Ascent of Bornite Mountain on 2016-06-05Date: | Sunday, June 5, 2016 | Ascent Type: | Successful Summit Attained | Peak: | Bornite Mountain | Location: | USA-Washington | Elevation: | 3920 ft / 1194 m |
Ascent Trip ReportWe severely underestimated this one, which turned out to be an 8 hour bushwhack for us. Part of it was due to poor planning on our part, but the Summitpost description really downplays the amount of brush you can expect to encounter -- Maybe the author did this earlier in the season. Road is now blocked by blowdowns shortly after eight mile trailhead so expect to walk another mile+ to the trailhead mentioned in the route description. There is a lot of devil's club this year. We stuck to the ridge as described but woods were still heavily brushy, and the route we took up involved class 2-3 scrambling before we even got to the summit ridge. Straying off the ridge is borderline impassable at this time of year (early June). We descended via the rock field to the west and wished we hadn't -- more devil's club, thorn bushes and thickets that are extremely difficult to penetrate. A machete would not have been unwelcome.
Plus: the summit ridge was a beautiful and fun scramble. Great views of the surrounding mountains. Minus: temps hit 93 degrees by the time we reached the summit, which made for a miserable descent. On a hot day, either bring extra water or don't attempt this one -- no water after the river crossing when you're heading up and little shade on e summit ridge.
Lots of fresh bear sign on the way down as well, so be aware. |
Summary Total Data | Route Conditions: | Road Hike, Bushwhack, Scramble, Exposed Scramble | Gear Used: | Ski Poles |
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