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| Mt. Stuart 7.14.08 |
I've been on an alpine binge lately, so eager to get outside after a winter of training. As soon as I returned from Mt. Jefferson there was an email from Nate asking if I had time for Mt. Stuart this week. The timing was tight so we decided to do a car to car (single push, no camping), leaving bivy gear behind in favor of moving fast and light.
We left Portland at 9:30 pm on Sunday night and got to the trailhead at 2:30am. We began hiking immediately on limited sleep. This turned out to be a bad idea. The next 18 hours proved to be a grueling ordeal, one of the hardest physical feats I've ever endured. This peak is a big undertaking under any circumstances and on an hour's sleep it seemed impossible at times.
Mt. Stuart is a large granitic peak, a true gem for PNW climbers. With steep lines and clean rock it provides a virtual playground for the technical rock climber. Add a four hour approach and a four hour deproach and you have a very long day. The last hike up Long's Pass at hour 17 was a psychological and physical test at it's apex...is it ignoble to stop an hour from the car?...
The NW Face route we chose was not as good as advertised, though it did provide moments of joy. Nate and I agreed, however, that the route did not warrant the great effort of getting to it and then off the mountain. Regardless, it was good to become familiar with this peak, as it's reputation is known worldwide among climbers. Next time, a bivy on route would make this trip a lot more fun. Though it was interesting to realize what the body is capable of when pushed to the limit.
1 comment:
Sounds like this one thrashed you guys. The next two must have felt like a holiday after this challenge. The ice and rock in this area looks to be quite difficult to manage yet your attitude stayed positive and the views obviously filled your soul. It seems some of these alpine treks are testing your limits so keep remembering the words of Tenseng Norgay. I'd repeat them but probably would do a poor job since they are in Nepalese, but you know them.
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