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- Mar 21, 2024
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Strategies and pack rats on Mount Stuart and other Cascade Classic Alpine Rock Climbs
Alert! Pack rat thievery during bivi on Mount Stuart. Eye-glasses stolen on summit after ascent of classic north ridge.
By Mark Gunlogson
You never know where you will end up for the night on some of the Cascade’s long alpine rock routes and who you’ll be sleeping with, which may include the clever pack rat. It’s all about strategy on these climbs. How do you avoid spending the night on the summit, or do you plan to do just that? Do it in a day, bivi enroute, or let it all unfold as it will; whether you have bivi gear or not, there’s plenty of stories of being benighted. What to do?
While it was over 25 years ago when my glasses were disappeared on our summit bivi on Stuart, the glasses now passed on as a family heirloom for the summit pack rat family, the story speaks to the complicated strategies still needed to complete these long Cascade alpine rock routes. We planned to sleep on the summit, so all good there, but it was much debated how to best plan the climb.
Considerations were pack weight, start times, amount of food taken, carry over or do it in a day- lots of tactical decisions to be made. At the end of the day we were guided by an old adage from Yvon Chouinard that says, “if you take bivi gear along, you will bivi.” The next challenge then became what to take and how to go as light, but safely as possible- and to consider where to stash your valuables if you do bivi!
![Mount Stuart and the north ridge with Mountain Madness](https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/14289276209_3c24ba05d1_k.f1711125383.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.4929&fp-y=0.4551&h=864&q=80&w=2200&s=0259fff7649ea0e683287f84265f29d4 2200w 864h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/14289276209_3c24ba05d1_k.f1711125383.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.4929&fp-y=0.4551&h=786&q=80&w=2000&s=b53fb699f9da8adf7f5ef7da15a13e4d 2000w 786h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/14289276209_3c24ba05d1_k.f1711125383.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.4929&fp-y=0.4551&h=707&q=80&w=1800&s=edd430ddae9ad8b2818bceb2e3410af2 1800w 707h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/14289276209_3c24ba05d1_k.f1711125383.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.4929&fp-y=0.4551&h=629&q=80&w=1600&s=ca08b440288f799463e3ff8276fdc8fd 1600w 629h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/14289276209_3c24ba05d1_k.f1711125383.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.4929&fp-y=0.4551&h=550&q=80&w=1400&s=e9d6a5523a95f9afaee51a8da2ad3f50 1400w 550h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/14289276209_3c24ba05d1_k.f1711125383.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.4929&fp-y=0.4551&h=471&q=80&w=1200&s=25817058fdea5d7e25d82fd844b34995 1200w 471h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/14289276209_3c24ba05d1_k.f1711125383.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.4929&fp-y=0.4551&h=393&q=80&w=1000&s=fc0be8a8909a16324d01b78470d9e261 1000w 393h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/14289276209_3c24ba05d1_k.f1711125383.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.4929&fp-y=0.4551&h=314&q=80&w=800&s=c150021e3ca9309688fc96d38b8e75dc 800w 314h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/14289276209_3c24ba05d1_k.f1711125383.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.4929&fp-y=0.4551&h=236&q=80&w=600&s=86113b3933b8c0180a84d6437c8d1f04 600w 236h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/14289276209_3c24ba05d1_k.f1711125383.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.4929&fp-y=0.4551&h=157&q=80&w=400&s=5dbbbe3774d203513a7eeed42dd2a66f 400w 157h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/14289276209_3c24ba05d1_k.f1711125383.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.4929&fp-y=0.4551&h=79&q=80&w=200&s=b49d0abb82e4f9484f28e13aa198e7b5 200w 79h)
Things these days are the same decades ago, the same questions asked. MM guide Alan Rousseau and guest Scot B. come up with their own strategy recently for a training climb on Mount Stuart for a future ascent of Mount Kenya. Here’s Alan’s summary of their recent adventure:
“It had been a few years since I climbed with Scot in the Alps. We had a couple very productive trips in Europe climbing Mont Blanc, Monte Rosa, the Matterhorn and a few other alps classics. When he expressed an interest in climbing Mount Kenya in summer of 2022, I suggested we do a ‘litmus test’ climb of Mount Stuart. The north ridge of Stuart has a very similar length and difficulty to our planned route on Mount Kenya. Per usual Scot was game and made the trip up to Washington.
Stuart is the crown jewel of the central Cascades and has a few exceptional routes on immaculate granite. Over three days Scot and I climbed the North ridge of the mountain which entails over 20 pitches of rock up to 5.9 difficulty. The first day was spent climbing into our bivi on the North ridge notch. With some comfortable bivi sites and nice exposure we went to sleep just below the first pitch of the ridge proper.
