Home > Trip Reports > May 20-21 Enchantments, Hook Cr. to Snow Cr.

May 20-21 Enchantments, Hook Cr. to Snow Cr.

5/15/11
WA Cascades East Slopes Central
3678
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Posted by alpenho on 5/22/11 7:15am
Started from Icicle Rd about 8am and took the straight-up climber's path toward Yellojacket Tower.  Traversed into Hook Creek basin around 3800, and proceeded over/around slabs, boulders, deadfall, etc. to continuous snow at around maybe 4400-4600.  Headwall and side gullies had cycled pretty well, but with some iso-mush we tried to be pretty careful with route selection and moved fast as possible when things got steep. 
After recovering from cardiac arrest, proceeded across Edward Plateau and dropped along SW buttress more or less directly to Mesa Lk.  Might have been better to take some of the broad treed couloirs to upper Rat creek but we were trying to minimize any further climbing.  Scooted up the basin to a camp on a nice knoll just SW above Shield Lk, with a great dry flat rock for our kitchen.
Woke up the next morning to darkening clouds, getting intermittent showers as we packed up.  The unsettled weather led us to a conservative decision-making mode and we abandoned our plans for Cannon Mtn, heading straight for Prussik Pass.  Dumped the heavy stuff from our packs and dashed up to Enchantment Pk for our trip's high point and the only good ski descent of the trip.  Headed out past the outlet of Lk Viviane following the summer trail route carefully to Snow Lk.  Travel over snow along the lakeshore was good until just above Nada Lake, where some debris was encountered and sketchy holes on talus made travel difficult.  We abandoned the attempts to ski below Nada Lk about 4800 but after about 1/2 mile of intermittent snow we encountered more continuous snow again from about 4400 to 3800 or so.
Great trip through some spectacular terrain, mostly touring, scooting and survival skiing.  If you don't mind the carry the upper Enchantment basin will be good for skiing after some more consolidation this summer.
Photos:
1.  Upper Hook Creek Basin
2.  Prussik Pass and Enchantment Pk from Shield Lk.
3.  Enchantment Basin from just above Prussik Pass
one more pic looking up toward the Enchantment headwall from snow lake and a map of our route

Nice job.  I like the first photo with the towers peeking out; was that terrain shown pretty passable, or were there lots of obstacles?

author=telemack link=topic=20921.msg89316#msg89316 date=1306116458]
Nice job.  I like the first photo with the towers peeking out; was that terrain shown pretty passable, or were there lots of obstacles?



In the Hook Creek  basin once we hit snow it was smooth sailing all the way.  We had to work the uptrack around things, but it went naturally and no acrobatics required.  Below the snow was another story - not the worst schwack I've done by any means but not fun, and would have been pretty sketchy if wet (lots of peeled logs, smooth rock...).

To get an idea of coverage, Hook Creek drainage from above:


Crossing Shield Lake on our way to camp below Prusik Pass:





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may-20-21-enchantments-hook-cr-to-snow-cr
alpenho
2011-05-22 14:15:08