May 1, 2004, Goat Rocks Wilderness Area

     

       Team O'Brien took to the hills again April 27th through May 2nd for a multi-day tour into the remote Goat          Rocks Wilderness area south of White Pass. I organized food for the six day trip. Our approach was from the east side of White Pass out the Tieton Road to Scatter Creek trail head, taking trail 1118 to Tieton Pass then  on to Lutz lake and McCall basin where we would meet Ed Rundle and his cohorts who were approaching from White Pass along the Hogback. The 7-mile trek included multiple mounts and dismounts -          eventually we gave up skiing, put the boards on our packs, and hiked  for approximately 2 miles. The snow later became continuous again so we  mounted up and made it to Tieton Pass on the first night, then continued  on to McCall basin for base camp setup.
  The approach is not for the faint of heart, filled with steep rotten contours that could wash out from under your skis (leaving you sliding down into the creek bed below and having to climb out for another try).  I turtled once into a tree well and got pinned under my pack while crawling under a fallen tree (doing pushups with 55 lbs on your back would be a good prep for this one).        
       Spring conditions made for consolidated snow and limited avalanche danger. Our leaders Ed Rundle and Jim Mates are both ex-pro patrollers from Stevens Pass, so our learning curve was enhanced by insightful analyses of snow conditions and practice beeper sessions. The skiing ran          the gamut, from steep couloirs to large open bowls and everything in between all above the tree line.  
   
 After cresting Old Snowy Mountain (7,800 ft.) we skied 3,000 ft. into  the valley for lunch and a drink of fresh water before ascending the  rolling hills below Gilbert Peak for another 2,500 ft. descent to base  camp and dinner. A day of rest was in order before the return to the  trail head. This part of the journey was more enjoyable with packs 10  lbs. lighter and skiing down hill. A fair loss of snow during our stay          made the on-dirt part of the descent a mile longer, but steps down  seemed easier than steps up so I was happier on the way out.          
       This area is a great spring ski vacation spot. Ed and Jim indicate that  few people have skied this area because it is so difficult to access, but  it is worth the challenge of getting into the Goat Rocks Wilderness in          the spring for the great skiing and solitude.

photo and more detail are on my website :
 homepage.mac.com/mpobrien/goatrocks.htm