This was a full scale fun solo scramble up a not-so-common route of Cannon. Proabably one of my favorites to date actually.
Slept at the TH in my truck the night before to get an early start. However, it’s impossoble to sleep there these days with all of the of thru hikers and climbers starting at ALL hours of the wee morning. Apparently, it’s impossible to monitor how loud you are when you’re fully psyched.
Hit the trail at 6:03 am after taking note of the FS sign stating that as of 9/3/19 parking outside of the parking lot will no longer be alllwed (aka, no longer allowing any parking along the road)! This is huge! Finally, although a round about way to do it, they’re enforcing day use limitations!
At 6:33 I went off trail near the first large footbridge and headed uphill toward a large boulder field. After the boulder field was a short, steep gravely scramble and then on to another bolderfield. At this point, I hugged the stream until I made it to the first basin and then headed NE straight uphill toward the ridge to gain the NW ridge of Cannon. The ridge was several hundred feet of legit scrambling - super fun!
I reached the summit at 10:54 am which was well within my target time but slower than I could have been if I hadn’t spent so much time route finding. The short boulder summit block was a fun treat. I couldn’t find a registry so I’m not sure if it’s gone or if it‘s tucked away somewhere that I couldnt find. After sitting down for a snack I headed down through the Druid Plateau toward Prusik Pass. The scramble on the Druid side is super short and relatively uninteresting. I would have been pretty disappointed if that was the way I ascended.
After winding my way through the Core Zone I stopped to make some cold coffee and take some pictures. Wow, this area is amazingly beautiful. I never get sick of the views or the goats.
Aasgard Pass is always something I’d rather not do but it’s a part of the deal. I motored my way around Colchuck lake and down the path. I was pleasantly surprised that the trail actually went by faster than I anticipated (which is rare). I stopped to take a photo when there was finally a break in the trees to see part of my ascent route. It was pretty cool to be able to view it after being on it.
I made it back to the trailhead by 4:47 pm for a 10:45 c2c trip. Definitely could have shaved off some time if I didn’t triple guess my ascent route or linger to drink coffee and take photos. However, I don’t enjoy getting lost and coffee in the mountains is the best.
@wolfeonthehill
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