Home > Trip Reports > May 13-15, 2018, Ragged Ridge Traverse

May 13-15, 2018, Ragged Ridge Traverse

5/13/18
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Posted by cumulus on 5/20/18 2:59pm
Ragged Ridge traverse, May 13-15. Starting at hwy 20--Easy Pass, and ending at Thunder Creek, Colonial Creek Campground.

Initially I thought I was in for a couple of sundry WA Pass roadside shreds but then plans flipped last minute to a long traverse instead... not much planning for this one, just enough time to re-organize food and dig out a photo I had taken from up around Jack Mt. on June 3, 2013 -



view of Kitling to Kimtah (+ Black on the left rear (looking notably fatter than it does mid May 2018))

a traverse? sure why not. I was thrilled to be checking out for real what I had thus far only scoped at a distance!


Since we hadn't been much involved in the trip planning Tyler and I were excited to see what kind of route Jason had mapped out, but when we all met at Colonial Creek Campground there was as of yet no set route, just the tail end of a busy schedule, so we all sat down and started connecting dots on some nice big waterproof maps that Jason had printed out... a somewhat different approach than I'm used to but then again you really don't want to be too perfect when approaching a ridge called Ragged... right? I promptly got in the spirit of things early next morning crossing the bridge (at the Easy Pass trailhead) a little too relaxed, and dropping a ski pole into the swiftly moving waters of Granite Creek... I thought it was gone for sure, but Jason managed to graciously fish it back out.

At the the start of our traverse there was still optimistic talk (interspersed with bouts of leisure time yearnings) of being able to do the route in two days. It looked pretty smooth on the map... maps are so beautifully reductive. By the end of the traverse that assessment had doubled to four days to even start to do the ever revealing extracurricular allure of this route justice--so many lines to ski! so much more leisure time to truly soak in the awesome surroundings!

A fun trip with a glacier tagging subtext...


FIRST DAY


thankfully ready to drop into the Mesahchie Glacier after a long hot side-hill traverse (and making a Kitling Creek start sound good)




Mesahchie Glacier ski



Heading over to the Katsuk Glacier



Katsuk Glacier



Kimtah Glacier leisure time... 1st camp



SECOND DAY

Cosho still looking pristeen



looking back across the Kimtah Glacier from Cosho



top of Cosho with stunning views, ready to descend



Tyler skiing Cosho

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[img width=657 height=800]https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/HNyNpDqYo6ftagQm6L6w0lVL8zEZO9TK5XmbJkLvqGs43rmATJ9w4DM-1vj-Brsf6k_QjUbAsb4VtrSpyFsjlu_4-y27K0qusIJOYSAbuMeqdW2X9W3W__ZZdqvpQHr9OhJR4ChQeTpzovd9TNHiWUvhrBaNy3VUaSgnXijxEgCW2bO-RkLhQRiNIStWpBM0h9ZaZ0fcO6oSC4ScX-jMiakH1VVWfmoBzKTvng7h-SB-bHwcsb6Z8jFTuGZkPH3KdgFjwVan4IG-7d5AqWuTRoePzFy_-xbTVCSMtJShwOSKfbOAIt0NwJgYs5brt92qzZtWdWzyzKrJUZiuUAg8c6nVMc9m8TEvKBseOTnHrMAD6gs_qTCjwUkgV7u_7BiGplT0cu2urqNB5HdExU9vJYZEzKiN6O_fTbXosiGbhnT2Dkyl6vnhh9cZtcEh8ZHMxgEn4_5Q4C1jYcyMptoKknIzK3UK1AF4iZsYhTrdhkI4V2PblRHGeA20uP3zacW5olHOo-Eu9AvIYTz_7NheVd8l_2aEgstctn3fzJFORyUlmCJirgHlsU1OFOJy63RRBFzX5K69L2OpSxsYtykDjFxhAjrq3vhflbFHE-w=w800-h974-no" />

Jason



Jason at the start of our adventurous route around the north side of Cosho



this goes? this goes

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some fun chunky steeps



and a gully around the corner taking us down into the drainage west of Cosho



.



Lake below 7533', looking back at Cosho



post dinner proto corn with a view



traversing to the northern ridge of Ragged (7598'), our camp for the 2nd night



looking back at 7533' and Cosho



THIRD DAY

Last day was another long traverse, then off into the woods (directly south across from Ruby).



The end of continuous snow was circa 4K on the way down to Fourth of July Pass (easy cross-country travel). Then took the Panther Creek trail to Thunder Creek. Beautiful trails with some truly phenomenal trees down around Thunder Creek.


fun trip, thank you Tyler and Jason


Looks like a great way to visit intriguing country. Did you have time to tag any summits?

Fantastic Stefan!  Great photos.  Love the spontaneity of it all and pulling it off.

Stellar photos, tons of ém!!! Great job gang; both the shredding, and bringing back the imagery!

Excellent country. Thanks for joining...and great pics!

author=andyrew link=topic=40721.msg161750#msg161750 date=1526906190]
Did you have time to tag any summits?


no, just Cosho, which was skiable; Kimtah, Katsuk, Mesahchie would have been scramble/climbs at this time and
yes, my head was up in the clouds spirit floating but for the errant arrow aimed at whatever was keeping my brain from frying under the sun--heh! psychedelic...  Glaciers convecting to the sky.


Thanks Andrew, John, Jake and Jason for the comments!  Photo glut was inspired by Johns post, gives the imagination a chance to follow along...

Highly enjoyable report, thanks for the stoke!

Wow, cool trip.  That some serious dot connecting.

this quote got me

this goes?  this goes



The moment when hero or a fool gets decided.

great tour guys! and your pics captured it well. love that area year-round, but think it's probably best with lots of snow.

hey, did you ski the couloir depicted below this caption: "traversing to the northern ridge of Ragged (7598'), our camp for the 2nd night".

hard to tell, is that feature just a spur ridge off Ragged Ridge, or is it somehow connected to Elijah ridge or Gabriel peak?  have long wondered about touring in the Elijah area...


thanks photomatt, Zack, Eric and Dan!

author=hedonaut link=topic=40721.msg161844#msg161844 date=1527278174]
hey, did you ski the couloir depicted below this caption: "traversing to the northern ridge of Ragged (7598'), our camp for the 2nd night".

nope, just oogled it... one of many. Jason had a deadline, so play room was tight.
author=hedonaut link=topic=40721.msg161844#msg161844 date=1527278174]
hard to tell, is that feature just a spur ridge off Ragged Ridge, or is it somehow connected to Elijah ridge or Gabriel peak?  have long wondered about touring in the Elijah area...

That 'traversing' pic actually connects with the picture right below it (which is zoomed in a bit more and sports an advanced (non-matching) shadow line) but it's the same ridge; trending N/W off of 7533' and paralleling Ragged Ridge for a little while--so yes, a spur.

with you on the Elijah area, some great lines back in there...a little late for this fast melting spring season, but want


@chuck: hero honors go to Tyler on that one



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may-13-15-2018-ragged-ridge-traverse
cumulus
2018-05-20 21:59:15