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IBEXtrax.com - Cascade Mountains of Washington StateAlpine Lakes Wilderness |
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Chris calls; off we go.
Where is the road; come back; there it is.
Load up; leave without Chris.
The bear sign; the logging slash.
Avalanche across the valley. Separate in the woods.
Follow the ridge. Gaiter up. drop down.
Across old snow slides. Head on up.
Smoke break. Going blind. Water break.
Good pace. Chris leads. The rock in the pass.
Purvis Lake. Which one is Malachite?
The sun is setting. Let's do Two Face.
The finger; loose wet rock; tree holds.
Let's beat the sun. Leave the axe.
I'm stopping here, (Chris)
To the top; build a cairn and sign.
Down the fast way. Wait for Chris.
Seat glissade from the pass; wait; glissade;
Leave the snow. One flashlight.
Almost crash in the slash. Back down the slash;
Don't step here, (bear)
Cook dinner; drive home.
A late start on Saturday, brought me up the Foss River Road. I parked at the same spot as before (Malachite Attempt). The abandon logging road was loosing its battle with the slide alder. I pushed my way up through the leaves, and adopted a slow pace. I felt out of shape so I slowly strolled up to the logging slash. The huckleberries were plentiful in the slash, and I ate as I climbed. It was a very hot day and I thanked the clouds for momentarily blocking the sun. When I reached the top of the slash, I rested and gazed across the valley at the slabs.
I stepped into the timber, and then zig-zaged up through the wind falls. The going was slow because I made many detours around the fallen trees. I moved up the steep ridge slowly but surely. I stopped and rested on a log before I left the ridge crest. The mosquitoes, in the ravine below the log, all turned out, and terminated my visit.
The slow, sweaty trudge up the ridge must of distorted my senses, because I dropped down the north side of the ridge too early. The penalty for my mistake was heavy brush. I fought with the Devil's club and vine maple for awhile. But, eventually I gave in and tromped up the creek. When the brush gave way to snow, I un-strapped my T- bird ice axe. I chose the easy way up on the snow patches. The small trees, halfway up , were covered with snow on my previous visit. But now, I wove in and out of the contorted evergreens. I climbed into the upper cirque, and followed the snow to the pass.
The view from the pass was different compared to the snowscape I remembered from back in May. Now in late August, the lake was clear. Interesting heather benches and quaint rockeries lined the walls of the cirque. The blue lake slowly turned gray as the day ended. I found the perfect camp spot on a point of land near the outlet. I thought of solitude, and the increased risk of going alone into the mountains. I should be careful. After dinner I lay awake in my bag, and thought of how lucky It was to have this spot all to myself. I wished that I could share It with someone.
I awoke when the sun hit the tent, but due to the high ridge on the east, it wasn't too early. As the sun filled the cirque, the lake glistened like a carpet of bright sequins. I cooked a leisurely hot breakfast, and then loaded my sac for the ascent of Malachite Peak. With ice axe in hand, I headed around the lake, and then passed the talus slide were Chris and I had glissaded down from the top of "Two Face". Before gaining the upper basin, I had to stop and contemplate on which was the true summit of Malachite Peak. The only thing I got from the sketch in the guide was confusion.
I climbed to the notch between the summits, and then went scrambling right. I gained a rock step with an exposed mantel onto a six inch ledge. From there, it was up easy loose rock to the top. I looked over to the taller summit to the east. I built a small rock cairn, and then eased back down to the notch. I went straight east over grassy ramps to the true summit. I signed the register that I found in a box that was covered with stones. I sat in the warm sun and dozed. I reread the guide, and then descended north to a mossy chimney. I stepped across the top of the chimney by using a stunted tree as a vegetable anchor. Upon close inspection of the drippy chimney, I decided not to try it.
I re-crossed and retraced my steps to a sloping ledge. The ledge led to easy face climbing and within jumping range of the snow slope. I was tempted but then decided not to jump the moat. So, I down climbed by stemming with rock on one side and chopped steps on the other. Once on the snow, I had to make a steep traverse due to the rocks and cracks below. When I moved over far enough to get a clear run out, I shot down the slope with a high speed glissade. I stopped at a beautiful little alp on the bench above Purvis Lake. I drank from the gurgling freshet that bubbled through the heather. I did some more sliding, and then traversed back around the lake to camp.
I bid farewell to the area from the top of the Purvis Pass. I then turned just in time to see a mountain goat scurry down across my path. After a few good butt slides down from the pass, I plunged down through the trees. Lower down where the snow was more consolidated, I stepped on branches and other avalanche debris to keep from slipping on the hard snow. I traversed to the ridge above the brush. Upon gaining the ridge, I found a large square blaze that indicated the trail. I picked out the faint trail, and started down ridge. The steep path was covered with fur needles and I slipped and fell many times. Sometimes I would fall and decide not to get up. I finally reached the logging slash, and then picked huckleberries for a long time. I managed to save a few cups of berries in a bag. I thought about how bears pick berries. On the abandon road below the logging slash, I had blackberries for dessert. When I arrived at the car, I watched the hordes drive by that were coming out of the Foss Lakes area.
05 037 Rudi M and Tony go for water at Purvis Lk (167k)
A pair of snowshoers, with cook pots in hand, head for the outlet of Purvis Lake to get water. The lake is tucked under the NW face of Malachite Pk, 3500ft and only 2mi above the Miller R.
05 038 Automatic Wilderness Can Opener (220k)
As the Cascade Mountain alpine traveler gains more and more experience, they quickly learn the importance of carrying equipment that can be used for more than one purpose. One such item that easily conforms to the multi-use strategy is the ice axe. With an ice axe you can dig a cat hole to plant a loaf; chop steps going up and use it as a brake going down. And of course, the Automatic Alpine Wilderness Can Opener.
05 043 Malachite Peak reviled between rain showers (247k)
For a brief moment during a spring time rain shower, Malachite Peak is revealed between the ominous clouds. From this view on the shores of Purvis Lake, one sees the Northwest Face of the Peak. This small but interesting rock peak is named for the presence of malachite ore, a carbonate of copper. Malachite Peak had been climbed in August of '74. But, avalanche conditions were too high for an attempt on this day.
05 045 The Observatory near Purvis Lake (176k)
Closely west of Purvis Pass is an interesting rock outcrop that looked to have a half open domed roof. The climbers first thought it looked like "Pac Man". But, they eventually named it "The Observatory". The rock is located on the southern end of Maloney Ridge that is named for John Maloney who discovered limestone near the summit in 1890. A cable tramway once carried the limestone product to a cement plant at Grotto.
05 046 Two Face near Purvis Lake (224k)
On the east flank of Purvis Pass the climbers summitted and then named "Two Face" Rock; an extension of Maloney Ridge. John Maloney first came to the area as a railroad surveyor. He took up a land claim in 1890 at the mouth of the creek that bares his name and later opened the first store in Skykomish in 1893. John Maloney's General Store still stands today as part of the Skykomish Historic Commercial District.
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