PVD

Yep, I saw one near the bottom of the route.

Climb: Broken Top / Mt. Thielsen-North Ridge / Standard route Date of Climb: 10/22/2005 Trip Report: Last weekend, I headed where the sun was shining – Central Oregon – to squeeze in a couple of climbs before the winter storms. I climbed Broken Top on Saturday, and Mt. Thielsen on Sunday. The weather was July-like, and surprisingly I had both peaks to myself. It was a beautiful fall weekend in the mountains. Broken Top – NW Ridge I backpacked the trail along Fall Creek to Green Lakes Friday afternoon, intending to climb Broken Top before dark. This is a beautiful and easy approach; the trail gains less than 1500 feet over four miles and passes several waterfalls and cool lava flows before arriving at the scenic lakes basin between Broken Top and South Sister. The weather was perfect – 75 degrees, sunny, slight breeze. I passed only a couple of parties on the usually crowded trail. I tossed my overnight gear at a campsite, found the Broken Top way trail between the two lakes and headed steeply through open forest, then scree, to the Northwest Ridge. About halfway up -- around 5 p.m. -- I decided to postpone my summit bid to Saturday, as this was my first trip up Broken Top and I wasn’t sure how long the summit scramble would take. So I returned to my camp, and enjoyed a relaxed evening with the lakes all to myself. Broken Top at sunset: In the morning I headed back up to the ridge, pausing at a spring south of the path to fetch water. The flat area near the spring, about 20 minutes up from the lakes, would make a great campsite. For those who haven’t climbed the Northwest Ridge, the route is mostly a hike over scree and shattered rock. There were occasional hard patches of snow along the route, and the north sides of the ridge and peak were mostly snow-covered. At the end of the ridge, I found the area at the base of the short Class 4/5 “crux” coated with downsloping, hard snow. To avoid this exposure, I traversed right about 15 paces and found a fairly easy Class 4 route with good rock and mild exposure. Surmounting the rock band proved easier than I expected. The crux of my climb turned out to be the ledge traverse to the right below the summit block after the Class 4 step. A couple of hard snow patches made what would otherwise be an easy – though somewhat exposed – stroll a little sketchy. I turned north at the end of this ramp and followed another exposed ledge up to the easy Class 3 summit scramble. Wow. This summit view is special on a clear day — the best I’ve seen in the Oregon or southern Washington Cascades. All three Sisters, Mt. Washington, Three-Fingered Jack, Mt. Jefferson, Mt. Hood – all perfectly lined up. The views of Broken Top’s crater and many pinnacles were just as awesome. I relaxed on top for 30 minutes before the relatively easy downclimb. I descended the rock band via the same route, facing out. I had put off climbing Broken Top for awhile because I’m inexperienced on Class 4/5 terrain, but I found the peak to be a reasonable solo scramble. The mileage is pretty low (about 11-12 miles), and the elevation gain modest (about 3,800 feet). The hike to the lakes is quick, and the summit climb took me a little more than two hours from my camp at the lakes. After crashing Saturday night at my sister’s cabin in La Pine, where I enjoyed a pizza and a six-pack of Lagunitas IPA, I headed 75 miles south Sunday morning to climb Thielsen. Mt. Thielsen – Standard route When I hiked the Mt. Thielsen Trail with my girlfriend three years ago, we stopped short of the intimidating summit spire. At that time, a large group using a fixed rope made me think this was a technical peak that I would not attempt on my own. Well, many solo climbs later, Mt. Thielsen became little more than a steep hike in my mind. The experience turned out to be something in between – a very cool scramble that was a bit tougher than expected. The Mt. Thielsen Trail follows a relatively flat route through open forest for about 3.5 miles before riding a ridge toward the peak. The route steepens considerably at timberline, becoming a climber’s path over scree. View from the ridge: I scrambled Class 2 rock over a fairly solid ridge to the right of some really steep scree, then climbed talus that shifted underfoot to a slabby ramp leading to the south (right) side of the summit spire. I figured I could find Class 3 passage to the summit, but my route was solidly 4th Class, including a couple of awkward moves that felt fairly exposed. I found the rock mostly solid and the ledges generous, but this 80-foot scramble is pretty steep and a misstep would not be good. The spire: Though the weather was again superb, views were partially obscured by a prescribed burn in the area. I couldn’t see many distant Cascade peaks, but the summit views of nearby Howlock Mountain, Tipsoo Peak, Mt. Bailey and Diamond Lake were cool. Howlock looks like a fairly challenging scramble. After a less-stressful-than-expected downclimb, I noticed a route to the left of the ramp that appeared to offer a lower-angle alternative to reaching the upper ledges and boulders. I didn’t have time to check it out. It was a good weekend. Gear Notes: Helmet

