| Author |
Topic |
 Peak bagging, bushwhacking, zamboni driving, snowshoeing, self portrait artist, and speed demon who loves to hang out on Mt. Seymour
3996 Posts |
Posted - 07/14/2012 : 9:30 PM
|
Nearly 2 years ago Alhike and myself ventured up Mount Cope, it's slightly higher northern peak and Batholith Peak (south of Mount Rexford). Middle Peak further south from Cope had looked like a good place to visit so culater (Vlad) and I looked at topos, figured out a couple of routes to it from Cope and headed out reasonably early to drive out towards Chilliwack Lake.
http://www.clubtread.com/sforum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=37281 Cope/Batholith TR.
 Middle rear left, Cope near right. Taken from Cope North on the above trip.
Turning off the lake road we drive up Nesakwatch Creek FSR (waterbars start just after 1km) and follow it past the Slesse Memorial Trail, Rexford Trail junction to about km 10.3 where avalanche and tree debris block the last km of drivable road (985m elevation).
 Labour Day, Station D and Slesse across the valley on the drive in.
 Snow cave where the creek flows through the avalanche debris.
Walking up the road we soon get to where a debris flow is with the large cut block rising 300m elevation above us. A lot more greener (and bushier) now than 2 years ago.
 We've got to ascend through this (taken on the way back).
Continuing up the road a bit further we leave it and start the big thrash upwards. Plenty of fireweed, loose dirt and some real prickly bushes. With the sun beating down on us we raise a good sweat to finally get to some burnt snags and then mature forest (at least the bugs weren't too bad). We soon spot the pink flagging placed by Elkaholic and BobW when they marked a route up to the ridge a couple of years ago.
 Vlad is glad the cut block is done with. Slesse at rear.
Following the flagging up steep but open terrain to around the 1700m mark we start trending more right (south) to gain an open area just below the ridge connecting Batholith and Cope North. We then drop down to the still mostly frozen tarn and take a break. However, we noticed that the route Al and I took to gain the west ridge of Cope North (and then Cope) is corniced but it looks we can gain this ridge a bit further down on easier slopes.
 Cope North from just above the lake. Cornice area visible. We'll be going up slopes out of picture right.
Drink and food is taken in the shade then we continue onwards and upwards on snow slopes to gain the west ridge of Cope North.
 Looking back - tarn at right with Batholith, Rexford and Rexford South to the north.
We drop off the ridge and sidehill over and regain the main ridge just below Cope. That's ascended easily and we take another break atop Mount Cope (2037m), enjoy the views and have a look at the route ahead.
 The Fangs of Slesse.
Original thoughts had been to traverse slopes on the east side of the north-south running ridge by dropping down between Cope North and Cope. One section looked steep and we would lose some decent elevation. We had both also looked at staying on the ridge past Cope and ascending up to a section (small col) that would hopefully allow us to then drop down into the large bowl northwest of Middle (extreme upper headwaters of Centre Creek). Contour lines looked okay so this became the plan.
Vlad soon found a good route off Cope which had a bit of mild scrambling.
 Down he goes.
Travel here was very pleasant on a mix of snow and rock that let us avoid most bushy sections. Rising over another bump we will drop a bit more, cross the international border and ascend some more to the area where we can drop down into the bowl.
 The route ahead: we'll be following the ridge, then onto the snow slope at right up to the small col to then drop down into the bowl on the other side. Middle Peak rear left.
 Pocket Peak off to the west with Larrabee behind it.
How do we know we're at the border? Well, there's a handy monument on the ridge marking it. Monument #59. Placed here during a survey 1906-07. Henry Custer originally explored and mapped this area way back in the 1850's.
 Me and Monument 59.
No Homeland Security in sight as we continue onwards and ascend to the small col and take another break. Vlad suggests we climb the highest of the 2 peaklets above the col so we leave our packs and have a pleasant scramble to the cairned high point of 2163m.
 What we went up.
