Longs to Pagoda traverse

[Runner342]

I've been planning a Longs Grand Slam trip with some friends for a while and looking at a lot of trip reports. The main part I'm worried about is the cliff band on the way over to Pagoda, finding the correct gully. I've heard numerous reports saying despite lots of research they still didn't find it easily or even started down the wrong one.
There's a lot of good info in those trip reports but anything extra I could get would be great! Any advice/experience on finding that hidden gully would be greatly appreciated!!

[yingyangsoup89]

I did it last year. Have a GPS track if you're interested.

[pbakwin]

It's really not that hard to find. You just descend the Homestretch a bit farther than the Keyhole Route to get below the cliffs that the Narrows traverse on top of, then head basically west, doing a descending traverse. Look for the cairns that mark the entry to the sneak through the cliffs. You can find more info and GPS data in this thread on the Glacier Gorge Traverse: http://fastestknowntime.proboards.com/thread/324" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
After summiting you can descend N off Pagoda and contour around to the Trough and then over to the Keyhole to pick up Storm (assuming you've come from Meeker to Longs to Pagoda). Route finding is part of the fun of this.

[justiner]

I wrote a little bit about this in a TR that included Longs -> Pagoda:

http://longranger.justinsimoni.com/2016 ... -duathlon/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Although this route isn’t too technical, getting to/from Pagoda is probably the crux. Finding the right sneak through the cliffs isn’t supremely difficult. Some hints: when descending towards Pagoda, aim for the notch that’s created by the last ridgeline up to the summit of Pagoda, and the slight rise from its lowpoint – it makes an, “L” shape, like you make with you left hand with your index and thumb pointed at a right angle. You’ll run right into the sneak.

The correct gully will greet you with a cairn on top. The gully is quite beautiful, and spirals clockwise when seen from the top. I stay to the left of the gully, and scramble down through its step-like ledges. Some of these ledges are higher than others, so you may find it easier to downclimb them, or simply jump! Once you get down to a section where the grassy ledges stop, and more looser terrain begins, traverse right (north), rather than continually going down, and you’ll pick up the scent of another series of cairns that will take you on a horizontal ledge system to the northern edge of the Keyboard of the Winds, where you’ll finally escape the ledges themselves. If you keep going down you’ll most likely get cliffed out. Once out of the gully, you just have a quick boulder hop up to summit Pagoda.

Descending Pagoda, the next goal is to actually get to the Keyhole. I retraced my steps, and took the gulley down right before this same cliffband I talked about above (no need to go back through the sneak). The scrambling here is somewhat slabby, with cracks to help you – and/or some loose terrain (but I’d rather stick to the slabs). You’ll cross over two small couloirs that you’ll swear are the Trough, until you get to the actual Trough, which is much larger. From there, you pick up the Keyhole route (and its bulls eyes), and onward! to the Keyhole.

[Runner342]

Thanks guys. That does help a lot.