seeking some solitude on a sweltering Mt Nurma

Discussions and Trip Reports for off-trail adventures and rediscovering lost trails
User avatar
Chip Down
Posts: 3037
Joined: November 8th, 2014, 8:41 pm

seeking some solitude on a sweltering Mt Nurma

Post by Chip Down » May 23rd, 2017, 5:02 am

Last year, on a March weekday, I made my first trip to "the hike that dare not speak its name". It was painfully crowded. I wrote "I can't imagine being here on a weekend in May." Well, now I know just how bad it can be. Loud music, garbage all along the trail (including TP and feminine products), yelling, lengthy posing for photos, long waits at the bottleneck. Ugh. What a zoo.

So yeah, this cat is so totally out of the bag, I might as well just come right out and say it: "the hike that dare not speak its name" is Mount Nurma. Here's my Mt Nurma story of Sunday 5/21.

Overslept, which was really unfortunate considering it was the hottest day of the year so far. Parked at the "top secret" trailhead, and made it to the junction at 6:40. A sweaty dirty guy was just arriving from his descent, and was headed off to Indian Point next. Beast! On the way up, I encountered the other two I was told were descending, and they confirmed it was all mine. But at the top of the slot I heard voices below, and then I saw them. I would have pulled the rope up to slow them, but there was no rope today. I would have thrown rocks at them, but you know, karma and all that. I dashed the rest of the way to the viewpoint and enjoyed a bit of solitude for a few minutes. In all seriousness though, I don't begrudge their presence. They were nice and friendly, well behaved, and had every right to be there. It wasn't their fault I overslept and then dawdled up the trail, taking a leisurely 1:40 stroll to reach that point.

I had originally planned on looking for a different ascent route, perhaps from the creek canyon to the east or the one to the west, but because of the heat and late start I had decided to just tag the summit and then continue south, to some interesting cliffs and spur ridges and spines to the west of the main south ridge. They were hard to find, as they didn't really connect well with the main south ridge of Mt Nurma, and they were hard to spot through the trees. Therefore, my strategy was to keep going south on the ridge until it seemed pointless to continue, and then explore any remote possibility as I returned northbound. My turnaround point was the obvious step at 2300'. If you've gone up that ridge, you probably recall the first spot where you mutter "how the heck am I going to get past that". On my previous trip, I made a slight effort to explore western spurs above that step, so I saw no point in continuing.

On the way back down the south ridge, one of my side trips to the west paid off, but it was a meager success. Down to a mossy landing that I spotted from the main ridgecest, bypass to the side and down a little more, to a hanging-meadow viewpoint.

By the time I returned to the bare treeless part of Nurma's south ridge, I realized nothing else down to the west looked worthwhile, so I tagged the top of "the fin", skirted the summit, and waited in line behind wobbly timid hikers descending the slope that leads to the slot. They seemed so unsure of themselves, I wondered how they could possibly get down the slot, but they all did, miraculously. It's a wonder people don't get hurt or stranded there every weekend. I think I saw a total of two or three people who seemed capable, confident, prepared.

From the bottom of the slot, I traversed east, in search of Mt Nurma's "other" ridge, the one without a trail. It was worse than I expected: steep and brushy. A decent game trail made it tolerable. When I reached the ridge, I found it refreshingly clear and open. I dropped a few feet, bypassed a steep step, then explored three branches. One ended at a semi open dropoff with decent views, one just faded into nothing before plunging off the northern cliffs, and one quickly disappeared into a broad steep brushy slope. My fear had been that the ridge would descend steeper and steeper, increasingly brushy, until I gave up in exasperation. What I found was modestly satisfying. When I returned to the point where I had first met the ridge, I continued up towards the flip-flop zone. Was never able to connect up with where I'd been at the top of this ridge earlier. The last twenty yards or so were so steep, so exposed, and the rock was junk, a fin of stones cemented together by dirt and moss. It wasn't worth it. I repeated my traverse back to the bottom of the slot, but a bit higher this time, mostly following another parallel game trail.

