| Standard South route Route |
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| Standard South route   | 
| Page Type: Route Location: Washington, United States, North America Lat/Lon: 47.81640°N / 121.4461°W Route Type: scramble Time Required: Most of a day Difficulty: Class 3
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| Page By: don frazier Created/Edited: Aug 15, 2002 / Aug 15, 2002 Object ID: 156828 Hits: 833 Loading... Page Score: 0% - 0 Votes Loading... Vote: Log in to vote |
Approach
From the town of Baring on US Hwy 2 turn North on forest road 6024 and follow it approx 4 mi to a spur road on the left. Turn left on this narrow road and go several hundred feet to it`s end and park. This road is just before the Barclay Lake TH so if you reach the TH turn around and it will be the first spur on your right.
Route Description
From the end of the spur road find a faint path heading East into the woods,DO NOT FOLLOW THE ABANDONED ROAD. The little path winds through the woods and comes out at a log jamb in Barclay creek. On the other side of Barclay Cr there seems to be red blazes and paths leading in every direction, don`t follow them because they all quickly fade out. Instead head in a NE direction until reaching a stream that decends from the slopes of Gunn. Follow this stream up on it`s W side for around 5 min until reaching an overgrown abandoned road that goes E to W. Follow this road W for around 3 -5 min and look for a path heading N from the road. On my visit it was marked by a alder tree with a red blaze and a long strip of bark missing from the trunk. After a 1/4 mile or so the overgrown trail seems to end in an opening, find the route on the N side beyond a jumble of downed logs and stumps. From here the route is easy to follow up the steep forested hillside. For the first 300- 500 ft it is somewhat brushy then enters open forest for the next 1,100 ft, where the trail is sometimes hard to see under the mess of twigs and branches. At around 3,800 - 3,900 ft reach the base of a prominent rock / cliffs. From here skirt the base of the cliffs easterly, gently rising, then dropping slightly into a ravine at the base of 2 very scenic waterfalls. Cross the stream and head up on it`s east side. After around 300 ft reach the base of more cliffs and traverse easterly into the beautiful open basin where the mighty north fface of Baring dominates the scene. The basin is very picturesque with waterfalls coming down the cliffs everywhere and silver snags littered throughout. Aim for the low saddle to the left of the large pointed peak at the east side of the basin. From the saddle at 5,400 ft drop into the basin on the N side and make a north westerly traverse to the saddle ( 5,400 ft ) S of Gunn. This is also the saddle where on e would drop down to reach Gunn Lake. Climb the steep Couloir ( usually snow ) and when the going gets steep start going to the right. From here follow a ledge system heading E then N to the summit.
Essential Gear
Ice axe is needed for the steep couloir and crampons would be advisable, just in case. Plenty of water is available on the route. I would recommend leather gloves, clear safety glasses, long sleeve shirt and pants ( possibly jeans ) for the brushy area down low. Once in the open forest you can always change and stash them off the trail for pick up and change on the way down.
Miscellaneous Info
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Wild Sky Wilderness
