Monte Cristo 7-22-09

We awoke early. We had to climb the peak, get down and hike out. A long day.
Monte Cristo is a hard mountain. It is 5.6 by its easiest route and it is often
inaccessible due to severe moat problems. A moat is the point where the steep
snow, 40 degree in this case, meets the rock. Or more accurately....almost meets
the rock. Getting from rock to snow or snow to rock is the trick, with a deep
chasm separating the two. This is made more dangerous by the shape of the snow
being like a wave, with the thin and undermined portions impossible to see from
the snow side....the side your coming from initially. This was Aaron's first
real moat challenge to deal. You set an anchor in the snow, with an ax, 75 feet
below the lip. I man this and belay. If he breaks through, the theory goes that
he will fall only so far into the moat, me holding the fall. First we have
hours and several thousand feet of altitude to gain on steep, connecting
snowfields, dodging crevasses as we go.

Once that is dispensed with, Aaron, on belay, heads up toward the moat. You
probe with your ax. See if it pokes through. Then try to gain angles above, to
look to the side, at lower moat edges, looking for a reasonable shelf and
passage. He probes carefully here. Then carefully there. He sees a possibility.
Gently climbs down and angles over. He slips over the lip and is gone from my
sight. Can he connect the vertical or overhanging snow on the backside, with a
ledge that leads to the one weakness in the wall above? He is out of sight for
15 minutes. Then his head pops out. He is right of the best line, but a crack
and a ledge may connect him with the route. He places protection and pulls the
crux moves and he is over the moat. Soon I am on belay and follow. Down a few
steep steps of ice, leads me to a ledge. The well placed ledge allows one a
delicate balance traverse around the corner, with the moat chasm 30 feet below
you. Then it is 5.7 climbing in boots to the ledge. I thrash...and bleed. Once
on the ledge, a well protected 5.6 vertical chimney pitch ends the toughest of
the technical challenges. Bravo Aaron!!! Several 100 feet of dangerous 4th class
scrambling remain. A rope would only make it worse, raining rocks on ourselves.
Finally the summit. Its a lovely peak. It feels like an important one. We hide
our pride, so as not to bring the wrath of the Mountain Gods upon us. The tricky
descent still lays ahead.

We rap the chimney and make a dynamic rappel move over the chasm. Then 2 raps
down the steepest snow for me and we fly down the soft, snowy slopes below. We
retrace our steps to camp and are pleased that the heat of the day is
suppressing the volume of bugs. The steep timbered slopes allow us to play
Tarzan again, swinging, sliding and hopping down the steepness. Once the trail
is reached at Curry Gap, we get to moving at 4 miles per hour trying in vain, to
outrun the bugs. Out with the DEET twice more and the can is empty. Symbolic of
the the trip, as I swat bugs all the way to the car. At the car we turn on the
air conditioner and change inside the car, the bugs a massive swarm on the
outside of the glass and metal. This I have never done before, changing in a
car. The fellow who gave us the DEET, left a message directing us to a pair of
beers in the stream. For this we get out of the car and for this and the DEET,
we will send our new friend a gift. Any suggestions on a gift, anyone? A drive
down to Darrington and a dinner Tasty Bites, in the park, at 10 PM. Stevee and
his friend Aaron come in the next day. We find out that Murray has a broken
ankle and he and 2 of his sons will not be coming. Sad. We drive and sleep along
the Skagit River, getting to bed before midnight. The Monte Cristo Group via the
Pride Glacier allowed us passage, but it wasn't cheap. Is that way we now value
it so much?

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