Benevolent Peak (7126') via Baleful Cirque
by Karen Cafmeyer and husband John, Scree

September 5-7.  We left Anchorage under partly couldy skies with a dire weekend forecast predicted.  On the way around Eklutna Lake we ran into Ranger Ed who said the marine weather bureau stated that the rain would start at midnight (I think we heard the first drops hit the tent about that time).  It took 2-1/2 hrs. to bike to the East Fork, another 45 min. to hike to Bashful Cirque and 30 more to reach Baleful Cirque.

We followed a game trail on the north side of B. Creek to the falls, then cut west along a well flagged and brushed trail that sheep hunters had put in.  It was easy to follow, though steep, and put us high on the north bench of the cirque.  From there we climbed a scree cone to get above the alders and hike toward the glacier.  Darkness hit before we could get as far as we wanted, so in tht last minutes of light we threw the tent up on a gravel spit next to the creek.  I mean RIGHT next to it...one of the boulders we used was situated halfway down the embankment.  Total time for the bushwack was 3-1/2 hrs.

We found a better site the next day.  Add an hour to the bushwack and it puts you just past the scree cone below the gully to 7126.  A small moraine island with soft tundra would be a great spot for an attack on Baleful.  Water from the gully is better than the milky creek water.

Sunday morning we awoke at 5:30 to rain and wind.  The cirque ridge was visible at 6000', but everything above was lost in mist.  We had come here for Baleful, but John took one look at the weather and rolled over and went back to sleep.  I was TICKED, but knew it would be foolish to try to climb in bad weather.  At noon we decided to do a recon of the route for our attack on Baleful.  We grabbed lunch and gear and set out under smatterings of drizzle and wind gusts.

We made it as far as the long gully north of P 7126 and changed our plans.  I'd heard that it was still unclimbed and had actually seen both the summit and the full length of the gully from the top of Benign two weeks before.  The gully had snow all the way to the col at 6750' and the summit was a gentle cone just to the south.  On the way up the bushwack we saw the south face of the summit.  It had snowed a few days earlier and the outline of a large point release avalanche signaled that the face had already run.

We started up with crampons at 1:30.  The snow was hard packed and easy to climb, but the slope angle was a respectable 50 deg.  We had to front point in some spots.  The gully was wide and curved just enough to lure us into going further and further to see what was next.  Small rocks rolled down occaisionally and at one point a couple larger chunks came by bringing a little snow with them.  It made me jumpy, but the overall impression was that the gully was stable.  About 3/4 of the way up we climbed past the run out of the avalanche we'd seen on the south face; the col couldn't be seen yet and there was at least 2000 feet of gully below us.  The rock on both sides were steep and rotten, so we were committed to the gully.

Near the col the scree was so rotten it resembled mud and we were able to kick steps into it to the top.  From there it was a short hike to the summit.  We roped as the wind was gusting strongly.  We found no cairn or register, so we left one.  The clouds were down to the deck, so there were no visuals, as Jim would say.  We did notice that the south approach was incredibly gnarly; the drop off took my breath away.  The deep, narrow cirque between us and the west flank of Baleful showed briefly.  The glacier was startlingly blue and we could see the lush green of Hunter Cr. below.  Quite a change from the drab gray we'd been climbing