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362 Posts |
Posted - 05/08/2012 : 11:36 PM
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Mt Frosty - East Summit - May 6, 2012
Climbing Outram with Cody had put me in the mood for more Manning action so Frosty seemed like a natural follow up candidate. Seeing a perfect forecast for Sunday sort of cinched it but I really wanted to have some Cinco de Mayo fun as well! Hmmm, a bit of a conundrum here, which to choose?... are you kidding?! This is as young as I’m gonna be and I’ll have my cake and eat it too.
 +  = 
My research consisted of skimming a trip report by Spectrum and promptly hitting the bar confident that it would all be made clear on the trial, I mean trail.
It was getting close to midnight and I distinctly remember ordering yet another drink and my buddy giving me this look like “really? And you’re going to pull this off how?” I kind of felt like Trudeau during the October crisis; “Just watch me”
The next morning 5:40 rolls around and my ringing phone wakes me shortly before the alarm. I look at the call display and see Jeremy’s name... this can only mean one thing. Answering confirms that this will indeed be a solo outing (I think someone had a few too many the night before). I wasn’t thrilled with the prospect but I thought to myself that I’ll be damned if I climbed Bombtram in the clouds and pissing rain to end up sitting on my ass on a bluebird day, I can tell you that much for sure!
I arrived at Lightning Lake for just after 8:30 and was on my way by ~9. Now where’s that big sign saying “Mt Frosty, this way”? Oh well, I’ll just follow this sweet trail along the lake shore until I see it... After 10 or 15 minutes of this I come to the signature bridge, stop for the requisite photo ops and figure I ought to consult with Mr Gunn while I’m here.
Hmmm, it turns out the trail starts ascending immediately after the parking area and I’ve gone a bit too far. I take a peek at my GPS and I’m more than a little embarrassed to see that not only have I passed the turn off, but the route is clearly marked as well. There seems to be another trail marked on the map and it’s only a bit further up. Ultimately life is about moving forward so I decide to push on and try for the alternate ascent route. After all, this can’t possibly not be a good idea, right? It’s probably no surprise to most that I didn’t end up finding any indication of this “other” route but by then I’d had enough. I’ll have this mountain like my drinks the night before, straight up.
An encounter with a grouse and some small cliffs kept the ascent up to the plateau interesting and I found the lake receding below me in no time at all.
 
There was a fresh coat of dry and granular snow on top of a crustier layer and I suddenly remember why I like skiing at Gibson’s Pass despite the resorts small area and out of the way location.
6 or 700m of vertical and I encounter what looks to be the I5 of snowshoe tracks - perhaps a half dozen people had been up this way in the past few days. Now that I was back on track it was nice to go into auto pilot and jam out with some tunes.
I stopped at the Frosty camp for my second sun screen application of the day –you won’t get me this time you glorious golden bastard.
  
A few steeper bumps and the trees began thinning considerably as I entered the iconic stand of golden larches.
  
So what’s the big deal? Doesn’t look so golden to me... I blame that damn Steven Harper and his cuts to the parks budget.
The sun was out in full force now and the snow was noticeably mushy and much heavier than before. The north bowl looked like a blast to ski if it wasn’t for the cornice the size of a VW van hanging above.
 
I slowly ascend the bowl up to the ridge and have to take my snowshoes off near the midpoint. Good opportunity for some nice pictures.
 
The final ridge and ascent to the summit is pleasant and it’s about here that the views to the south really start to open up. Topping out is a real treat with 360 degrees of awesome including the super rugged Pickets, Cathedral Park, rolling hills to the east, Coquihalla to the north, the familiar peaks of the CRV and Skagit River Valley and the peaks east of Harrison Lake to the west.
  
  
Castle Peak
Frosty West – mmmm, ridge walk
 
Zoom on the Picket Range with Mount Prophet in foreground and West McMillan Spire, Degenhardt and Mt Terror representing the Pickets
Jack Mountain
the big face is Full Moon Rising (according to google earth at least) with the tip of South Hozameen obscuring Mt Baker
Mt Spickard massif with Mox peaks visible on left. Hozomeen Mountain dominates the foreground
L to R: Mt Lago, Mt Carru, Osceola Peak and Monument Peak with Mt Winthrop in the foreground
looking eastwards at the border cut
Outram, so last weekend
north bowl cornice from above
A light breeze, balmy temperatures and the sheer perfection of the weather and views made it hard to tear myself away but I reluctantly left the summit around 1:15 after spending more than an hour eating lunch and relaxing. The drop back into the north bowl was fun but I didn’t butt slide it. It might be a short enough walk to the car but getting back with a broken leg would be an altogether different undertaking.
 
