Monday, November 24, 2008

Tronsen Head 11.24.08

With the turmoil of opening a new restaurant slowly melting away into a framiliar routine I was quite pleased to have a day to climb. Adding to this great development was the combination of good friend paired with some warm filtered sunshine. Justin arrived at my house right on time and with a couple of stops we were off. Justin and I had done some climbing what seems like a lifetime ago so I was pleased with the company. After a couple false starts in Cle Elum looking for a SnoPark Pass we were making our way up Blewett Pass. The goal for the day was Tronsen Head and maybe a peek at Mt. Lillian. I had been in the area in the recent past when I climbed Diamond Head so I was familiar with the route. The snow was much less than what I had expected so instead of parking at the SnoPark I decided to give the next road heading North just to see if it would go. There was less than 2 inches of snow on the road and with the signs of previous car travel I thought we would give it a whirl. The road went easily but I must caution against the sink hole that is present around 2 miles in. I was able to make it around....barely and was the only one who was brave enough (or stupid enough) to try. The untracked remainder went and soon we were parked at the Tronsen Meadows trail. Having cut quite a bit of distance and elevation off my intended route I was confident for success on this day. Justin hasn't been in the hills for quite some time and struggled with the gain. I was so happy to have him along I couldn't have cared less. I was able navigate the myriad of trails and keep us on track. I had us leave the trail too early and later realized the trail actually heads to a few feet of the summit. The summit provided some good views to the North and West and some view to the South. The view I really wanted was to the SE to scout our route to Mt. Lillian. I had a sense that Justin was quite content with his first B/C 100 peak. I was content to gain some extra time with the family. It was nice to pair the glow of a successful summit with some good conversation on the way home.




Approx 6 miles 4:00 car to car 1600' of climb






Approx 7 miles 2500' of climb 4 hours car to car

Monday, November 17, 2008

Hancock's Comb 11.17.08

Hancock's Comb is the tufted point above Hancock Lake in the North Fork of the Snoqualmie drainage. If it wasn't included in the Home Court 100 I doubt it would hold any interest. The intent was to mountain bike to just past the summit and climb the short ways to the ridge and on to the summit. I had tried this trip a couple weeks ago and had to abandon when I lost a bolt holding my front tire on. Although it seemed stable I didn't want to take that type of chance. I had plenty of time and I even took the time to enjoy the very warm hazy sunshine. I wasn't able to ride much more than half the way and pushed it the remainder. I was making good time until I reached junction not on my map. There was a road closure sign due to ongoing logging in the area. I pushed on until I reached the actual logging operation blocking all of the road. I gave some thought to dumping the bike and sneaking around the working area. I was concerned about how to handle the dogs and lacking leashes it could have provided an unhappy outcome. I backtracked to a lower road which I followed on foot hoping to go cross crountry to reach my road higher above me. I followed this road until it ended in a tangle of brush before a torrent of a stream. I decided a leisurely return to enjoy the remainder of the day was much moredesirable than a tedious bushwack.




Approx 14 miles 2000' of climb 4 hours car to car

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