Trip
Alpine Scramble - Bean Peak
We won't be doing the regular trip to Bean peak up the Bean Creek trail and on up through the upper Bean Basin (the cranky Mounty computer wouldn't let me change the route description): instead, we'll be continuing up the Beverly Trail from the usual trailhead (Experience Field Trip) and ascending a scree field and then a rock couloir onto the south spur of Judi Peak, traversing the ridge over to Mary's Peak, and then continuing on the spine of the ridge on outstanding and sustained T5 rock toward Bean Peak (which we may or may not summit, not the point!) -- you saw people playing on this ridge while at the field trip: you know you wanna!
Contacts
- Sat, Jul 15, 2017
- Seattle Alpine Scrambling
- Scrambling
- 20-30 Somethings, Adults, Singles, Retired Rovers
- Challenging
- Mileage: 9.0 mi
- Elevation Gain: 3,800 ft
- FULL (6 capacity)
- FULL (2 capacity)
- Cancellation & Refund Policy
I will be car-camping at or near Beverly Creek CG on the North Fork Teanaway Rd. starting Friday for this Saturday July 15 scramble. Meeting time will be at the Beverly-Bean TH (same TH as for the Experience Field Trip) at 8:00 am Saturday morning. Prior night car camp suggested but not required. It's two-2.5 hours to the TH in good traffic from Puget Sound, mostly on well-maintained freeway, state highway, or county paved road, but the last four-five miles is on Forest Service dirt track, usually pretty well-maintained at this time of year but with some inevitable potholes and washboard -- should be easily accessible by regular street vehicle, but do allow adequate time for the dirt part and do watch out for Open Range events: stray cows, deer, elk...
The computer may not have allowed me to adjust the ratings: probably a moderately-strenuous trip (3/4) but definitely a technical 5, though on super-good rock.
This is a superb rock scramble, one of the most sustained high-end rock scrambles we run, but on such outstanding, grippy, generally firm rock, replete with cracks, hand and foot-holds, that the exposure and difficulty tends to drop out of your mind due to the sheer exhilaration of the climbing.
There is some loose scree at the beginning, but we will practice ways to deal with avoidance/management of loose rock. As we approach the actual south ridge of Judi (named for one of our former leaders and committee members and that's the way she spells it, whatever the Mounty computer says), the rock firms up and the real play begins.
The true objective here is the superb ridge-running, especially between the top of Mary's peak and the summit of Bean. We may not get all the way to the summit of Bean (but that's not the point). We'll take our time along this fabled scramble traverse, help each other out, spot for each other, and generally get our kicks!
We'll then head out down through the Bean Basin and out the Bean Creek trail back to the cars. The creek crossings are no longer an issue!
Required Equipment
- The Ten Essentials
- Helmet
- Mountaineering Boots
- Ice Axe
- Down-climbing gear: locking 'biner, cord loop, harness or sling harness