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6/03/07 Gothic and Del Campo

6/3/07
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Posted by jd on 6/4/07 3:14am
More of a hike/scramble than a ski, still lots of snow up there, but questionable if carrying the skis was worth it.

The first major stream crossing is difficult. I managed to get across with extended ski poles helping me hop from rock to rock, but it was scary. On the way back it was too swollen to repeat this ballet so I went down stream 150 ft. to a spot some climbers I met up on Del Campo told me they had crossed. I had a comic mishap in the brush here when my foot slipped on a slick alder branch, then my skis got caught on some branches above pulling me backwards, and my pole got caught between some limbs behind me so I fell back on it and bent the lower shaft, all in slow motion, twisted in a tangle of alder and devils club.

From . I skied down and across north to the saddle between Gothic and Del Campo, then climbed steep snow to a little rock band (toughest climbing of the day) and on up to the top of the snow at a notch in the east ridge. A great scramble on solid rock led to another
nice pictures!

did you bushwack upvalley from the vesper trailhead or you go up via the gothic basin trail?  forest service trail report mentioned a big washout on the gothic basin trail...had been thinking about going up there a couple weeks back, kinda curious which approach you took.  thanks!

I don't know of a way from the Sunrise Mine Road, looks pretty rough. I came from Barlow pass and the washout is easy to walk across (there is also a bypass up around it). The main bridge to Monte Cristo is also out, so access up there looks much harder, but the Gothic Basin trail heads right at that point so it isn't a problem.

Thanks for the report and great photos.  Did you have to hike all the way to the lake?  Carry boots as well?  Can you estimate vertical feet of skiing off the peaks?  Thnx.

I carried my ski boots for the first few miles, then was glad to have plastics to kick steps in the steep firm morning snow of the trail (quite steep and tricky in places). I started skining about 500 vertical feet below Foggy Lake. I got about a thousand feet skiing from Gothic, then ~2,000 from Del Campo until I started booting down. I won't carry skis when I go back, but I had to try it out.

Thnx for the info.  I'm thinking about heading up that way maybe Fri or Sat.  Sounds like a strenuous day trip and considering using a bike for the first/last mile.  What was your car to car time?

I highly recommend the area, esp. if you've never been there before. My round trip time was about 10 hr., but I was alone so I cruised easy, esp. when my iPod went dead. I also took nice 30 min. breaks on the two summits, and the heat/humidity slowed me a bit.

Don't know if the bike would be worth it (I love riding up to Monte Cristo) - possible, but a bit of trouble to carry across the fallen trees. Here is a panorama of the washout. Make sure you hide/lock the bike well if you take it, lots of people walk up there.

Have a goodun.

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6-03-07-gothic-and-del-campo
jd
2007-06-04 10:14:30