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Topic: June 18, 2012: Mount Berge (Read 1074 times)
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jwplotz
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I've been meaning to get back into the Trinity area. And seeing how I was completely out of smoked salmon, I gave Scott (Alecapone) a call to see if he wanted to join me for some adventure skiing, which is secret code for carrying your boards for miles with dubious prospects of actually strapping them to your feet. We met at Coles Corner at 6am ish, and sure enough, he had two shrinkwrapped smoked salmon filets waiting for me.
The Chiwawa road is still gated at Atkinson's Flat Campground, leaving roughly 6 miles of biking to Trinity. It's not open yet due to a number of snow patches near the trailhead. However, I'd estimate that it is 90% snow-free, with only a few sections where we had to dismount to walk across. Why can't the FS use a "roving gate closure" in which they can move the closing back as snow retreats? I can't understand that.
Starting the ride:
We took the Buck Creek Pass trail, which was mostly snow free for as far as we went. From my experience, there are a couple options to get to Berge. In 2008, we climbed Berge's East Ridge, accessing it by hiking 4 1/2 miles up the Buck Creek Pass trail, and bushwacking south. This time, counting on snow being in the basin below the north side of Buck Mtn., we cut into the woods at the 3 1/2 mile mark, and found a half-submerged log spanning a narrow section of the raging and cold Buck Creek.
Along the way, we got a good look at Berge from the trail:
This was the crux of the day, one of the more high consequence log crossings that I have done. One of those "You Fall You Die" in various forms of nasty. Scott crossed in his shoes. Since I was hiking in ski boots, I crossed barefoot, and actually felt more secure on the wet bark than if I had worn shoes.
Scott taking 'er slow:
Relieved on the opposite bank, I wondered aloud just how much water level would rise when time came to cross back over.
Quickly we broke out into the open under the north side of Buck Mountain, and traversed over to the West end of the cirque below Berge, feasting on abundant Devil's Club shoots along the way. The taste is a combo of lettuce, raddish and cabbage.
I've seen the north ridge and wall of Buck Mtn. many times, but always from afar. It's always looked impressive. I was sort of expecting the foreshortening effect to happen, looking at it from right below. But truth is, it's even more imposing the closer one is to it. I could see the north face ice route Rolf Larson and Dan Cappellini did a few years ago, starting with a two pitch flow at the bottom. There is a wall of vertical cliffs that contribute to Buck Mtn's feel of doom, but gorgeous nonetheless.
We booted up the slopes that lie just north or Berge, and traversed back to the south to a crucial little ramp that accesses the east basin. I remember this little notch well, as we used it to get to the toe of the East Ridge in 2008.
We contoured around the east face to the south slopes, the immense north ridge of Buck interrupting the horizon behind us.
We ascended to almost the summit, having been on the move for about 10 1/2 hours straight. In howling wind and frozen rain (June? Serious?), we geared up and skied back down on mushy corn.
With the descent done, we hiked back to the log. The water had risen by appx. an inch such that there was a stead flow of water over the span of the log. Barefoot again, I slowly slack-lined through the water, sketched enough not to even notice how cold it was. Scott followed in his shoes in tiny, careful shuffles. With about a foot to go to safety, he damn near jumped to the other end.
Hike then bike. We got back to the cars by 11:30pm. So yeah, ski exploration. More hiking than skiing. Taking the boards out for a walk. It's just the way it goes sometimes.
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« Last Edit: 06/18/12, 07:20 PM by jwplotz »
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Splitter
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Nice,
I'm suffering from bushwack envy 
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mick_scott
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rad trip
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BUSHWACK AND....
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Charlie Hagedorn
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Awesome! Looks like a beautiful spot. Sketchy log!
... feasting on abundant Devil's Club shoots along the way. The taste is a combo of lettuce, raddish and cabbage.
You can eat them?!?! A scourge's silver lining! Stab if you must, O. horridus; we'll devour your children.
(Devil's Club is apparently "fragile". Perhaps we shouldn't eat too many...)
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FairiesWearBoots
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shot number five is great.
big day.
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cumulus
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shot five is definitely magical - yay to the pioneering spirit! cool trip.
so do devil club shoots beat glacier lilies out of the snow pack?
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Stefan
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Kyle Miller
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Strong work guys!!!!
Such an amazing area.
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SISU
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jwplotz
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Thanks! The devil club shoots was Scott's beta. We tried several shoots in various stages of bloom, and concluded that the tastiest ones still had the purple shell around the green buds. The older shoots without the shell were still edible but quite bitter.
I think they do beat the glacier lilies out of the snowpack.
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ryanl
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You guys scare me. And yet I feel envy. Great trip you two!
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tabski
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Respect. Nice work, men.
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Jake the Brit
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Thanks! The devil club shoots was Scott's beta. We tried several shoots in various stages of bloom, and concluded that the tastiest ones still had the purple shell around the green buds. The older shoots without the shell were still edible but quite bitter.
Damn I am chuckling; now not only do we have to aim to ski the most rad line, as far away as possible....but now the race is on to eat as much of the wierdy cascades foliage to call ourselves men. What is NEXT !!!!! Ahgggggggg. Swimming accross the rivers? Noooooooo
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jwplotz
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Bear Tipping, Jake.
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Jake the Brit
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YES
I knew you were a genius......I'll stand behind you the 1st time!
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spionin
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I was completely out of smoked salmon NOOOO! not again!
he had two shrinkwrapped smoked salmon filets waiting for me. oh, whew! close one.
looks like a great trip!
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jwplotz
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NOOOO! not again!
oh, whew! close one.
Yes V, I hate close calls like that.
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