A weekend backpack in the Frank Church Wilderness takes us up Langer Peak and Roughneck Peak.
- June 17-18, 2006
- Team: Julie and Jasmine
- Summits:
- Langer Peak 9315', ~ 1:15 hours to climb, 1 to descend
- Roughneck Peak 9419', ~ 2 hours to climb, 1 to descend
Note: click images to see a larger version in a new window
We left town right at 7am, arriving at the Langer monument at about 9:45. It was already warm, and there were a few mosquitoes. We grabbed our packs and quickly climbed up into the flatter burn area. |
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Shortly after, we hit snow at just less than 8000'. It was still fairly firm, but with lots of ups and downs as we crossed the drifts. Fortunately, this kept us out of the many water rivulets. |
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Then we danced! Actually, at the two creek crossing right below the lake, the logs were small and wet, so Dad helped Jasmine keep her balance. The water wasn't deep, but if you slipped off it would have filled your boot. |
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Then we were at Langer Lake with a great view of Roughneck Peak. Note the snow in the lake. The route for tomorrow follows a trail to the saddle on the left, then switchbacks through trees on the other, hidden side. The lookout is on the extreme rightmost part of the mountain. |
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But Roughneck Peak was for tomorrow- first, Julie and I climbed Langer Peak by the route shown. The lake on the right is Langer Lake. |
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After a steep, gravel and talus gully, we got to enjoy this snowy ridge to the top. |
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| The next morning, we got moving about 9am on our climb of Roughneck. This is when, after bushwhacking through the snow drifts, we finally found the trail. From here on, it was easy to follow. |  |
But before we got there, we had lots of wonderful views. This is Roughneck Lake (or we think- as I understand it, the map has the names switched for Roughneck and Island Lake). At this point, we were moving pretty well, although there was too much snow in the trees near the summit so we simply followed the ridge. |
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And then we were at the lookout. From the lookout, it's a steep drop down the north face. This looks like a fun snow climb, but at 45 degrees or more near the top, would require a rope for the grlz. Note the porch railing at the bottom of the picture- not quite sturdy enough to belay from. |
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Jasmine did her best to look normal for our summit shot. |
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