May 26-28, 2018, Summit Chief + circumnav
5/26/18
4134
8
It's becoming habit-forming, skiing solo, way deep.
I took a pencil with me, I've never done that before but Summit Chief is the always-present prize and I longed to write my name in the register.
No photos, but these are the bits that are indellibly impressed into my memory:
The waterfall that didn't eat my snowboard.
The headwater amphitheater of Lemah Creek.
The east face of North Chimney Rock.
The giant descent under the northface of Summit Chief.
I went up from the Dutch Miler Gap as Franks & I went last year. The terrain above treeline has cliffs with tree families rooted into cracks. The skeletons of the old, edgy dead trees mix on ledges with the verdant living, and in places you can see bleached root-legs exposed on the faces of the cliffs, limbs sinuously clutching up and down. Perhaps the growing roots expand within the vertical cracks, eventually cleaving the rock face apart and boom! The irrigation and soil ecosystem is exposed to gravity and falls away, with that the tree is finished, and old man time...
I lost my snowboard off a cliff just before dinner on day-one as I downclimbed a tricky bit on the south slope, I did plead with reality, but it just ratted off over the horizon, only to perch itself right on the lip of one of those waterfall doom flume holes between snow & rock, the kind you really wouldn't want to end up in. I thanked that waterfall all evening long for not swallowing my deck.
The summit was fabulous.
I had got up at 4am to avoid the wetslides, topped out early and by breakfast time I was plummeting down to Lemah Creek through the burn, got in the river, washed & thought about a nap. But ticks...follow the snowline I'm told, so I saddled back up & headed up to the headwater ampitheater. Here my plans dissolved. I was too late to get out despite a furtive attempt to exit via the Chimney glacier which was frightening so I retreated back to the valley, camped among the waterfalls & made a tiny fire.
Climbing up a consolidated snow finger the next morning, Memorial day, got me to the Chimney-Summit Chief col and a bongo-fantastic ski down past the mighty faces of Big, Middle & Little Chief. There is potential to do an S-loop between Middle & Big Chiefs but I was toast & headed home in a languid manner, retrieving my bike from under a bush at the horse camp.
Recommended!
I took a pencil with me, I've never done that before but Summit Chief is the always-present prize and I longed to write my name in the register.
No photos, but these are the bits that are indellibly impressed into my memory:
The waterfall that didn't eat my snowboard.
The headwater amphitheater of Lemah Creek.
The east face of North Chimney Rock.
The giant descent under the northface of Summit Chief.
I went up from the Dutch Miler Gap as Franks & I went last year. The terrain above treeline has cliffs with tree families rooted into cracks. The skeletons of the old, edgy dead trees mix on ledges with the verdant living, and in places you can see bleached root-legs exposed on the faces of the cliffs, limbs sinuously clutching up and down. Perhaps the growing roots expand within the vertical cracks, eventually cleaving the rock face apart and boom! The irrigation and soil ecosystem is exposed to gravity and falls away, with that the tree is finished, and old man time...
I lost my snowboard off a cliff just before dinner on day-one as I downclimbed a tricky bit on the south slope, I did plead with reality, but it just ratted off over the horizon, only to perch itself right on the lip of one of those waterfall doom flume holes between snow & rock, the kind you really wouldn't want to end up in. I thanked that waterfall all evening long for not swallowing my deck.
The summit was fabulous.
I had got up at 4am to avoid the wetslides, topped out early and by breakfast time I was plummeting down to Lemah Creek through the burn, got in the river, washed & thought about a nap. But ticks...follow the snowline I'm told, so I saddled back up & headed up to the headwater ampitheater. Here my plans dissolved. I was too late to get out despite a furtive attempt to exit via the Chimney glacier which was frightening so I retreated back to the valley, camped among the waterfalls & made a tiny fire.
Climbing up a consolidated snow finger the next morning, Memorial day, got me to the Chimney-Summit Chief col and a bongo-fantastic ski down past the mighty faces of Big, Middle & Little Chief. There is potential to do an S-loop between Middle & Big Chiefs but I was toast & headed home in a languid manner, retrieving my bike from under a bush at the horse camp.
Recommended!
Nice trip! I snowboarded summit chief solo years ago and had a great time. Didn't quite pull the loop you did there. Looks fun!
Sounds like some honest adventure there! Nicely done and thanks for sharing
Fantastic trip! Glad your board didn't fully disappear.
very cool! Been thinking of getting back in there of late but went and skied 3K of glorious corn (a first this season!) down Sahale...
How was the snow up in there, I imagine with the recent cooling trend, maybe some consolidation?
Also, how was the trek up to Dutch Miller Gap, did you walk it or was there any snow coverage?
Loved the descriptions, that's a burly trip!
How was the snow up in there, I imagine with the recent cooling trend, maybe some consolidation?
Also, how was the trek up to Dutch Miller Gap, did you walk it or was there any snow coverage?
Loved the descriptions, that's a burly trip!
...thanks for the props fellas.
The approach coverage always seems to kick in at 4000', maybe 3 miles from DM horse camp, as the trail bumps up to just before Iron Cap; pretty much bone dry before, full coverage after, althought the swamp may melt out holes, and there is a patch of young trees just after the bump-up that you need to remember to stay right by the river to dodge.
The snowline is at about 4500'. The thin, steep gully's are melting out & will become moated pretty soon. Up high there is a bit of ridging on the slopes but it was minor, the goods are still largely intact, corn cosolodation has happened up high, lower down some mush. Still remote up there despite the silky smooth Middle Fork Road. I alomost miss the meth labs - but not quite
Rock on dudes!
The approach coverage always seems to kick in at 4000', maybe 3 miles from DM horse camp, as the trail bumps up to just before Iron Cap; pretty much bone dry before, full coverage after, althought the swamp may melt out holes, and there is a patch of young trees just after the bump-up that you need to remember to stay right by the river to dodge.
The snowline is at about 4500'. The thin, steep gully's are melting out & will become moated pretty soon. Up high there is a bit of ridging on the slopes but it was minor, the goods are still largely intact, corn cosolodation has happened up high, lower down some mush. Still remote up there despite the silky smooth Middle Fork Road. I alomost miss the meth labs - but not quite
Rock on dudes!
Man! Great write-up Jake! Is this a haiku?
Now hang up that errant board and let's think Slesse.
Now hang up that errant board and let's think Slesse.
Killer write up - an area I've always wanted to check out. I need to get a bike!
inspiring solo trip and excellent/informative report, thanks
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