Dollar Couloir to Charleton Peak
Posted: Thu Jun 02, 2011 12:53 pmHowdy All 
Sally has Wednesdays off so we try to hike together
After climbing up San G via one of the north chutes and up Jepson via the Big Draw, I decided we were ready for the Dollar couloir. I did Dollar couloir last year with Lilbtimo, Tina, Miguel, Carmen and other accomplished climbers -- they were kind enough to let me tag along.
We took the trail from South Fork up to Dollar Lake -- the trail was relatively free of snow. We took the connector down to Dollar Lake and started climbing after donning crampons and axes. I accidently started us on the ridge to the north of the couloir, so we traversed over to get in the center.
Fortunately, I didn't remember Dollar couloir being so STEEP
otherwise, I might have passed 
I alternated between switchbacking and just going up side-stepping, but had a hard time finding a rhythm 
There were no real steps to follow. Luckily, we periodically found sun cups to step in, allowing us to pause and catch our breath. We headed up the left side, aiming for the saddle. Like all good couloirs, Dollar kept getting steeper as we got closer to the saddle. We finally topped out and walked over to Charleton. After signing in at the summit register, we headed west and ate lunch in a sheltered area with rocks.
I didn't think I could find the glissade path we used last year and was also a bit nervous about glissading after the effort I had expended climbing. We decided to drop over the south side of Charleton and take the trail to Dollar Saddle. As soon as we started to descend, we found ourselves in dirt. Removed the crampons and headed down in a southwesterly direction. Didn't take too long to intersect the trail, which was relatively snow free until we approached Dollar Saddle. From there, there were intermittent snow drifts to the Dollar Lake turn off. The trip back to the trailhead was blessedly uneventful. Thanks to sister Sally for another great day in the wilderness.
Miles of smiles,
Ellen
Sally has Wednesdays off so we try to hike together
After climbing up San G via one of the north chutes and up Jepson via the Big Draw, I decided we were ready for the Dollar couloir. I did Dollar couloir last year with Lilbtimo, Tina, Miguel, Carmen and other accomplished climbers -- they were kind enough to let me tag along.
We took the trail from South Fork up to Dollar Lake -- the trail was relatively free of snow. We took the connector down to Dollar Lake and started climbing after donning crampons and axes. I accidently started us on the ridge to the north of the couloir, so we traversed over to get in the center.
Fortunately, I didn't remember Dollar couloir being so STEEP
otherwise, I might have passed I alternated between switchbacking and just going up side-stepping, but had a hard time finding a rhythm There were no real steps to follow. Luckily, we periodically found sun cups to step in, allowing us to pause and catch our breath. We headed up the left side, aiming for the saddle. Like all good couloirs, Dollar kept getting steeper as we got closer to the saddle. We finally topped out and walked over to Charleton. After signing in at the summit register, we headed west and ate lunch in a sheltered area with rocks.
I didn't think I could find the glissade path we used last year and was also a bit nervous about glissading after the effort I had expended climbing. We decided to drop over the south side of Charleton and take the trail to Dollar Saddle. As soon as we started to descend, we found ourselves in dirt. Removed the crampons and headed down in a southwesterly direction. Didn't take too long to intersect the trail, which was relatively snow free until we approached Dollar Saddle. From there, there were intermittent snow drifts to the Dollar Lake turn off. The trip back to the trailhead was blessedly uneventful. Thanks to sister Sally for another great day in the wilderness.
Miles of smiles,
Ellen