Anyone been up to Broken Top or vicinity in the last few days? Or spied it from a distance? I'm thinking of heading down tomorrow, and wondering if if I might encounter any snow on the standard route. Thanks

What really bugged me about this film was the lack of attribution. The talking heads were not identified until the end. I was thinking, "who are these people, and why should I think they have any credibility at all?"

Dave, Thanks. Sorry I didn't respond earlier -- been out of town a lot. Nice job on the summitpost web page. Your route description is good -- more helpful than the climber's guide's vague reference to an "upper basin traverse." I do have some nice photos -- though they're not digital. But I'll throw a couple Bretherton shots in next time I put some pictures on disk and see if I can post them on your page.

Climb: Snowking Mt., Black Pk., Sept. 7-9-South Ridge, Kindy Ridge Date of Climb: 9/9/2005 Trip Report: This trip report is pretty dated, but I just got my pictures developed, so I thought I’d post a report. I made my third annual trip to the North Cascades the second week of September. My plan was to climb three peaks along the North Cascades Highway -- Snowking Mountain, Black Peak and West McMillan Spire. I managed to squeeze in the first two before driving back to Portland in driving rain. These routes aren’t of much interest to those seeking technical challenge, but I can’t recommend them enough to someone looking for a low-stress climb in a spectacularly scenic area. Snowking Mountain -- Kindy Ridge I’ve wanted to climb Snowking Mountain for three years, since admiring the photo of this beautiful peak in Cascade Alpine Guide and reading about the mountain’s “wilderness location” and unusual volume of glaciation for a peak of its elevation (7,433). The climb turned out to be more scenic -- and easier -- than I anticipated. For those who haven’t climbed Snowking, after the snow melts down low, a climber’s path leads you to the peak. The path begins at the end of Road 1570, which leaves Cascade River Road about 14 miles from Marblemount. You have to hike the last 2.5 miles or so of 1570 due to a major washout. The path is obvious and marked with plenty of brightly colored flagging -- as is much of the route. This seemed like overkill, as there is a clear path most of the way, but I guess it helps early-season climbers. Once you emerge from the forest, there’s no shortage of awesome views of the Cascade Pass-area peaks and Snowking and great (but waterless) campsites. Views from approach: The route-finding to incredible, turquoise Cyclone Lake -- below Snowking’s north face -- was easy. The lone potentially confusing point is where the route descends from a high point (about 5,800 feet, with great views of the peak) before climbing Kindy Ridge. I passed another solo hiker/climber on this high point, who warned me about dangerous loose boulders near the summit, and told me about some good campsites near the lakes just north of Cyclone. Cyclone Lake: After another hour of hiking, I descended from the ridge and set up camp between Cyclone Lake and a smaller lake. This was one of the best camps I’ve enjoyed in the Cascades. Amazing alpine area, total solitude. I climbed the ridge after dinner, and watched the sunset with views of Sahale, Johannesburg, etc. I got a casual start the next morning, regained the ridge and followed the climber’s trail through heather, climbed over huge, easy slabs, then scrambled over boulders that lead to the summit rocks. I followed the edge of the Snowking Glacier for a stretch. The summit is reached after crossing a notch to the southeast side and scrambling a bit of