Thru-Hiker Tries Mountaineering | STEEP Scrambling in Washington's Most Remote Mountain Range
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- Опубліковано 11 січ 2023
- An adventure in the Picket Range, an ultra rugged and remote subrange of the North Cascades, located entirely within North Cascades National Park. We climbed West McMillan Spire, a surprisingly class 3 route in a sea of far more technical climbs. The Pickets aren't easy to reach, but they are easily one of the most stunning alpine environments I've visited.
What footwear r y’all wearing?
I was wearing Topo Terraventure 3s with Kahtoola K10 crampons for the snow. I do not recommend that set up for this kind of thing, since the shoes were not stiff enough to kick steps in hard snow and I hurt my toes. Ultraviolet had La sportiva ultra raptors and real aluminum crampons which I think is an ideal set up for light summer mountaineering in the cascades
As beautiful as the Tetons are, and the Colorado Rockies, and the Sierras, I don't think there's any spot more beautiful in the contiguous U.S. than Washington's North Cascades. The lush forests in the valleys surrounded by these jagged granite peaks and with volcanoes in the distance as well. You can't beat that view.
This is exactly the sort of expedition I love. I’ve climbed all around snow king and also just west of you, by baker lake! It’s so hard to find partners for this stuff though, last few years I often end up waiting until my sons have time
Beautiful and other worldly. Amazing. Hard to conceive of what I just saw. Stunning.
Exactly how I felt!
That steep snow is truly terrifying. I, an avid scrambler and peakbagger myself, have heard too many stories of scramblers venturing into mountaineering on snow and sliding to their deaths. Congrats on the summit and no shame in being cautious on your first foray. Love the vids and hope you get lots of views!
Thank you! Always say live to climb/hike another day
Omg, your hiking partner, she’s such a delight! Who would ever not want to go on a hike with her.
She’s got a knack for keeping the spirits high
Keep up the great work man, I'd love to see more videos like this
Just gorgeous, thanks!
Great video !!
Thanks for another great video!
Those peaks are no joke! Congrats on a really cool adventure.
Amazingly beautiful!
Excellent! Totally enjoyed this.✌️
Thanks!
Beastly jumping right into the Pickets! 💪strong work!
Nice report. The first (of four) times I climbed McMillan Spire, W. Peak, in late July 1987, there was no trail. It took us 2.5 days to get to Terror Basin, in the driving rain and with no visibility. We had only Fred’s guide book and topo maps but they worked. Our packs weighed 70 pounds at the start. I’ve been back to the Southern and Northern Pickets six times since. Magnificent and rugged country and not for the feint of heart. Beware ground bees in late summer.
This was cool! I've never traveled on foot much outside the U.S. but I've been all over this country and I've just reached the conclusion (at 58 years old) that I'm gonna spend the years I have left in this area. It just has EVERYTHING except for accessibility and I'm willing to pay that price. Nicely done. WILDERNESS...... there's nothing better!!!
Hard to beat the Cascades for beauty and wilderness!
I too have been all over the lower 48. I you love mountains there is no place like the north cascades
Awesome video! Loved the view from your campsite!
Thanks Jonathan!
Great work Dan, epic vistas @5:35 and 16:30 Superb sense of perspective and a marvellous way to spend a few days in the mountains.
Thanks Jav 🙂
Such a cool video as yours always are. Much appreciation from the Bristol Hills in the Finger Lakes.
Thanks! Cheers from a fellow western New Yorker 🍻 (Rochester currently)
One of the best Pickett Range videos I've seen. I did some Class 3 scrambling back in the day. Nothing in this league but I enjoy good vids of it. There's no joke about being careful on the snow, though. I had a friend years ago who was a very experienced climber, with many times up Ranier, Glacier, Baker, etc. , also Mont Blanc & Monte Rosa in the Alps and Huascaran, Aconcagua, Chimborazo and many others in the Andes. Ironically, after all those challenging climbs, he slid down a snow chute to his death on an early season conditioning hike up Granite Mountain, a modest summit near Snoqualmie Pass. Please be careful.
Thank you, and sorry for the loss of your friend. They say most car accidents happen close to home, I suppose he was being more cautious on those big climbs. I’ve had a couple of close calls, enough to slow me down a little in chasing more technical pursuits.
Thanks man this threw me back a couple of years, attempted a south picket traverse was stymied by incoming weather made it half way bailed on mt terror.
Even though this range is remote as you get in the lower 48 you get great reception from the summits.
You should try next time the litle beaver/accsess creek approach its short but wild and you get the north south picket reveal.
Good work stay on it
Southern Pickets traverse is no joke- I was imagining how wild it would be looking at the other peaks from comparatively easy West McMillan.
Re service; I remember reading about a dramatic rescue from the pickets where one party member was able to reach a summit and get reception.
Congrats on just getting in there. I climbed in years ago with a 75-80 lb pack. We spent 8 days in the basin bagged a few peaks. We came out with 1 power bar and a few hard candies to get us out. Sadly on-shore clouds prevented us from getting as many days on the rock as we would have hoped for. It is not an area to be if you dont have experience.
❤
Fun times
Just when I think that you can't top the previous video. When the apocalypse arrives I hope that I have a 'UV' on my team.
Wait.... so who carried the tent and stove on the way out? 🤔 😅
Thank you for sharing!!! Your bravery and desire to overcome your own personal fears is amazing to watch. #inspiration
Thank you! Haha we still split the weight on the way out 🙂
@@DanStenziano ok gotcha, so you were both right?! 😄 🤣
Well, I was right but she knew that. A little ‘encouragement’ to get me up the slope and not turn back lol
that was awesomme dan !!!
i prefer frozen snow but yes i agree about sticking to rock !!!
just curious what degree bag did u use on this trip ??? the cowboy camp set up ..was that all nite ?????
truly a Kodak moment !!!! wow
Thank you! It wasn’t too cold, honestly it was probably in the 50s or high 40s at night. I had a 20 degree quilt which was plenty warm for the whole night, though it did get windy.
Great video, thanks for sharing !
What time of year was it ?
Thanks! This was late July last year. More snow than usual
how Do you manage to film such epic scenes, maintain a narrative AND not fall off the mountain?!?! asking for a friend
It’s a secret 🤫
This is a great video! What date was this, and also what sunshirt is that?
Thank you! This was around the 3rd week of July last year. This shirt is outdoor research sun hoodie
@@DanStenziano cool, thanks
Who carried out the tent and stove? Ultra-Violet's estimate of 33 degrees for that slope seems spot on.
It was 45 in places. Just looked lower angle looking up at it
@@DanStenziano Who carried out the tent and stove? What was the measured degree of slope made by Ultra-Violet?
Nce
After you broke out of the forest/ after the root scramble, were there campsites up there with views of the pickets? I’m curious to know. I would love to do part of this route for a backpacking trip next summer!
The options aren’t the best until you go over terror notch and into terror Basin. There are places before then you could camp but it’s definitely better in terror Basin
Usually cameras don’t capture just how steep things are. But my chest tightened and I got some vertigo from some out those shots.
I feel like the camera did some justice to it but maybe it was way f’ing steeper.
The shots looking up from the bottom don’t do justice to the steepness but I think the shots looking down are pretty accurate.
So who won the bet on how many degrees that up-climb was?
Definitely me haha. It was a 45-50 degree slope, but she knew that and was just messing around
what is the brand of your backpack？
That’s an Atom Pack. Check my previous video for a review on it.
@@DanStenziano okay ，thanks
Way too dangerous!
Sorry mom!