Good views from up here, so we spent a few minutes up there taking pictures and naming peaks. We also noticed a small notch near the summit of Middle that we hoped would not cause us any concern when trying for the peak.
 Cope to Rexford ridge at right, Slesse area at left, Nesakwatch Valley below. On the American side Nesakwatch Creek is called Enswakwatch Creek.
 Enjoying the sunshine, views and life.
 Rapid Peak and it's impressive northern face.
Descending back to the col the terrain is reasonably steep to drop down to the bowl. Right looks okay on snow, rock/dirt then back on snow so off we go with iceaxes in hand.
 Down into the bowl, through it then rise on snowslopes to gain the low spot of Middle's southwest ridge is the plan.
The descent went well with a quick stop to fill our water bottles with snow melt water then we traversed across the bowl staying as high as we could, crossing a small band of talus at one point with the sheer cliffs of the continuation of the ridge we'd just left above us.
 On route. Where we dropped down from is above centre of shot.
Snow conditions were good with a bit of slippage here and there on this traverse. On the other side of the bowl we kicked steps up to gain Middle's southwest ridge and from there we paused again to gaze southwards at the many impressive peaks of The North Cascades.
 The southwest ridge leading up to the peak. SSE ridge at right.
We soon left the snow behind and had a very pleasant scramble on rock and talus up towards the summit.
 An idea of the terrain.
 Looking back at where came from - bowl and ridge/Cope. Pocket Peak far left with Larrabee and Border Peaks behind. McGuire way back between them and Slesse/Crossover area. Batholith and Rexford far right.
The notch we'd been concerned about was easily bypassed on it's south side.
 Vlad coming around the notch. I think it's Bear rear left with Luna and Challenger rear centre area, Copper near right and Blum far rear right.
After that it's just a hop, skip and a jump to reach the summit of 2275m and take in the expansive views in all directions. Glacier Peak was visible a long way to the south and Judge Howay was rising above the haze to the northwest.
    
1. Looking down towards the infamous Hanging Lake. Mount Daly at left with Custer Ridge/Spickard/Redoubt area centre to right. Border swath/cut visible too.
2. Vlad takes in the scenery. Blum, Icy, Ruth, Shuksan, Sefrit, Rapid and Baker all there.
3. Summit shot with MacDonald, Hanging Lake Peak and Lindeman behind us.
4. Judge Howay and the haze over the top of Batholith.
5. Slesse Group at left, Rexford Group centre, Centre Creek below and The Cheam Range at rear centre right. Corriveau and Williams far right.
 You can't help but smile up here on a day like this.
 Vlad got this shot of me gazing intently towards Lindeman. A mountain I've still yet to visit.
There was a good sized cairn on the summit. We didn't look to hard but didn't see a register. There was a broken glass jar nearby which upon reading EAK's trip report of this peak on Bivouac.com (they came in from Hanging Lake back in 1986) may have once contained a register/note from the famous Fred Beckey.
After nearly an hour on top we packed up and started to head back down. My camera battery by now was getting low but I was still taking pictures all over the place.
 Heading down.
 Dropping off the ridge and down into the bowl.
At the rocky area just in front of Vlad in the picture above we stopped and grabbed some sweet tasting melt water and continued on. The traverse through the bowl gave us a bit of shade from the hot sun and then we ascended back to the small col to take another break.
 Middle Peak and the bowl we crossed.
 Vlad coming down the other side of the small col. The minor peak we were on earlier in the day above him.
We regain the ridge and approach the border monument. Here we stopped and presented our passports.
 No line ups, we were waved right through.
The small bump is ascended which featured an interesting rock.
 Vlad plays qbert.
 South side of Mount Cope.
Scrambling back up Cope we pause again for the late afternoon views.
 Black and white aspect of where we had been. Middle at left and the 2163m peaklet at right.
I still had a few more picture I wanted to take but my camera battery finally died. Good thing I brought an extra camera. A few more shots with that and then we descended off Cope.
 Vlad on Cope with Baker as a backdrop.