At the bottom of the slot again, I started following the trail down, but foolishly turned for one last look at Mt Nurma. I spotted a rock window! On a shaded wall, to the right/south of the slot, there was a crisp-edged light opening, with moss/grass visible through it! I wondered how it was possible I had never heard of this. I went to investigate. Turns out it was a big rock that projected out from the wall, allowing it to capture the sun when its surroundings were all shade. It had sharp edges, and presented a planar face to viewers on the trail. A splash of lichen or moss was what I interpreted as moss and grass viewed through the portal. What a fascinating illusion. Well, at that point I figured I might as well keep exploring, so I kept curving up and around until I was on slopes that took me to the main summit ridge of Mt Nurma. I continued up to the ridge, and then got in line for my second slot descent of the day. From there it was uneventful, just followed the trail down. Lots of questions, in the form of "which way do we go" and "are we almost there". The last one was on the first steep section, maybe 10 minutes above I84, when I was asked "are we close"?

In spite of the heat and crowds and meager rewards, it was a decent trip. Definitely put to rest any thought of looking for an alternate route up there. I know it can be done, but I didn't spot the top of any route that looked worthwhile.
Attachments
20170521_112821.jpg
My first wildlife encounter of the day. This was neat. Never been this close to one. Right place, right time.
20170522_192031.jpg
The second wildlife encounter was not nearly as fun.
20170521_064142.jpg
At the base of the trail. I flipped it over. I also obliterated similar markings along the way.
20170521_094339.jpg
Ha! Some of you may recognize this from previous reports on Mt Nurma.
20170521_165921.jpg
A few months ago, one of these was stolen from my car on a cold day of exploring frozen waterfalls. Found a replacement, and enjoyed it on the hottest day of the year so far.
20170521_131946.jpg
The lowest point I reached on the trail-less ridge of Mt Nurma. To the right/east is the middle branch and a similar view off a cliffband.
20170521_132710.jpg
lost and found
20170521_154216.jpg
NurmaMap.jpg
The south ridge of Mt Nurma. Black line indicates turnaround point. Just above the top edge is the flip-flop zone that I cropped out.
NurmaSouthwest.jpg
That mossy spine at lower left was on my to-do list. Up close, it looked disappointing. Effort to reward ratio didn't look right. It's just nice garnish for the scenery. Maybe I should have checked it out anyway, but no major regrets. The next viewpoint up has to be the hanging meadow I described. That one was worth the effort, but barely.

Webfoot
Posts: 1759
Joined: November 25th, 2015, 11:06 am
Location: Troutdale

Re: seeking some solitude on a sweltering Mt Nurma

Post by Webfoot » May 23rd, 2017, 5:45 am

Chip Down wrote:So yeah, this cat is so totally out of the bag, I might as well just come right out and say it: "the hike that dare not speak its name" is Mount Nurma.
Feint within feint? :lol:
It's a wonder people don't get hurt or stranded there every weekend. I think I saw a total of two or three people who seemed capable, confident, prepared.
Sadly some of us are neither capable not confident, no matter how much we prepare. :| I'm sure you would describe me as a "wobbly timid hiker" despite my best effort to be otherwise.

User avatar
Bosterson
Posts: 2317
Joined: May 18th, 2009, 3:17 pm
Location: Portland

Re: seeking some solitude on a sweltering Mt Nurma

Post by Bosterson » May 23rd, 2017, 10:02 am

Sadly, there is never solitude to be found at #Nurmapoint, even at the crack of dawn on a hot morning. :|

I haven't been up there in a couple of years or so (the last time was in the dark, and the time before was a frustrating introduction to all the new frail bail trails): are there now graffiti'd rocks as trail markers everywhere? Maybe they can just install a Perdition-style staircase up there...

Let's recap your northerly explorations: after the business on the south ridge, you descended the chimney, then turned right (east) at the bottom and traversed under the cliff (I've been meaning to do that but never go up there anymore) until you found some sort of "spine" running down towards the river? Then traversed west back to the bottom of the chimney and got suckered around the west side of the cliff by the fake rock window, then found a route of ascent back up onto the top via the west side that skips the chimney entirely?

