Background
Mount Constance sits prominently on the Olympics skyline, staring at you anytime you drive west on I-90. I’ve wanted to do it for a while. . . this seems to have become my summer of ‘I’ve wanted to do that for a while!’.
Thomas, the ever-scheming hooligan, and I were trying to swing bigger for something in the mountains but smoke rolling in killed both of our vibes for anything west of Puget Sound. I threw out scrambling Mount Constance as an idea, Thomas was psyched! I’d heard that there’s potentially some 4th class scrambling on ledges and that it can be pretty loose, but aside from that hadn’t heard much. Thomas mentioned we should bring bikes for the Dosewallips Road, which I was quite glad he threw out because it hadn’t even crossed my mind! We loaded up and drove out the night before, escaping the smoke in the Olympics as has started to become an August tradition, sadly.
Trip Report
Where’s your sleep kit?, I asked as we left the South Federal Way Park & Ride.
It’s in the back somewhere, I packed sleeping bag/pad, Thomas assured.
As I start to set up the car bed. . .
Uhhhh, shit, I can’t find my sleeping bag.
Thomas and I cracked up laughing; when we get together, there’s a lot of goonery. Our collective string of non-essential gear ‘leave-behinds’ is hilarious. We looked around the car, scrounging up what we could for a ‘blanket’. A sleeping bag stuff sack, cotton hoodie, and down jacket would have to do.
After a mediocre night’s sleep (not surprisingly), we set off on our bikes and began riding up the Dose. It took us around 30-40 minutes to reach the climber’s trail up the road, we were SO glad to have brought bikes! Running / walking up this road would have been a grind. The morning was cool and still smokeless as we began up the steep climber’s trail.
The climber’s trail kind of punches you in the face for the first 500′ or so, but then eases off, then pitches up again steeply once you get close to Lake Constance. It reminded me of the trail up Gunn Peak, just consistently and comically steep. It was efficient travel, we didn’t attempt to run a single step of it.
We filled up water at the lake, having read trip reports mentioning no water sources past that point. The smoke had begun to roll in and we could smell the stench of burning trees. Smoke season is here. . .
We meandered up Avalanche Canyon, both noting the unique nature of the canyon and the impressive slopes above. Both of us couldn’t help but notice ski lines above our heads that would be sweet to check out some day; Inner Constance impressed us!
The real disgusting choss was reserved for the climb up to the Cats Ears col, which was truly gross. I found more solid passage on climber’s right of the clear boot ski track (which was awesome later on). Once at the col, we saw a group of 4-5 that was hanging out after bailing on going any further, maybe due to smoke? Thomas and I put on some sunscreen and kept on. There was one more pitch of disgusting choss but once we got to the first saddle on the ridge it was pretty decent from there on out!
We noted that there was little, if any, required 4th class scrambling on the route we took. I could see how earlier in the year when you’re trying to avoid snow patches you would be pushed higher onto the ridge and have to make some harder, more exposed moves. We avoided the ‘finger traverse’ by staying lower through that section and it was very relaxed. We opted to get on the ridge crest after the finger traverse to find some scrambling, and on the ridge proper there was some exposed 4th class scrambling but it was all solid-ish, solid-adjacent. We took our time assessing the integrity of holds and enjoyed some movement with the west face dropping below us.
The final summit block is impressively steep and I’d say this was the hardest ~mandatory~ scrambling on the entire route. Still only 4th class but you could make it 5th by going off the easiest way. We topped out, snapped a pic, and enjoyed a snack while admiring the steep terrain all around. The eastern slopes of Constance just drop off into oblivion, so impressive to look around at what Eric Wehrly skied!
We shimmied our way back down, very much more enjoying the loose-ness of the disgusting choss as we boot skied down it. We emptied out our shoes a few times and chatted the whole way down, enjoying our outing and not trying to run at all! Back to the bikes and then an easy cruise back to the car. . . with a river dip of course.