Class 2 with minimal exposure. Those boulders were never that loose. The views were stunning, and conditions perfect. I spent nearly an hour relaxing on the summit and taking pictures of the Snowking glaciers, the Picket Range, Glacier Peak, Rainier, Baker and Shuksan, the Cascade Pass peaks, Mt. Chaval, etc. Summit Views: The only thing tainting this trip was the 10!!! yellowjacket stings I sustained on my legs-- six on the way in, four on the hike out. I had marked the area where I was attacked on the ascent, and ran through it on my way down, but the bastards were on me as soon as I stopped. My left calf was bruised from the stings the next morning and I actually thought I had somehow injured myself on the climb. The stings itched for more than a week. Otherwise, this was a beautiful, relaxed climb. Black Peak-- South Ridge During my limited time climbing, I’ve never seen the weather change so fast. When I reached Heather Pass, it was sunny, perhaps 75 degrees. But by the time I had crossed the boulder fields, hiked past beautiful Lewis Lake and set up camp at even more stunning Wing Lake, foreboding clouds had rolled in and seemed to be threatening rain. The weather forecast had suggested possible thunderstorms the next day, so I hoped to climb Black Peak that afternoon. But a 1 p.m. start from the trailhead meant it was already 4 by the time I started up scree toward the south ridge. Based on Cascade Alpine Guide’s estimated trip time of 3.5 hours from lake to summit, I wondered whether I’d have time to climb before dark. But it was looking more and more like rain was inevitable. So, I decided to try to beat the storm. I passed a solo climber descending, who advised me that it might take two more hours to the summit. This was at 4:30. He also warned of difficult packed dirt that required a little ice axe work, and said he turned back without summiting due to exposed 4th class he didn’t feel comfortable climbing without a rope. Hmmm. None of this sounded like much fun if wet. Well, I thought, I’ll just see how it goes. I must have chosen an easier route, because the dirt/scree never seemed sketchy on my way to the “prominent col.” From there, the route-finding was easier than expected. The south ridge and wide gully to its left presented a wide range of options, and cairns here and there help mark the way. The ascent to the area below the false summit went quickly, thanks in part to my sense of urgency, and the traverse route to the east side was pretty obvious. I found a fairly steep route (maybe 4th, but not all that exposed) up to the summit ridge about an hour and 20 minutes after leaving the lake. I spent just a few minutes admiring the awesome, gothic scenery around me. Mt. Goode looked truly evil. I’m not sure I’ve felt a greater sense of isolation. It was unsettling -- in a good way. I spent just a few minutes on the summit, then headed down what seemed to be the Class 3 gully described by Beckey. The descent to Wing Lake was quick and easy. Back at camp, after dinner, the wind really picked up. My tarp shelter, supported by hiking poles, resisted the high winds all night, but I barely slept -- kept awake by the gusts roaring through the larch trees around me and shaking the shelter. Lightning flashed in the distance, and sleet blew onto my bivy sack. I stayed relatively warm and dry all night, and got up at first light to see dark Black Peak dusted with snow. It began to snow at the lake as I packed up, and I hiked out through driving sleet and fog. As I descended from Heather Pass, soaking wet, the sun started to burn through the clouds. A great trip. Gear Notes: Good boots for Snowking. Helmet for Black Peak