![Stu DSC00268](https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/stuDSC00268.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1826&q=80&w=2200&s=c24098c4c18277de204acde54bacee5d 2200w 1826h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/stuDSC00268.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1660&q=80&w=2000&s=9b45d8e68c3a1f48a5dd0112f092458f 2000w 1660h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/stuDSC00268.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1494&q=80&w=1800&s=aca0ea560a630d5e01550f056686ef55 1800w 1494h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/stuDSC00268.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1328&q=80&w=1600&s=229149188a47f9c00053eae6e9844245 1600w 1328h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/stuDSC00268.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1162&q=80&w=1400&s=a013815e8e77484cef9a002c67614d16 1400w 1162h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/stuDSC00268.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=996&q=80&w=1200&s=a900f7a8b8f68da0f188614a93a7ad51 1200w 996h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/stuDSC00268.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=830&q=80&w=1000&s=d5d948ad07782a5a6e93a01b7806eb6c 1000w 830h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/stuDSC00268.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=664&q=80&w=800&s=f271fc3e82569466ac17355e0a63752f 800w 664h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/stuDSC00268.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=498&q=80&w=600&s=3dea26721fc816e15dc5797457ecb4c3 600w 498h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/stuDSC00268.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=332&q=80&w=400&s=0e91e23fcc5cfb2696015fabb96776ae 400w 332h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/stuDSC00268.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=166&q=80&w=200&s=3845c0ff54a98abd3ce3b78978827ec3 200w 166h)
After an early wake up we got climbing and pitch by pitch fell below us as we progressed up the route. Moving fast and efficiently up a long alpine route is always a great feeling. By mid-morning we were over half-way thru the pitches and into the harder climbing. I hauled packs thru the 5.9 gendarme pitches, to make the tougher movement more enjoyable. Once those pitches are completed you know the route is in the bag, as only a handful of easier pitches lead to the summit.
We relaxed on the summit for a bit in perfect calm weather before starting the long descent down to Ingalls Creek. It was great to complete another big route with Scot and the trip increased both of our confidence levels regarding a future climb of Mount Kenya, one of the world’s most classic alpine rock routes at over 17,00-feet!”
![Gendarme pitches on Mount Stuart North Ridge](https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fgeneral-images%2FstuDSC00271.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=300&s=91a4267a134b637df3005eed43a1f4e2 300w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fgeneral-images%2FstuDSC00271.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=500&s=8b2c00ea3a91204ec8f31be1248f77f8 500w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fgeneral-images%2FstuDSC00271.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=700&s=11d9138628fe54aa8624178d0a29cc9f 700w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fgeneral-images%2FstuDSC00271.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=800&s=6f5f85cd9a126ad8cdaa8c6dfbdf9f82 800w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fgeneral-images%2FstuDSC00271.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1000&s=e5f2f0132aada1b30823d7809b156ab6 1000w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fgeneral-images%2FstuDSC00271.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1200&s=4d3dcf915e59efca0ad2e0407a423036 1080w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fgeneral-images%2FstuDSC00271.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1400&s=f0c5297f131d5906d9422444590a8a59 1080w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fgeneral-images%2FstuDSC00271.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1600&s=c8d14a55754c9e8b03422a2fd5519a1e 1080w)
Alpine rock climbs like this combine it all; endurance, technical skills required, and a sense of adventure needed on the longer routes. But, options exist for first-timers looking to put their rock skills to use in the mountains, or those like Scot that are pushing forward to bigger goals like Mount Kenya or just getting comfortable on complex terrain and applying that to climbs like Ama Dablam. Below are some photos and links to some of the classic routes to do “in the alpine.”
Oh, if you see a pack rat with eyeglasses on the summit of Stuart, it’s all good, I need a pair of reading glasses now, so they can pass along my glasses to the generations ahead.
15 Classic Cascades Alpine Rock Climbs- check them out HERE
![Ingalls Peak with Mountain Madness](https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fgeneral-images%2Fingalls_2021-07-16-174334.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=300&s=1ca10a3a09ede06241a3a983397a0cd6 300w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fgeneral-images%2Fingalls_2021-07-16-174334.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=500&s=716346b8087bc932f87b70c3db624ea0 500w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fgeneral-images%2Fingalls_2021-07-16-174334.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=700&s=5d8528a05b5ad22a0ef6db50c2ed3233 700w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fgeneral-images%2Fingalls_2021-07-16-174334.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=800&s=9007e8d82135b0c332a7340f2296928f 800w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fgeneral-images%2Fingalls_2021-07-16-174334.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1000&s=445032ddc3b981c9b7eff68040c54d04 984w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fgeneral-images%2Fingalls_2021-07-16-174334.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1200&s=9178411eb3b50b217999f14be8fc8d9e 984w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fgeneral-images%2Fingalls_2021-07-16-174334.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1400&s=0826bf8fa426823f3e564106e414c041 984w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fgeneral-images%2Fingalls_2021-07-16-174334.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1600&s=aeb67ae594242034851cf700f02ee6d8 984w)