By the time I re-entered the larches it was really cookin’ hot so I thought I’d get a jump on rocking a sweet summer tan.
Clearly winter has not been kind.
a good shot of the col separating Frosty East from the ridge leading to the true (west) summit – this looks like a must do scramble
The abundance of tracks were easy to follow but I found that whoever made them had a really difficult time picking a consistent direction and just sticking with it. After 20 minutes of meandering all over the god damn place I said f this and once again set out on my own. I eventually dropped straight down the ridge and had to once again take the snow shoes off on a steeper and a little icy section in the trees. Intending to keep them on the pack, I had to rethink when I started postholing up to the knee and realized that not only was there a few downed trees, but in some areas they were criss-crossed like match sticks creating cavities one might fall completely into. Snowshoes on once again...
I emerged pretty near the arched bridge to come full circle
and followed the x-country track back to the parking where I noticed this little gem.
Well I guess someone had put that up since I’d been through earlier that morning... maybe our parks are a little over staffed.
Some dude at the lake had a boat on a trailer – ummm, might need to wait a bit still.
Various critters spotted:
 
Route overview
  
So despite an utter lack of preparation the trip was great, all the elements were there except for my brain – oh well, sometimes you really just need to fake it till you make it |
Edited by - DoubleE Alpinist on 05/09/2012 01:20 AM
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Vancouver, BC
Canada
1114 Posts |
Posted - 05/09/2012 : 06:45 AM
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quote:
you won’t get me this time you glorious golden bastard.
ha ha ha....
Great read Ben! |
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 | Mr. B
Intermediate Member
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Popkum, B.C.
Canada
629 Posts |
Posted - 05/09/2012 : 06:55 AM
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| Thanks for the report, a nice comical start to the day. Some great pictures, too! |
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 Outdoors addicted flyfishing, skiing, snowshoeing, hiking car crooner and resident motormouth
Da'Wack, BC
Canada
5372 Posts |
Posted - 05/09/2012 : 07:11 AM
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Nice Report Ben.
You wouldn't have liked the trail anyway |
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over the hills and far away
Canada
709 Posts |
Posted - 05/09/2012 : 07:51 AM
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| Nice to have it all to yourself. |
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Fast hikin, carrot chompin, always grinnin, gear scatterin recipient of the Theta Lake manouver
Burnaby
2041 Posts |
Posted - 05/09/2012 : 08:06 AM
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Fun stuff - reading your TR that is!  |
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357 Posts |
Posted - 05/09/2012 : 2:28 PM
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Really great TR! |
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Surrey, BC
Canada
1005 Posts |
Posted - 05/09/2012 : 4:05 PM
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| An enjoyable read, sir...thanks for sharing. : ) Amazing little shack to hold up all that snow. Looked pretty fragile when we passed it by a year or 2 ago. |
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964 Posts |
Posted - 05/09/2012 : 4:40 PM
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Great TR. I was up the west peak earlier this year. Looks like the east peak is still in good shape for skiing.
The ski descent goes right off the summit. No need to go below the cornice until you're way down at the bottom of the slope.
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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
13474 Posts |
Posted - 05/09/2012 : 10:32 PM
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Nicely done..
Like your comical angle, great shots.
That sign looks like fresh, like it quickly melted right out of that pile of snow.
K |
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Surrey, BC
Canada
949 Posts |
Posted - 05/09/2012 : 11:38 PM
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That's one way to make a loop, you were half way there to just bash your way upto the West Peak from the lake.
ahhh well gives you another reason to go back. Good lookin trip as always. |
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Sunnyvale Trailer Park
Canada
1089 Posts |
Posted - 05/10/2012 : 07:55 AM
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| Frosty was one of my three choices for last Sunday, but I picked something a little closer to town. Probably wouldn't have seen you anyways since you were on a "secret" route |
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362 Posts |
Posted - 05/10/2012 : 10:10 PM
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Thanks for the +ve feedback from all you cool ass people! I guess it's not really done till I take Spectrum's advice and bash my way from the Lake to the West Peak then complete the reverse Alan Loop Maybe even a return via Windy Joe. |
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Fakin’ it on Frosty – May 6, 2012