Climb: Boulder Creek Peaks Traverse- Date of Climb: 9/1/2005 Trip Report: Admiring Mt. Olympus through the photos of recent trip reports, I decided to get a closer look at the mountain before my six-week break from work came to an end. The peak has appeared as little more than a distant, white blob on my previous Olympic climbs -- all on the east side of the range. So I set out to climb something in the northwest corner of the National Park. My too-ambitious initial plan was to hike to Boulder Lake, then climb Boulder Peak, Everett Peak, Mt. Appleton and Peak 6100 on my way to Appleton Pass. Then I would traverse to Cat Basin, and climb Cat Peak and Mt. Carrie. But a late departure from Portland and a six-hour drive that got me to the Appleton Pass trailhead at 5 p.m. made me cut out Cat and Carrie. The hike to Boulder Lake is quick and painless -- the six miles took only a couple of hours. The beautiful lake has several decent campsites, a bear wire and one of those weird, open-air toilets. The next morning, I headed for meadowy Boulder Peak, which towers 1,300 feet above the lake. I hiked the left side of the lake, then headed up an inviting talus gully that led to one of those sketchy impasses -- steep wet heather, loose rock, cliff. I descended and climbed a less-direct line to the peak’s left ridge. I traversed over heather and talus, sometimes on good game trails, crossed beneath the summit to the west ridge and climbed wet meadow to the top. The summit offers good views of Mt. Olympus, the Bailey Range and Mt. Appleton. The scramble (minus any route-finding difficulties) takes about an hour from the lake. I returned to camp, packed up and hiked a faint path on the far left side of the Boulder ridge. The trail faded, and I descended through fairly open forest to the stream that connects Upper and Lower Three Horse Lakes, where my route-finding skills failed me. I mistook the peak west of Everett Peak for Everett, climbed through the creek to dried-up Upper Three Horse Lake (with lots of bear prints in the mud), and ascended over steep talus and scree and through brush to the summit of this other peak -- which turned out to be 10 times tougher than the stroll up Everett. I realized my bone-headed error at the summit, and made my way over a ridge to the open, alpine terrain described in the Olympic Climber’s Guide. This led easily to the pass west of Everett Peak and a cool view of the north face of Mt. Appleton above stunning Blue Lake. I quickly hiked to the Everett summit, where there’s a register. This peak is a very short hike from the pass with a tiny rock scramble at the partially wooded top. I hiked down to Blue Lake, where I rested and rehydrated. I should have camped at this beautiful spot, as it was getting late thanks to my afternoon start and three-hour detour, but I still thought I could climb Mt. Appleton and descend to the Appleton Pass Trail before nightfall. I hiked around Blue Lake and up to aqua-colored Mud Lake, just below the north face of Appleton. The area above Blue Lake is surprisingly stark -- very alpine. I climbed toward a cirque over pleasant slabs that soon were replaced by steep scree. The 30-degree permanent snowfield mentioned in the climber’s guide was there, but pretty meager and easily avoided. I veered left and, with a straightforward ridge scramble, reached the summit and good views of Mt. Carrie and Mt. Fairchild. I caught just a glimpse of Olympus through the fog that was quickly rolling in. Recalling my unplanned bivy in thick fog on Mt. Lincoln a year ago, I did not loiter on the ridge. The descent toward Boulder Creek down steep meadow and loose rock on the east side of the ridge was slow with a full pack, and I realized I would not reach trail by dark. So I headed for a rocky bench with a tarn below Peak 6,100 -- south of Appleton -- that I had spotted from the ridge. I found more bear prints in the mud around this tarn. In the morning, I traversed back north, with some Class 2/3 bushwacking over and around minor cliffs and gullies, then headed down. I descended in a rocky, minor stream to bypass a stand of slide alder, then emerged on the stream’s left side in time to avoid a waterfall above Boulder Creek. I must have hit the trail around 3,800 feet, and hiked to the pass. I had neither the time nor the energy to climb Mt. Carrie, so I decided to walk the ridge to check out the Cat Basin way trail and climb Peak 6,100 from the pass. The easy Class 2 ascent of Peak 6,100 took about an hour up from the pass. A rough climber’s path leads to the summit along a narrow ridge, with a little exposure in a couple of spots. At the top, I was rewarded with even better views of the Baileys and Olympus. I completed the loop the next morning, hiking out the 8-mile Appleton Pass Trail, and drove to Port Townsend to meet my girlfriend. I managed to stretch this trip over parts of four days (three easy, one grueling) due to the long drive, my original plans and the scheduled meeting with my girlfriend, but this traverse really is a two-day trip. All of these modest peaks, except Everett, were Class 2, but it’s a pretty strenuous trip with a full pack. The photos: Mt. Appleton and Blue Lake; Appleton's north face; The Baileys from Appleton summit; Deer near Appleton Pass Gear Notes: Brought ice axe and helmet, but didn't really need either

