Atlantis couloir + traverse to Fletcher Mtn.

Mayflower Gulch Traverse

July 1, 2023

Laura and I were up at the cabin for the weekend and looking to get on a mountain, I suggested we attempt the Mayflower traverse. I thought it would be fun to approach by climbing a snow couloir we've eyed in the past - Atlantis couloir on Atlantic Peak. To save miles, we asked Laura's mom and Hazel to help us leave a car at the Blue Lakes trailhead and drop us off at the McCullough gulch trailhead. We approached through Mccullough Gulch and along the north side of Quandary peak and upon reaching Atlantis couloir at the end of the basin, were pleased with the still excellent snow conditions. The snow climb was fun and uneventful and we were soon on the ridgeline. Crampons off, we scrambled along and below the ridgeline for several hours, eventually reaching Fletcher Peak. The day was perfect and we were back to Blue Lakes trailhead by early afternoon. 

View of our route, up Atlantis Couloir, the pitchfork shaped snow gully on the right side, across the technical ridge to Fletcher on the left

Taking a break at the base of the Atlantis Couloir to put on crampons

Laura in the Atlantis Couloir

Justin in the Atlantis Couloir

Starting across the ridge between Atlantic Peak and Fletcher Peak

One of the cruxes of the route we took was getting across this snow filled gully and onto steep icy rocks

Interesting climbing along the route

Justin working through some of the more technical terrain along our route

Justin on the ridge with Fletcher in the distance

More scrambling past ice patches

Laura scrambling along the ridge

Fun scrambling along the route

Justin and Laura on the summit of Fletcher Peak

Fun and long glissades on the way down Fletcher Peak

Justin enjoying the glissading

Another glissade

Old mine ruins on the hike out

We saw lots and lots of beautiful wildflowers

We took Hazel fishing in the afternoon

Saw this fox watching us down by the reservoir