I think you carry a GPS, right? Did you take a track? If so, do you see that you make it all the way to the N/NE corner when you were traversing east from the chimney? I've come up from the bottom on that side; the upper part above the climbing is a broad forest slope that leads up to a glorious rock ridge that takes you up top to meet the other ridge (up from the chimney) at the summit block. Been meaning to go explore that area again but I always seem to end up in Nesmith these days when I want to go explore chossy areas.

Also:
Image
Where did you find this? It looks new. (It's also a very silly anchor, but I digress...) Is the cord on the left just some cord (it looks like 6 mil), or is it a full length rope of some kind? You should hang onto those locking Spirits, they're snazzy and expensive biners.
Image
Is this on your northside exploration, or just that viewpoint low on the ridge trail before you hit the switchbacks?
#pnw #bestlife #bitingflies #favoriteyellowcap #neverdispleased

User avatar
Chip Down
Posts: 3037
Joined: November 8th, 2014, 8:41 pm

Re: seeking some solitude on a sweltering Mt Nurma

Post by Chip Down » May 23rd, 2017, 5:31 pm

Webfoot wrote: Feint within feint? :lol:
Like that, do ya? ;)
Webfoot wrote: Sadly some of us are neither capable not confident, no matter how much we prepare. :| I'm sure you would describe me as a "wobbly timid hiker" despite my best effort to be otherwise.
I have days like that, where I'm inexplicably timid and unsure of my abilities. :|

User avatar
Chip Down
Posts: 3037
Joined: November 8th, 2014, 8:41 pm

Re: seeking some solitude on a sweltering Mt Nurma

Post by Chip Down » May 23rd, 2017, 5:56 pm

Always a pleasure to get the full Bosterson treatment.

Seems to be more frail bail trails than before. More than one person asked me, at a junction, which way was easier.

A total of three marked rocks (zero when I finished). No flagging.

By a perdition-style staircase, you mean one that's jumbled and tipped over in a useless manner? At great taxpayer expense?

Yes, your summary of my non-southerly exploring was correct. A slight clarification though: after traversing east under the cliffs, I encountered a broad-but-distinct ridge which was essentially brush-free. And yes, it was definitely the NE ridge. At that elevation, it's a very distinct ridge, and after my lower exploration I backtracked and went higher, almost all the way to the top, until a combination of exposure and loose rock scared me off.

Because Multnomah Falls parking lot was closed, and because I was using the "top secret" Mt Nurma trailhead, I pulled over at exit 35 to change and get my pack stituated. It was tempting to just stay there and explore the Nesmith area, but I don't think that's the best place for extemporaneous exploration.

Yeah, what's up with that everything-but-the-kitchen-sink setup? Black webbing at upper right was tied to a tree; blue-water green sling looped on it and also knotted; blue-water red sling looped to the blue-water green sling; blue-water red sling clipped into a pair of biners; biners clipped to an elaborately-knotted length of rope (not 6mm cord, must have been at least 8 or 9) which was tied to another tree (this sentence proudly sponsored by Blue Water). And yeah, I did snag the biners. Felt slightly guilty, but heck, nobody's going back for them, right? Amazed you could identify them as Spirits.

Pic below answers a couple other questions. yellow x marks the anchor; the VP pic was taken just a bit west.

Oh, forgot: Yeah, I sometimes carry a GPS, but really just use it as a big heavy expensive PITA altimeter. So no, no track.
Attachments
protection.jpg

Webfoot
Posts: 1759
Joined: November 25th, 2015, 11:06 am
Location: Troutdale

Re: seeking some solitude on a sweltering Mt Nurma

Post by Webfoot » May 24th, 2017, 4:01 am

Chip Down wrote:Yeah, what's up with that everything-but-the-kitchen-sink setup? Black webbing at upper right was tied to a tree; blue-water green sling looped on it and also knotted; blue-water red sling looped to the blue-water green sling; blue-water red sling clipped into a pair of biners; biners clipped to an elaborately-knotted length of rope (not 6mm cord, must have been at least 8 or 9) which was tied to another tree (this sentence proudly sponsored by Blue Water). And yeah, I did snag the biners. Felt slightly guilty, but heck, nobody's going back for them, right? Amazed you could identify them as Spirits.
I feel uneasy about you collecting these. Where exactly was this and how can you be absolutely certain that this gear was abandoned? Maybe some wobbly timid hiker needed the protection?

