My first very difficult scramble. I have decided I need to gain more experience on vertical terrain..or semi vertical anyways.

The trip was 9.5 hrs roundtrip. We enjoyed and went at a moderate pace.

The beginning is super beautiful as all the flowers are out. It was amazing walking thru those meadows. The views were grand. The sun was very HOT! So it made for heatstroke.Thankfully there were creeks along the way where we could dunk our hats into..and/or our heads.

Once you begin the scramble, it becomes more technical. The crux was ok going up it..I was a bit scared, but just looked up and climbed. The holds were great. It didn't seem to bad going up, until I looked down and realized I would have to get rescued from the peak. Having rope and a light harness for someone like me would have been great. I would have felt safer rappelling down. Radmilla who organized the trip was great, she was below me as I was close to tears and passing out from being so scared..she lead my feet...Another member Dean was above me trying to keep me calm..that didn't work I did go in over my head I think. I am a good climber of rock, but the exposure is what did me over.

I will have to work on that exposure thing before I go on another trip that requires more technical skill. Thankfully the crux was a short portion,as the rest was pretty good and straightforward. The trip was incredible.

Here are the pics.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/3334391...7606784641002/

yep, "i think i can" can turn to "oh, f***, i hope i make it", in a heartbeat.
good for you, trusting your partners (and choosing good ones), and for recognizing your limitations.

speaking of getting in over one's head, see my trip report for pics of a route called "brother's folly".
https://www.clubtread.com/sforum/topi...TOPIC_ID=27886
the story goes that two brothers decided that it was too much trouble to hike the 3km around this face to access the peak. so they headed straight up without gear.
incredibly, they were not killed.
from the scree, it's 800 feet to the top, and 1300 feet to the valley floor. all shale and wind packed ice/snow.
we had to check it out, just to see what the fuss was...
eep!

great photos, i'm looking forward to more from your next adventure!

Great pics Oriana... Well done on that trip !!!

Was that 9.5 hours round trip from the Yellow Aster Butte trailhead? If so, that was some pretty good going! My North Cascades hiking guide says that "although the technical difficulty is not too high, the scramble to the peak is exposed and most parties climbing it use a rope." I see why!

interesting!
It was 9.5 from the parking lot where the bathroom is. Not sure where Yellow Aster is.
I think most people who are confident don't need rope. But someone like me does

That is a really beautiful peak you have climbed; and after your fears, you must be proud of your accomplishment

Great job, Oriana. Every time you try it gets easier (that's how it works for me anyway). Thanks Radmila for organizing and everyone for a very enjoyable day.



What are these guys pointing at?


Yes, the trailhead is the same as for Yellow Aster Butte.

Thanks V. It was a great group of people. And I am glad you captured Radmilla and her watermelon. What a great treat that was.

See you again.

Way to go !!
I would be way proud of that trip.Looks like you were in good hands also.

Thank you for such honest sharing, Oriana. I too, have been "gripped" and if it hadn't been for really good friends encouraging me down, I don't know what I would have done. But like me, you made it so now you are stronger and wiser from the experience. Kudos and well done to all involved! That looks like a tough one [}]

A group took you on a difficult scramble, and not one person had a length of rope....

Sounds like you did great. Your friends I am not so impressed with.

Well done Oriana on the scrambling. You made it back and should be proud. Great photos.

A grand place to hike,I would like to head up Tomyhoi but not sure if I could make the steep section.

K

Actually it is not a rope required trip...my friends were fantastic. I could not ask for better and experienced people..the fear of heights was my issue, not theirs. 8 yrs ago I would have freaked out doing Tricouni, which now I look at and have done twice and find it relatively straight forward. A bit challenging, but OK for me. I chose to go on the trip, knowing what the technicality was, and I knew I could wait at the crux if I was not happy. But I chose to move upward, which was alright for me..I didn't expect to look down and freak out. I don't think anyone expected that.

I look forward to the day I could do trips like some of the people in our group. This trip to me was the taste I needed to push me further ahead in my skills. We all have to start somewhere. And this too me was my start, as in the big picture, it is considered fairly moderate for most with much experience...

I have seen Tomyhoi many times, it does look pretty amazing.
I was quite impacted by your story of how scary it was coming down, looking at the crux photo made me nervous. Looking down it looks scary as hell to me lol. I couldnt imagine going down that backwards too, even worse.

Nice trip, when Suze and I did it we brought a short length of 7mm cordelete and a bit of webbing for a sling. We just used that as an extra hand grip rather than full rope, harnesses etc. Only added and extra pound or two to one back pack. Allways a good thing I find to bring when going on a scramble if the plan is to go light and not bring technical gear and if your down climbing is as bad as mine.

Just be sure you don't let that extra piece of comfort get you beyond anything you intended on doing in the first place. Good organizer you had in Rad so that helps a lot as well to keep calm and be able to trust the people you are with.

I am glad however you reported your experience, because I think a lot of people have this idea of "oh it's just a scramble" when they set off to do a trip. The term does not take in to consideration the steepness, exposure or consecuences of a fall let alone the stability of what you are climbing as in the case of the Black Tusk or Helm peak. Just refers to the technical difficulty.