Pacific pk vs Father Dyer and Helen or all of the above

[emiller]

Well I will be vacationing the third week of july in summit county and hope to get a scramble in. The wife has graciously agreed to stay with the kids. So I have been reading up on two routes to choose from or maybe an all day adventure. I am trying to decide between Pacific peak via the east ridge with a travese or NE ridge of Father Dyer and traverse to Mt. Helen. the third option would be to park below Mt Helen, then follow the wheeler trail over to Pacific and head up the East ridge and traverse around and back down the east face of Mt. Helen. There doesn't seem to be to much info on going from Pacific to Crystal peak. Is there a decent route to follow? also as the wheeler trail traverses the end of Pacific's east ridge would it be possible to break off of the trail and head up the ridge early? It look possible on google earth but that doesn't always tell the whole story, but this would save a couple hundred feet of up and down plus shave off some distance. Thanks for the help!

[BillMiddlebrook]

You can do the loop starting with Pacific or ending with Pacific. I recommend starting/parking here: 39.42899, -106.06936, near the aqueduct road gate, east of Mt. Helen.

I'd also recommend starting with Mt. Helen because the traverse between Helen and Father Dyer is the most difficult portion of the loop. Pacific's north ridge is not that difficult, although I haven't been on it in years and can't seem to find a good photo other than the ones currently on 13ers.com. If you start with Helen, you can always retreat from Crystal Peak via the standard Crystal Creek route and back down to the Wheeler trail, turning right to get back to the south end of the aqueduct road.

If you don't want to climb the long ridge east of Pacific, the standard Pacific route descends past Mohawk Lake and to the end of the Spuce Creek road (approx. 39.42152, -106.07497). If you want to include this long ridge, I've found the best point to gain/exit the ridge is near 39.41604, -106.07542 and north back to the end of the Spruce Creek 4wd road.

Hope this helps

BTW, I plan on adding the Helen/Father Dyer/Crystal combo route on 13ers.com soon...

[elkheart22]

Here is a shot of the north side of Pacific from the summit of Crystal.

Hope this helps.

Tim

[emiller]

So it looks like the route from Pacific to Crystal is 2nd class with a steep area near the top of Pacific. I would like to be able to get the east ridge and the Dyer to Helen ridge in one climb. From most accounts they are two great scrambles. Guess I had better hope for good weather the 3rd week of July

[BillMiddlebrook]

So it looks like the route from Pacific to Crystal is 2nd class with a steep area near the top of Pacific. I would like to be able to get the east ridge and the Dyer to Helen ridge in one climb. From most accounts they are two great scrambles. Guess I had better hope for good weather the 3rd week of July

Yup, I never thought it was much over Difficult Class 2. Here's another shot:

[emiller]

It does look like the notch down to the north couloir would probably be the hardest part of the decent from that picture.

[Jon Frohlich]

It does look like the notch down to the north couloir would probably be the hardest part of the decent from that picture.

That notch is actually quite a bit simpler than it looks. If you are comfortable on Class 2+ or easy 3 terrain then you won't have any issues. It only involves a few moves.

[Derek]

That notch is actually quite a bit simpler than it looks. If you are comfortable on Class 2+ or easy 3 terrain then you won't have any issues. It only involves a few moves.

I agree. Last fall I wandered down to the notch area. When I was there it was covered in snow which made the descent from the summit a little sketchy, but in dry weather (or at least snow free) I doubt you would have to think twice about it. Especially ascending.

--Derek

[emiller]

Ok, So if I go up pacific 1st but instead head over to Atlantic due to lack of time, weather or energy to complete the rest of the circle. What is the best way down and back to the car from the Atlantic/Pacific saddle? downclimb/glissade the headwall and cross country/bushwack back to the trailhead? the only info on a trail i could find looked like it was well to the south at the base of Quandary. Is this trail very easy to find or is it quite faint that high in the basin?

[JeffR]

(I'm assuming you're talking about descending down McCullough Gulch)
From the headwall east of the Pacific/Atlantic saddle, just make your own trail down the gulch on talus and tundra. It's straightforward, and easy to avoid bushwacking. Once at the lake, you'll have to do some willow-bashing, but beyond that there is a pretty obvious trail back down the rest of the gulch. See this route for more info:
http://www.13ers.com/routemain.php?rout ... tic%20Peak

By the way, the east ridge of Pacific is a fun route.