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 | Dru
Mountain Grammar Police
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 Sardonic sandbagging scoundrel, Cascade Climbers lobotomized spraymeister, space blanket flyer, new millennium vulgarian betaboy and friend to all squids
Climbing, a mountain
Canada
∞ Posts |
Posted - 07/11/2010 : 6:41 PM
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So, this trip started out as Graham, Doug and I planning to go up Bardean, traverse to Stonerabbit and come down. On the morning of the day, Doug was sick at 4:30 AM so it ended up just being Graham and I.
I met G at 6 at the Sasquatch and we headed off up the Chehalis FSR. I had managed to forget half my food and my long ice-axe while packing but I had a third tool hammer in my car from a previous trip and between G and I we had enough food so it was game on.
Chehalis FSR is 2wd to Skwellepil albeit with a bunch of woody debris on the road at 20km due to a recent logging show not cleaned up yet. Skwellepil is 4wd hc to about 4.5 km at which point a debris flow has left a 5' high wall of boulders across the road. We parked here, started hiking around a quarter to 8, walked past the 2008 clearcut along the road, and were at the start of the gully up Bardean in about 15 minutes from the car.
    
Walking from the parking to the route up and looking up the ascent gully.
I was anticipating a lot of wetness with the heavy snowpack this year and was not disappointed. All the waterfalls were in full flood and many of the slabs were quite damp but the scrambling was not rendered impassable therefrom. We booked it up the gully for the requisite long ways until the gully lays back and we hit the snowfields below the summit.
    
Waterfalls and snowcave with river emerging from it on the way up.
      
Scrambling on the way up to the snow.
We wandered up the snowpatches until right below the summit block of Bardean and then tried to find a way across the moat between snow and rock to get off the snow and on to the rock. In most places there was a 2-3m wide gap which wasn't really feasible to jump. Our first attempt to cross the moat involved a couple of sketchy collapsing blocks of snow wedged into a very wide spot, with plenty of gaping holes below our feet, and ended in failure when we still ended up 3m away from the rock. We backtracked and found a better spot from which to leap onto a slab. Once on the rock side of things we scrambled up easily to the summit.
      
The summit had great views in many directions. It was a hazy day though so a lot of the distance shots didn't work out. Also it was roasty hot. We got to the summit around 12 and lounged about drying off soaked clothes in the sun until 12:30 or so.
Old Settler and Unsettler
 
Upper Statlu Lake valley and Statlu Lake
  
Clarke Group, Viennese, Recourse/Clarke
da Judge
NE and N (in profile) faces of Ratney
  
Unpleasant seracs on Ratney and below the Ratney-Bardean col. North side routes not really looking good to go just yet...
We left the summit of Bardean and travrsed easily down to the col with Ratney and then scrambled up easily along the SE face to S ridge of Ratney. It turns out Graham had previously done this about 15 years ago after climbing the Tuning Fork on Bardean, this is how you get over to the north ridge of Ratney to start your descent back down into the Statlu Lake basin.
Graham revisiting the summit of Ratney.
Self portrait in G's glasses.
We considered the continuation on to Stonerabbit but you know, it was 1:30 now and damned hot out. We elected to laze around and think about it for a while. After heavy consideration we opted not to continue on to Stonerabbit. We were gonna instead try out something Steve H had told me, namely that to get down Ratney via the south ridge there was one easy slab to scramble and the rest was straightforwards  Oh yeah!
  
Bardean from various points on Ratney.
  
Stonerabbit from Ratney.
Off we went, back down the south ridge and SE face of Ratney's summit block and then a long glissade down to the lower edge of the snow which was coincidentally where things started to steepen up. [In hindsight and having clarified Steve's remarks, we were too far east at this point and should have gone out right onto the knob on Ratney's S ridge where it turns into a buttress right above the clearcut on the Stonerabbit side]. We cast about on top of the slabs but couldn't find any way down that didn't involve steep or overhanging cliffs and waterfalls below us. We didn't really want to climb up 500m and traverse back over to Bardean at this time of the afternoon either!
Stonerabbit from the top of the cliff bands.
Just as we were getting ready to pack it in and begin the long slog upwards I suggested we traverse east a bit through some shrubbery. Once across this I spied the ghost of a ramp diagonaling down and eastwards through the steepness and across several major gullies, eventually (I hoped) tying into the old growth beyond and leading to the valley floor. So we headed down that way, hoping strongly that it would link everything up and spit us out at valley bottom. Long story short, it was one of the most improbable descents I have ever made but we got down alright with no need to use a rope.
We found a line through the middle of this,
under this,
 
