Marduk put the call out last week for further exploration in the Trio Creek area which is on the west side of Harrison Lake (about 50km up Harrison West FSR). Trio Peak is a sharp cluster of summits on the eastern side of Grainger Peak. He'd been up that way before, reaching a sub peak and wanted to go back for the true summit.

https://forums.clubtread.com/27-briti...-chehalis.html

Along for the ride was Dru, MatthewBaldwin (also on above trip) and myself. I'd been up Trio Creek with Marduk last year - right to the end and up "Medic Peak".

https://forums.clubtread.com/27-briti...n-21-14-a.html

This time we took the south Trio Creek FSR which doesn't go as far up valley. 4x4 HC to it's end then we venture into the forest and do a rising traverse through mostly pleasant forest with a light drizzle falling for a while.


Idea of the forest.

Some steep sections, bush grabbing and minor scrambling but travel is good and we break out below a boulder field with the sun coming out after an easy going uphill section. After a quick break at the top of the boulder field we get into some snow as we continue up passing through minor creek gullies minor bush/trees to reach consistent snow.

Travel now became difficult in the soft snow as we post-holed upwards aiming for a gap to reach a bench where we took another break and got our first good views of Trio Peak.


This is it.

The discussion rotated around the difficulty of travel in the near isothermic snow, wet rock, possible slides and general dissatisfaction with current conditions. A plug was pulled.


Matt, Dru and Adam.

A dome on the north ridge of Trio looked like a consolation prize as we should get some good views west and north so we carried on. Some hidden cavities were inadvertently found as we ascended and the post-holing continued for the most part with conditions improving a little as we got higher.


Matt leading the way with the dome at right.


View from the back.

The left side of the dome looked to offer some good scrambling so we aimed for the col area and steeply up that to see that the dome from this angle was more like a fin. Very abrupt on the west edge.


Adam and Dru nearing the col.

They took a look at the rock and decided it was more than a scramble so we pulled that plug too and hung out on the ridge line where we did get some nice views around Trio Creek.


Doctors Peak(s) with Trio Creek Spires at right.


Grainger with Medic Peak (far right) at the head of Trio Creek Valley.


The dome/fin with Trio Creek Spires at left and Breakenridge right.



I got photo-bombed.


Somebody is wigging out.


Matt and I went a little higher for no real reason as the other two started down.


Matt and the north ridge.

Every step was now knee deep with more unexpected cavities (I was up to my chest at one point).


Breakenridge to Urquhart and Harrison Lake.


Northern view to the Douglas/Cairn/Surprised/Vista area (I think).

Finally we left the snow behind and got back into the forest. Dru got ahead and stayed more left whilst we bypassed the boulder field and came close to our uptrack area.


Adam was happy as he got to check out the "Lost Spanish Mine." No Stargate unfortunately.

A downward traverse got us back to the cutblock and a waiting Dru. Some chips were passed around then we drove out and stopped off at the Sasquatch Inn for some good food and beer. About 7.5 hours of exploring and just over 1000m of elevation gained with a good bunch of guys.

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Great TR Simon, thank you for taking the time and writing about a fun day we all had together! The search continues...?

Gold?

Definitely an area I'd like to check out. How is it in terms of rock quality? Looks a bit suspect.

Cool trip guys, although it's too bad about the snow conditions.

It is not granitic. The contact with the beautiful Chehalis granite is just to the west of the summit, sadly.

The iMapBC geology layer shows the rock making up Trio Pk as being the Gambier Group, undifferentiated sedimentary and volcanic rocks

including: thick bedded basaltic andesite, dacitic and rhyolitic tuffs, flows and volcanic breccia, greenstone, pillow basalt, argillite, siltstone, shale, greywacke, basal conglomerate.

Most of what we saw was what I would have called fairly competent volcanic rocks and volcaniclastic sandstones, but the quality varied from great to totally fractured and broken. Definitely some technical climbing potential, not so much Chehalis bombproof granite style, more like the Cascades. Some of the rock looked quite similar to Hozomeen, for instance.

[QUOTE=Dru;614081.

Most of what we saw was what I would have called fairly competent volcanic rocks and volcaniclastic sandstones, but the quality varied from great to totally fractured and broken.... [/QUOTE]

Did you see any conglomerate, esp. with granitoid clasts?

Sorry, none. I am aware of your interests, but saw nothing relevant to them here.