Fairweather -- Milk Lake is really easy to find from Upper Lena. There's a faint path that leads you to it from the last NPS campsite. What is the Stone Ponds Traverse? Is it one of the alpine traverses discussed in the climber's guide? And, I respect that ranger's sentiments, but I agree with zoroastr. I don't really care whether there's a register at a summit. But I do feel a bit guilty for driving 350 miles round-trip from Portland for an overnight climb.

Climb: Mt. Bretherton-Milk Lake Date of Climb: 8/24/2005 Trip Report: Mt. Bretherton never has appeared all that impressive from the summits of other southeastern Olympic peaks. So I didn’t feel compelled to climb it -- until my trip to LaCrosse Pass in May. Rising prominently with Mt. Lena above the Duckabush River valley, draped with snow, the peak inspired me. I decided to camp at Upper Lena Lake, which I’d never found time to visit on a couple of trips to The Brothers, and climb Bretherton the following day. I backpacked the seven miles and 4,000 vertical feet to Upper Lena Lake late Tuesday afternoon. This is a great approach -- the lush forest, the streams, the enormous mossy boulders, the root and rock scrambling up near the lake. I appreciated the amazing botanic diversity and lushness of the Olympics even more than usual, as my most recent trip was a water-deficient, 55-mile Pacific Crest Trail hike through the dusty, burned-up, north/central Oregon Cascades. A little under three hours of hiking brought me to the beautiful lake, and I had it all to myself. Nice. In the morning, I followed a path through meadow to turquoise Milk Lake, situated just below a boulder field and low-angle snowfield. The snowfield was rock-hard at 8 a.m., with sections of water ice, and impossible to traverse without crampons -- which were in the trunk of my car. I had assumed my ice axe would be enough. The snowfield was riddled with embedded chunks of rock. Sections of ice were covered with muddy gravel that provided good traction until it slid. I discovered this on my descent. Ouch. There’s evidence of huge rockfall in this basin, so I put on my helmet. Even stable-looking larger rocks moved underfoot. I kicked down some pretty big ones, so I was glad no one else was around. I traversed the loose, sloping rock along the right edge of the snowfield, then continued steeply to an obvious notch, which ended in an impasse. My initial confusion stemmed from mistaking the true summit for the false summit visible from Upper Lena Lake. At Milk Lake, you’re past the false summit. I down-climbed a bit, traversed to the right through more loose rock, climbed toward another notch, then veered right (northwest) before reaching the notch. The route here is fairly obvious. I continued through class 2/3 terrain that is a bit exposed, but never nerve-rattling. The crux of the climb for me was about 20 feet of down-sloping class 2 covered with loose dirt and rock that required clutching at small trees. Above this sketchy section I found good Class 3 climbing on solid rock that leads to a cool, short ridge traverse to the true summit. It was a perfect day for Olympic scrambling. No clouds, fog or mosquitos. 70 degrees. Great views all around. I especially enjoyed the new perspective on Mt. Stone and the view of its permanent snowfields. I spent 45 minutes on top -- eating, soaking in the scenery and perusing the Mountaineers register placed in 1991. Assuming everyone signs the thing, I was the fifth party to summit this summer. One interesting entry came from an Olympic backcountry ranger, who encouraged readers to “live wild” and rambled about the intrusiveness of summit registers. He nearly tossed this one down into Milk Lake, apparently. The round-trip from Upper Lena Lake took me about 4.5 hours, including my summit break. I took a chilly dip in the lake before heading out. On the way down, I passed a father and his two very young daughters who had the lower lake to themselves the night before. Very cool. Gear Notes: Helmet, ice axe helpful in the loose rock Should have brought crampons

