Alpine Climbing in the Pickets

Chris Simrell and I were going to try the Southern Picket's Summit Traverse before our weather window shrank to two days. We hiked in the the six miles, which gain 6,000 ft., and realized that we weren't fit enough for the traverse; we were tired after hiking in, which is the easiest part of the traverse.

A view of the range confirmed our suspicion that mid-August was too late in the season. More snow along the ridge would make it easier to get water (so you don't have to rappel several hundred feet to the glacier and climb back up) and more snow on the glaciers would make travel faster, especially if we were to bail part way from the ridge.

The weather and snow conditions served as convenient excuses for us to scale back. We abandoned our plans and basecamped for two nights in a gorgeous site surrounded by blooming pink wildflowers. From that location we scrambled up one of the traverse's thirteen summits, scouted potential new routes, and lazed about marveling at the scenery.

Background on the Pickets
The Pickets are home to the boldest alpine rock traverses in the Lower 48. The FA of the southern summit traverse was done in 2003 and has only been repeated three times in the last decade. This route involves climbing up to 5.10+ while carrying gear and food for three or more days. You need to be very fit, very good at route finding, and very comfortable simul-climbing or soloing on loose rock. Linking the southern traverse into the northern summit traverse, which is technically easier, is the Lower 48's most impressive alpine climb. After many attempts it was just completed in July 2013!!

Here are a few photos for our two days up there before the rain came in. You'll see one photo of Chris drinking from an "alpine straw." Here's the backstory for that image:

A straw is an essential (and near weightless) gear items for summer alpine rock climbs because it lets you drink out of puddles and seeps from melting snow-- places where your mouth or a water bottle cannot fit. A straw can make the difference between drinking water semi-regularly, not drinking much all day, or having to stop to melt snow (which uses time and fuel). Though it can save a lot of effort, drinking from an alpine straw isn't quite like sucking hard on a straw that reaches deep into a thick chocolate milkshake. Depending on the seep or puddle, you might need to go slow to avoid sucking up bits of rock or sand. Crouching or kneeling works in deep puddles but doesn't provide the precision necessary to keep the end of the straw stable in the desired location in shallow areas, which are more common. Therefore, laying down is often best. But this can be uncomfortable if done for an extended time because you "fill up" and need to sit up, burp, and let gravity help the water enter your stomach. These constraints make short sitting breaks useful when drinking from puddles. Also, transparent straws are best because they allow you to identify and reject unwanted items, like rocks or algae, before they enter your mouth.