From here it was just a matter of retracing our steps back towards the small tarn. Vlad suggested we side hill the slopes from there to avoid some elevation above the lake. This went well with a small bit of elevation gain on tiring legs. A waypoint was checked and we were pretty close to where we left the pink flagging.
That was soon spotted and we followed that down as far as possible before heading back into the cut block and descending that back to the road (not as bad going down at least). Fresh boot tracks there had me concerned that someone may have spotted the beer in the creek by the avalanche debris but all was good and it went down real well back at the vehicle.
Round trip was just over 10 hours with a cumalitive elevation gain of around 2000m and a distance of around 23km or so. We drove back out and stopped near the gate of the road that goes towards Centre Creek. That is now locked (key availiable from the fish hatchery) but the bypass is okay for 4x4 HC. Someone nearby was shooting off a pistol too.
Back on the road we pass through Chilliwack at dusk and head back towards Vancouver feeling pretty content about the day.
 Pano from Icy Peak to Welch Peak. |
Edited by - simonc on 07/14/2012 9:34 PM
|
|
Vancouver, BC
Canada
1111 Posts |
Posted - 07/14/2012 : 9:57 PM
|
| That final pano is really nice. Not a bad way to spend a day in the middle of the week. |
|
|
Chilliwack, B.C.
Canada
355 Posts |
Posted - 07/14/2012 : 10:45 PM
|
What an amazing trip! An area of the CRV I've yet to really get into. Thanks for the inspiring TR!  |
|
|
Maple Ridge, BC
Canada
489 Posts |
Posted - 07/15/2012 : 06:08 AM
|
| My, time flies! Well done boys! Too bad I could not join you. Simon, you made it sound and look easy easy[8Ds but it is a long way to go! |
|
|
 | Dru
Mountain Grammar Police
|
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 - 07/15/2012 : 07:11 AM
|
| I'm hoping to do this one sometime soon via the Propellor Cairn trail to start and the Rexford trail to finish. |
|
|
Vancouver, BC
Canada
559 Posts |
Posted - 07/15/2012 : 6:30 PM
|
| Your report never fails to be exciting to read. Always makes me feel like I am there! Thanks for the great report again. |
|
|
|
Trail blazin', backcountry bushwackin', pine huntin', photo takin', long winded story teller
3838 Posts |
Posted - 07/15/2012 : 7:35 PM
|
quote:
Originally posted by simonc
1. Looking down towards the infamous Hanging Lake. Mount Daly at left with Custer Ridge/Spickard/Redoubt area centre to right. Border swath/cut visible too.
Good trip, congrats.
Here's looking back at ya. 
 |
|
|
Sunnyvale Trailer Park
Canada
1089 Posts |
Posted - 07/15/2012 : 8:02 PM
|
| The original intent (Robert's) was to climb Middle Peak, he toned it down a bit since I'm not into the border crossing. Quite a revelation to see what the trip would actually be like. I'm really into seeing those familiar peaks from a different angle. |
|
|
Hope, BC
Canada
7098 Posts |
Posted - 07/15/2012 : 8:57 PM
|
| Damn, now that's one heck of an awesome report. That area of mountains is incredible, great shots of a great experience. For some weird reason I always have a different feeling when up Nesakwatch area and other mountains in that area (been a while though), but those mountains are very unique in that neck of the woods. I like the shots and angles of Slesse. |
|
|
832 Posts |
Posted - 07/16/2012 : 01:24 AM
|
You look more menacing here than the border guards themselves, maybe that's the trick... |
|
|
Ladner
Canada
628 Posts |
Posted - 07/16/2012 : 08:30 AM
|
| Great looking trip, looks like it was well planned as well. Sorry I missed this one. |
|
|
|
Peak bagging, bushwhacking, zamboni driving, snowshoeing, self portrait artist, and speed demon who loves to hang out on Mt. Seymour
3996 Posts |
Posted - 07/16/2012 : 12:18 PM
|
Thanks for the comments.