and on through this to the valley bottom.
Saw some big pumpkins on the way down.
Emerging from the green sea into the lower valley.
Looking back up the descent route, top left to mid-elevation right on the vague ramp then straight down to bottom of the pic.
On the way out along the road we ran into a mother deer with two fawns, and a lot of bearshits but no bears. Our stink probably drove quite a few away? We were really sweaty. I think I went through 5L of water over the day.
Mom and the twins.
Last stream crossing before the car.
We were back at the car just before 6 PM. Then it was change into dry clothes, drive the logging road back to the Sasquatch, hurriedly order Sasquatch Burgers and beer, and settle back to the vagaries of 1 bar of connectivity while trying to text safe status to loved ones and update Facebook statuses 
This was a pretty good trip, odd descent route aside. I think if I was to do it again I would wait for a cool, clear and bug-free day mid-fall and then go for the full traverse to Stonerabbit with approach shoes on instead of taking the mountaineering boots and ice axes we needed for the snow this time. |
Edited by - Dru on 07/11/2010 7:42 PM
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Vancouver, BC
Canada
2662 Posts |
Posted - 07/11/2010 : 6:52 PM
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Cool trip!  |
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Trail running, bike hucking, fast packing, beer drinking collector of pine cones on a day pass
AKA
Dances with Trees
Forest Gnome Cabin
Canada
13061 Posts |
Posted - 07/11/2010 : 7:12 PM
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It doesn't get too much better than that, does it? |
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Happy go lucky, plaid wearin, postholin, safeway gaitor sportin, old-school film shootin, giver of many regards
Abbotsford, B.C.
Canada
13477 Posts |
Posted - 07/11/2010 : 7:45 PM
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Sweet trip, love those pumpkins. Good despite the few mishaps, you managed to have enough energy and supplies to make it to your target.
K |
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Vancouver, BC
Canada
1126 Posts |
Posted - 07/11/2010 : 7:46 PM
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| Nice job defying an epic. Is the traverse to Stonerabbit from Ratney reported to be difficult? |
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304 Posts |
Posted - 07/11/2010 : 7:46 PM
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Hmm, I think I was party to Steve's descent off Ratney, and agree with your assessment: think you were too far east.
We went up and came down the shadowed gully feature at the apex of the clearcut.
Though it did call for a fair amount of this, as I recall:
I take it from your lack of comment concerning blueberries that the situation is not in full fruit as of yet. |
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| Dru
Mountain Grammar Police
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Sardonic sandbagging scoundrel, Cascade Climbers lobotomized spraymeister, space blanket flyer, new millennium vulgarian betaboy and friend to all squids
Climbing, a mountain
Canada
∞ Posts |
Posted - 07/11/2010 : 7:59 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by shrubhugger
Nice job defying an epic. Is the traverse to Stonerabbit from Ratney reported to be difficult?
It's the line of Stonerabbit's first ascent. You zig zag down the west side of Stonerabbit following these obvious ledges (not right on the ridge crest but well to the right/south):
Then cross back to the ridge above the R-S col along the lowest visible ledge, and easily up to Stonerabbit from there.
Jordan - that's the route Steve was talking about alright. Not very probable looking from above if unfamiliar with it, sadly. No blueberries yet. |
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Langley, B.C
Canada
285 Posts |
Posted - 07/11/2010 : 8:05 PM
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| Hey Dru by any chance did ya get a pic of Peak 5900 and the ridge from the Clark-Peak5900 col? I wanted to head up there next weekend. Thanks |
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| Dru
Mountain Grammar Police
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Sardonic sandbagging scoundrel, Cascade Climbers lobotomized spraymeister, space blanket flyer, new millennium vulgarian betaboy and friend to all squids
Climbing, a mountain
Canada
∞ Posts |
Posted - 07/11/2010 : 8:08 PM
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It's right of centre in the middle of this shot dude.
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Burnaby, BC
Canada
535 Posts |
Posted - 07/11/2010 : 8:35 PM
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I am bummed that I felt like a "bucket" yesterday morn. Exciting read and a qual adventure!
Glad you made it back in one piece so we can knock off the trifecta in the fall. Whackloads of snow up there. |
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Sunnyvale Trailer Park
Canada
1089 Posts |
Posted - 07/11/2010 : 8:57 PM
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| I like that shot of Graham jumping the creek, but can't figure out what he's aiming for with his boot. Guess that move must have worked out too. |
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1448 Posts |
Posted - 07/11/2010 : 9:00 PM
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Great TR Dru thanks for sharing the trip and the amazing shots. Can always count on you for a exciting TR..
quote:
Originally posted by Dru
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Peak bagging, bushwhacking, zamboni driving, snowshoeing, self portrait artist, and speed demon who loves to hang out on Mt. Seymour
4001 Posts |
Posted - 07/11/2010 : 10:06 PM
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We could see a fair amount of snow on your peaks from where we were above Silver-Skagit. Just think, if you'd done Stonerabbit then that iffy descent wouldn't have happened . |
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Langley, B.C
Canada
285 Posts |
Posted - 07/11/2010 : 10:46 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Dru
It's right of centre in the middle of this shot dude.
Wow I cant believe I missed that. Thanks anyways. I swear it wasn't there the first time. |
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Abbotsford, BC
Canada
1005 Posts |
Posted - 07/11/2010 : 11:57 PM
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| Nice adventure Dru...I concur with Simon the traverse might have been easier at least in terms of finding a descent route. Your trip proves the quality of this area once again! |
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| Dru
Mountain Grammar Police
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Sardonic sandbagging scoundrel, Cascade Climbers lobotomized spraymeister, space blanket flyer, new millennium vulgarian betaboy and friend to all squids
Climbing, a mountain
Canada
∞ Posts |
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Vancouver, BC
Canada
291 Posts |
Posted - 07/12/2010 : 10:03 AM
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kick-ass trip!
Thanks for the pix and details of approach and route |
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Maple Ridge, BC
Canada
489 Posts |
Posted - 07/12/2010 : 5:42 PM
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Ditto on MOW's "cool trip" comment. Thankfully your choice of descent went well. It's amazing what you can find when you know how to look. |
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Topic |
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Bardean to Ratney Traverse + Odd Descent Choice
