wet and wild Wauna to Wauclella wanderings

[Chip Down]

I've been wanting to explore some of the rugged terrain west of the conventional Wauna Viewpoint to Wauna Point route. I was motivated to schedule it for Sunday after reading a TR for the Wauna Viewpoint hike: "The first mile is passable, but after that there is nothing but steep sloped snowpack, ice, and, at the top near the final 3 switchbacks, a large landslide. We were forced to crawl up the landslide which I wouldnt recommend without proper gear." Sounds fun!

At the Eagle Creek exit from I-84 I noticed debris piled up against the guardrail. Damn, is it possible the reported slide made it all the way to the highway?! Oh, this should be fun. But it was dark, so I'd have to wait and see what developed.

I started out under a steady drizzle, taking the 400 trail westbound, which I've never done. The drizzle soon turned to wet snow, then rain, then snow, and as I got higher the snow started sticking. I was pleased. As I got close to the viewpoint, I realized the reported slide was the old one, not something new. Disappointment. At the viewpoint, I scrapped my plans to explore higher. Poor visibility, falling snow...no, this is not the day to explore steep rocky unknown terrain. I spent a long time at the obelisk, just soaking in the scenery. It was cold, so I put on another fleece shirt and got moving.

Long story short, I explored every nook and cranny between Wauna and Wauclella. Tied in a few spots I'd been before, figuring out how stuff fits together, and discovered a few hidden trails I wasn't quite sure about before. Walked road 777 for a ways, not even realizing where I was. Now realize it was the same road I drove up one night when the gate at the bottom was mysteriously open. That night, in the dark, I didn't even recognize where I was. This is like trying to explain a dream that blew your mind, but you try to put it in words and it falls flat. Anyway, just a super fun day exploring. Ended up at Wauclella and then took 400 trail back east. It turned and went west for a while, and I started getting nervous, but it eventually went east again, and when I hit the big-ass powerlines cutting south from Bonneville I knew for sure exactly where I was.

After hours of snow, the sun was out, and the scenery was stunning. I was getting tired, and my feet were wet, and I was weary of being cold, and I had hiked the day before as well, so I was at the point where I wanted to go home. It was an easy walk back to the old wagon road (now a trail) and down the concrete stairway to the Eagle Creek exit. Earlier, when it had been snowing for hours, I was a little worried about the drive home, but as I expected it was bare pavement when I got back down to Eagle Creek TH.

I had one last thing to do: investigate the landslide I saw in the dark. Bah, what a disappointment, just a little slide off the hillside, nothing to investigate. It's okay though, the rumor of a slide was what motivated me to go out on a day that could have been nothing but rain, so I guess I should be grateful for the member who posted of a big slide up at the viewpoint. And yeah, someday I still want to go back and explore the rugged terrain west of the conventional Wauna Viewpoint to Wauna Point route.

[Chip Down]

a few more pics

[Bosterson]

Random bonus pic from the amazing drive home with fresh snow...bonus points if you can ID this scene

L-R: Yeon, Katani, St. Peter's Dome. ROA point is cut out of the frame to the right.

[Chip Down]

Well done, Bosterson. Of course, you know I've had my eye on that area. I spotted a few good opportunities, but they're dependent on snow conditions, so don't know if I'll get to them in time.

[Bosterson]

Having gone up 3 out of the 4 of those, if you're planning to go up there in current snow conditions, you might consider filing a flight plan with Lurch first in case they need to SAR you out. The Nesmith/Yeon complex is the most rugged part of the Gorge, bar none. Getting to the St. Pete's saddle from the frontage road back in January (as a "consolation" prize after going deeper into that area proved too dangerous!) was still extremely difficult and somewhat dangerous, and that was back when the snow level was lower and less frozen and consolidated. I think the snow conditions have gotten substantially more brutal since then. To get up anything right now in there more than flat forest or a creek drainage (assuming it's not snowed in!), you'd need crampons, an axe, and probably a belay.

[Lurch]

We'll just wait until the spring thaw to get him out

[Chip Down]

you'd need crampons, an axe, and probably a belay.

I wanted to print this out, highlight the sentence above, and ask the REI guy if he could tell me what this stuff is.
Lately I've been carrying two axes, crampons, and rope, on any hike where I might need them. I've thought about adding a picket and/or screw, but that's probably just getting ridiculous. Of course, I realize that when snow conditions suck, you just have to back out. In great conditions though, I'd much rather trust snow than whatever crumbly junk is under it. Anyway, as much as I'm loving this snowy/icy winter, it is frustrating that a particular route can vary so much from week to week. I'm somewhat looking forward to the relative predictability of bare ground.

Oh, and Lurch, watch for my PM listing the provisions I'd like dropped to wherever I'll be waiting for the thaw.