Thecamel, I like your wit.
Wildman, thanks for the reverse shot.
I'm curious how Cope got named seeing it is not much more than a small bump on the divide. Maybe because it's close to the border. |
|
|
| Dru
Mountain Grammar Police
|
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 - 07/16/2012 : 12:33 PM
|
Hey, this is an easy question.
quote:
Origin Notes and History:
Adopted 30 May 1946 on 92H/4, as identified in the International Boundary Commision Report, 1937; a triangulation station is located here. Significance not known; the syntax suggests that the feature is named after a person, rather than referencing a noun or verb. Station not labelled on 1908 International Boundary Commission map # 4.
Source: BC place name cards, or correspondence to/from BC's Chief Geographer or BC Geographical Names Office
http://apps.gov.bc.ca/pub/bcgnws/names/12343.html
The fact it was so identified in 1937 suggests it's not named after a WW2 casualty. I'll have to check with Fred to see if he has any ideas. |
Edited by - Dru on 07/16/2012 12:36 PM |
|
|
|
Peak bagging, bushwhacking, zamboni driving, snowshoeing, self portrait artist, and speed demon who loves to hang out on Mt. Seymour
3996 Posts |
Posted - 07/16/2012 : 12:52 PM
|
Thanks Dru, I was trying to find that web site for BC Geographic names but could not get to the home page of it to find Cope. I kept getting error messages.
We didn't see a triangulation marker on this peak. There was one on Middle (no writing stamped on it - just the triangle stamped on the round disk).
|
|
|
Richmond, BC
Canada
959 Posts |
Posted - 07/16/2012 : 1:17 PM
|
Thanks Simon for a comprehensive TR. It was a good trip.
Google Earth has Mt Cope incorrectly shown south of the border, directly west across the bowl from Middle Pk.
 |
|
|
|
Happy go lucky, plaid wearin, postholin, safeway gaitor sportin, old-school film shootin, giver of many regards
Abbotsford, B.C.
Canada
13453 Posts |
Posted - 07/16/2012 : 8:21 PM
|
quote:
Originally posted by Wildman
quote:
Originally posted by simonc
1. Looking down towards the infamous Hanging Lake. Mount Daly at left with Custer Ridge/Spickard/Redoubt area centre to right. Border swath/cut visible too.
Good trip, congrats.
Here's looking back at ya.
Two great shots:
Simnon, really enjoy your reports and photos. Great lunch time reading. This is one of several objectives I hope to attain over the next few years.
K |
|
|
Abbotsford, BC
Canada
1005 Posts |
Posted - 07/16/2012 : 10:34 PM
|
I suspected this was where you guys headed to. Shows what some good route finding, map reading can do! Way to go gentlemen ! |
|
|
360 Posts |
Posted - 07/17/2012 : 08:33 AM
|
| This looks like a great trip with lots of really useful beta. Your attention to detail and superb descriptions are truely appreciated Simon. Well done all around! |
|
|
Campbell River, BC
Canada
761 Posts |
Posted - 07/17/2012 : 6:19 PM
|
| Nice report Simon. Slesse and Rexford looks fantastic from that perspective. |
|
|
Delta, B.C.
Canada
457 Posts |
Posted - 07/18/2012 : 10:37 AM
|
| And so the Anglo-Slovak invasion of the U.S.and A. begins. An interesting way to get to Middle Pk, approaching from Centre Cr. will be a major bushwack now. Thanks for the TR as always. |
|
|
|
Peak bagging, bushwhacking, zamboni driving, snowshoeing, self portrait artist, and speed demon who loves to hang out on Mt. Seymour
3996 Posts |
Posted - 07/18/2012 : 2:19 PM
|
Funny you should mention that Denis as Centre Creek was where we were yesterday. That is one heavily alder infested logging road.
 Vlad: there's a road here somewhere...
|
|
|
|
Topic |
|
Mt Cope & Middle Peak from Nesakwatch Rd Jul 11 12
