Sunday,
August 26, 2007: We're just back from the Squire Creek basin where we climbed
Center Stage, a relatively new
route on the Roan Wall. We feel like taking a rest day, but we check the forecast
and a new weather window is announced for the next couple of days. No time
to loose. We start packing for a trip to Early Morning Spire. Lots of things
to do: pack the gear, do the laundry, and get the necessary permits at the
Ranger Station in Marblemount. We make a quick stop at Good Food for burgers,
and drive the bus to Newhalem. We're hiking in tomorrow (huge day… a bit worried
about it, not only the length, but also the technical difficulties… we'll
see; we're expecting to suffer).
The next
day, we hike into Eldorado basin. The plan is to go up the Edorado Creek trail,
then cross the Roush creek basin on slabs below the glacier, climb to the
Triad-Eldorado col, descend the Triad Glacier 1,200 ft into the Marble creek
basin, then finally traverse to a camp somewhere near the base of the West
ridge of Eldorado… ambitious ...too ambitious.
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Hiking
up the steep Eldorado Creek trail.
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Taking
a rest with Johannesberg in the background.
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Views
from the steep approach.
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Lunch
time!
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Beautiful
Eldorado basin.
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The Eldorado
trail is unbelievably steep; at least as bad as the trail into Terror
basin! Traversing the Roush basin below the glacier is very doable but
quite long (over one mile) and not totally straightforward (several small
canyons to skirt). It is also slightly exposed to ice fall from the gentle
glacier above. Fortunately, the weather is not too hot on our way in so we
feel pretty safe (this would not be the case two days later on the way back).
The traverse requires a lot of class 2 and 3 up and down various obstacles,
and takes a lot out of us.
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Ascending
moraines into the Roush Creek Basin.
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The
slabs just below the Eldorado Glacier (the Triad in the background).
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Traversing
across the Groush basin below the Eldorado Glacier.
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Triad
col si reached via 3rd to 5th class rock climbing.
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Views
from Triad Col (looking North; Early Morning Spire is in the clouds).
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The climb
to the Triad Col is straightforward but 5th class for sure. We roped up for
the second half. Probably 5.2ish with very heavy packs. We finally get to
the col, which is quite exposed. The glacier below does not look too inviting.
We can only see the first 100 yards or so before it rolls over into a steep
abyss (large crevasses can be seen). The whole basin looks quite daunting:
very steep, dark, and generally uninviting. From the col, we also get a good
look at the descent from Early Morning Spire. It doesn't look too appealing
either: very steep snow and scree… It is already 5PM. Looks like it could
easily take us another 3 hours to get anywhere near reasonable camps, and
we are both exhausted and a bit spooked... We give up on the whole thing and
decide to rap back down to the slabs below the col, in the Roush basin.
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Descending
snow slopes just below the Triad Col after changing our plans
(E side - Roush basin) to find a spot for the night.
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Beautiful
sunset on Forbidden Peak.
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Eric
digging a snow platform... with his aluminum ice axe!
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Full
moon over Boston Peak, Sahale Mountain, and the Quien Sabe glacier.
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Lazy
morning at camp.
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We debate
what to do at that point: traverse the whole basin back to nice camps at about
5,400ft in the Eldorado basin, find some camp right here, or go up to camp
on the glacial flats about 2,000 ft above us on the West edge of the glacier.
After hesitating for quite a while, we decide to try and find a camp right
here below the Triads. Eric first hikes down 500ft to moraines below, hoping
to find level ground. No such luck. Back to the base of the Triad col, we
resolve to establishing a camp on a lower angle snow field, at about 6,000ft.
Problem is: we need to dig a platform and we don't have a shovel. The "snow"
is quite hard and icy. Eric spends about an hour digging with his lightweight
aluminum ice axe (great fun...!), while I unpack and sort out the gear. At
least we get a nice flat camp, on snow, but right next to rock slabs, and
with running water nearby. We have dinner and crash. We are wasted and it
is late (11PM).
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The
clouds give way to beautiful sunny skies.
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Dinner
time.
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Trying
to gulp down some oatmeal the next morning.
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Morning
view of the Triad and the col from above camp.
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Sunrise
over Boston and Sahale.
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Tuesday,
August 28, 2007: Rest day at camp, just below the East side of the Triad.
We're hurting...
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Looking
back at the Triad early morning from the Eldorado Glacier.
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Morning
views of Glacier Peak (?).
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Going
up the west edge of the Eldorado Glacier.
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Looking
down the valley.
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Interesting
snow surface (Inspiration Glacier).
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The next
day, we climb the East Ridge of Eldorado as a consolation prize, and hike
back out to the road (another long day).
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The
bivy sites on small rock islands at the base of the East Ridge
of Eldorado.
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Climbers
on the Inspiration Glacier.
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Looking
up the East ridge.
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Lucie
on the snow slopes leading to the ridge proper.
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The
Inspiration Glacier from high on Eldo's East ridge.
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We get
up at 4AM, wolf down some food, then climb up the glacier, near its West edge,
to the huge plateau above. We cross that plateau toward the base of the East
ridge, and climb it, mostly on snow, staying just right of the crest.
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More
views.
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Guided
party making their way up the knife edge ridge.
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Eldo's
short but sweet knife edge ridge.
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Lucie
just below the summit.
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Summit
shot.
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Near the
top, a diagonal traverse to the right leads to the trademark knife-edge snow
ridge. This is fun, but very short (the knife-edge section is less than 150ft
long). We meet the guided party of three whose van was at the trailhead… the
guide knows our website very well, and one of the clients is from Tasmania!
We chat for a while before they start going back down. Some time later, after
eating lunch, we head down ourselves, this time following rocks closer to
the arete (involves some class 4). It's a long slog back to camp, which we
reach around 1PM.
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Summit
views.
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More
summit views.
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Early
Morning Spire and Dorado Needle.
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Descending
Eldorado's East shoulder (note the huge 'shrund).
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Views
of Baker and Shuksan, from the West edge of the Eldorado Glacier
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I'm eager
to leave; I'd rather spend the night in my bed that on a snow platform eating
freeze-dried food... We eat some more food, then hurry to pack our stuff and
get ready to go.
The slab
traverse seems to take forever this time, and the very hot sunny weather has
broken a few menacing pieces of ice from the bottom edge of the glacier, right
above our heads. We're a bit tense, and try to hurry across the most exposed
sections. We try to follow a lower route this time, which does not work out
as easily as our higher route two days ago. We take a long break at the end
of the slabs. From here it's a long, steep knee-busting hike back to the car,
which we reach some time after sunset, with very painful ankles and knees.
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The
lush Eldorado Creek Basin with Mt Torment and Forbidden Pk in
the background.
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Water
break near small waterfalls along Eldorado Creek (~5,000 ft).
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Back
at the car after a long day.
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Topo
map (original plan in green).
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