User avatar
Chip Down
Posts: 3037
Joined: November 8th, 2014, 8:41 pm

Re: seeking some solitude on a sweltering Mt Nurma

Post by Chip Down » May 24th, 2017, 4:44 am

Webfoot wrote:I feel uneasy about you collecting these. Where exactly was this and how can you be absolutely certain that this gear was abandoned? Maybe some wobbly timid hiker needed the protection?
The whole setup must have been intended as a rappel anchor. Without a rope, none of that could serve any purpose. Clearly somebody rappelled down the cliff, pulled their rope down at the bottom, and abandoned the gear. I understand your concerns though. I cringe reading posts like "there's no need for a rope in that chimney, so I took it down".

pcg
Posts: 372
Joined: May 31st, 2011, 7:46 pm
Location: Chehalem Mountain

Re: seeking some solitude on a sweltering Mt Nurma

Post by pcg » May 24th, 2017, 8:11 am

I agree that looks like a crappy rappel anchor and should be removed. Thank you for doing so. If you need to sling a rock or tree to rap off of then use a tag line or the end of your rope to retrieve it when done.
Chip Down wrote:I cringe reading posts like "there's no need for a rope in that chimney, so I took it down".
Abandoned ropes should be removed not because there is no need for them, but because they are litter. If someone needs a rope for security, they should bring one, use it, and take it home with them.

Webfoot
Posts: 1759
Joined: November 25th, 2015, 11:06 am
Location: Troutdale

Re: seeking some solitude on a sweltering Mt Nurma

Post by Webfoot » May 24th, 2017, 8:23 am

pcg wrote:Abandoned ropes should be removed not because there is no need for them, but because they are litter. If someone needs a rope for security, they should bring one, use it, and take it home with them.
What if I anchor a single strand of rope, abseil it, and intend to return later in the day and jug back up my rope? Are you going to steal my rope and leave me stranded?

pcg
Posts: 372
Joined: May 31st, 2011, 7:46 pm
Location: Chehalem Mountain

Re: seeking some solitude on a sweltering Mt Nurma

Post by pcg » May 24th, 2017, 8:38 am

Webfoot wrote:
pcg wrote:Abandoned ropes should be removed not because there is no need for them, but because they are litter. If someone needs a rope for security, they should bring one, use it, and take it home with them.
What if I anchor a single strand of rope, abseil it, and intend to return later in the day and jug back up my rope? Are you going to steal my rope and leave me stranded?
I hope not, and I would be very diligent about ensuring that it was, indeed, abandoned. If it is not obviously abandoned then it shouldn't be removed. The rappel anchor was obviously abandoned. A rope that has been around a few days on Munra Point is obviously abandoned.

Again, if someone wants to install a fixed line for their friends, that's great. Just don't take it upon yourself to set permanent climbing aids for the general public. That is the issue here. Permanent cables/handrails/ladders/ropes should only be installed by appropriate agencies such as USFS and NPS who have policies in place for determining when and where they should be placed, and when and how they should be routinely inspected to insure their integrity. And, for what it's worth, no agency in North America ever installs permanent ropes anywhere because it is too difficult to ensure their integrity and they quickly break down in UV. They install steel cables, inspect them regularly, and take them down if they are encouraging too many unprepared people to go where they should not (i.e. the NPS removed cable on north face of Longs Peak for that reason).
Last edited by pcg on May 24th, 2017, 9:02 am, edited 1 time in total.

Post Reply