible stands of oldgrowth timber. Kept losing and finding it though as there were numerous windfalls. Blazes helped some.
Broke through slide alder into a snow-filled basin and the clouds rolled in. Dean stashes leather boots and water bottle (important later on). Being disoriented, we decided to go straight up to the top of the basin to gain a ridge crest. Followed steep snow and rock to a wall on the east ridge (still didn't know where we were though). Still socked in the clouds. Decided to climb up rock (brushy class 4 and low 5). No cracks (we didn't have chocks anyway) and slings were not staying on the knobs we put them on. Glad we didn't take a fall.
Eventually gained the crest of the east ridge around 6: 15 p.m. Downclimbed to the top of a snow basin that came right up to the summit block. Thought about going home while there was still daylight. Clouds had dropped below us. Ethereal! Decided we weren't smart enough for that so scramble up loose class 4 to the summit (never did get on route). Summited at 7: 15, 10 hours from the truck.
Stayed on summit for half hour. Fun, but bad idea. Summit register recorded experiences similar to ours. Time to go. Had to look for descent route. Found one, barely. Perched on loose scree on sloping shelf, Dean unties and scouts ahead. I watch the sunset and am entranced by Mt. Cruiser thrusting above an otherwise featureless sea of clouds down below. Again, ethereal.
Dean says it's a go. We downclimb part way down the ridge. It's dark. Looks like the moon won't be out tonight. Headlamps come on. I downclimb down to the snow while belayed by Dean. Mote is about 20 deep, but easy to step accross. I stay on the rock for the meantime. Dean takes up rope to rapel down (sling looped around tree without rapel ring). Dean arrives and pulls end of rope ALMOST through. Forgot to untie knot at end of rope and now it's stuck in the sling. It's really dark. I scramble unroped (class 4) to the rapel anchor 40' above me. I grab the anchor and almost pop the rope out. Almost lost the rope. Glad I didn't have to downclimb. I rapel down. We properly retrieve the rope.
It's been dark and cooling off. The snow looks really hard. Good thing for crampons. If only we brought them. I have to be at work at 4 a.m. tomorrow morning. Bivy isn't really an option. Hmmm. Rope back up and use snow pickets for anchor. We get on the snow and what do you know -- we can still plunge step into it. No crampons needed after all.
By God's guidance we find Dean's leather boots and extra water bottle. We both drink half a liter and are now out of water.
Slide alder and Alaska yellow cedar (much of it in jumbles from avalanches) is harder to go through when it is pitch black. Where is that darn waypath? Eventually we find it and barely stay on it before losing it in the deep oldgrowth forest. It's interesting how trees go from 200' to 500' tall at night when it's really dark! Lots of boulders strewn about the forest. Some are as big as cottages. The undergrowth gets thick and I'm getting sleepy. It's really late. After midnight. We keep Jefferson Creek on our right. We did park next to it after all. We can't get too close to it however, because it's choked with slide alder, vine maple, and my favorite, DEVIL'S CLUB. We get really close to the creek. I think about filling my water bottle. There's no time for that.
Dean wants to traverse uphill and catch the waypath. I want to stick close to the creek. Dean prevails. Thankfully, not for that long. In the almost non-existent light, I spot a small meadow. I suggest we go down to it and then traverse up to the trail. Dean agrees. Hey, this isn't a meadow, this is the road! We had gone past the truck by about 150'. Good thing Dean didn't get his way. The trail never would have been there and worse yet, the road wouldn't have. We get back to the truck at 3: 12 a.m. I have to be at work in 48 minutes.
We drive down the logging road and finally make it to 101 and the gas staion in Eldon. I call Toni at work to tell her I'm going to be a little late. It's 4: 15. I sleep while Dean drives (he has Sunday off). My parents are glad I made it safely back. Deans wife is happy as well. Somehow the happiness doesn't help us avoid being scolded.
I finally make it to work. 2 1/2 hours late. I'm pretty useless though (I was a phlebotomist at the time). James comes in and works for me and I get to leave early. All I got was a verbal warning from the lab manager.
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