Kevin Yep, I was pretty surprised by the extent of the damage and the lack of re-growth. I didn't do too much research on the burn area before planning my trip, but for some reason I thought that I'd pass through only 5 miles or so of burn. Turned out to be nearly three times that. It was interesting -- I'd never been through a recent burn before -- but it got old. My first night, at Rockpile Lake, winds whipped up dirt mixed with ash from the fire, which blew into my tent, all over me and my gear. I got out of my tent around 2 a.m., and the air was thick with this stuff. I seriously thought for a moment that there was a fire in the area, and checked my map for an escape route. Really strange night.

Greg Nice TR and pics! I was in that vicinity around the same time. Had lunch at shale lake on tuesday afternoon, the first day of my PCT trip from jefferson to mt. washington, and wondered about climbing the south side. I'd never read a thing about it. Sounds much cooler than walking through charcoaled forest. Check your PMs.

Climb: Mt. Skokomish-Lake of the Angels Date of Climb: 8/10/2005 Trip Report: Last week, I planned to head into Olympic National Park via the Putvin Trail, climb Mt. Skokomish, descend the headwall above Lake of the Angels, traverse over Mt. Hopper to First Divide and climb Mt. Steel. My visits to the Olys, though, never seem to go quite as planned. First, after seeing Mt. Pershing from Hwy 101 on my way up from Portland, I could not resist making my second (failed) attempt on that mountain. I fought the slide alder and devil’s club via the Jefferson Creek route up to the alpine and climbed to the top of the Pershing ridge in two places, but failed to find passage to the summit before I decided to run (stumble and thrash) down to get out of that jungle before dark. I would have stayed and bivied had there been any water up there. I spent a half-day nursing my bushwacking wounds and resting my feet at Hamma Hamma Campground before heading out for my long trip. As it turned out, thick Olympic fog turned me back on the ridge above Hagen Lake Thursday afternoon, but the weather was perfect on Wednesday for my scramble up Mt. Skokomish. I hiked in late Tuesday and camped on the ridge northwest of Lake of the Angels, with great views of Mt. Steel, Mt. Duckabush and Mt. Rainier. I followed the Skokomish north ridge from my camp and followed the Olympic climber’s guide’s advice to veer southeast, through some pleasant alpine terrain. I went too far in that direction and climbed one of the sub-summits visible from the lake, then had to descend and traverse to the right, where I arrived at the top of the snowfield mentioned in the guide, just below a saddle. I found fresh bear tracks at the top of the snowfield, and four mountain goats wandered over to pay me a visit. I descended a bit further from the saddle, then did my “traverse to the southwest." The rock lived up to its poor reputation -- very friable and loose. Exposure on Class 3 rock that wouldn’t be all that unsettling on more solid ground made me a bit nervous. I topped out to see two higher points to the south. I had climbed the north summit. Downclimbing was pretty sketchy: loose rock on small ledges underfoot, crumbling handholds -- classic Oly climbing, I guess. By this time, it was warm, and I was out of water so I descended to the beautiful tarn in the basin below what would turn out to be the south summit to quench my thirst. There’s a great view of Mt. Cruiser from rocks near the tarn. I climbed out of the basin, nearly back to the saddle, and began a tedious, rising traverse over steep scree and meadow. With the tarn to my left below, I headed up Class 2-3 rock toward the last visible high point, hoping that would be the summit. After some minor exposure, I scrambled around behind the summit rocks to climb above some stunted trees to the top. I topped out, pleased to see no point higher. The views, especially of Mt. Cruiser and Mt. Stone, were awesome. I spent my second night at the “stone arrow” saddle that overlooks Hagen Lake and has a great view of Skokomish. After a brief sunny period Thursday morning, the Olympic fog rolled in. I hiked the ridge above Hagen Lake, but the fog showed no sign of clearing so I decided the traverse would wait for a day with better visibility and headed out. I'd say Mt. Skokomish is Class 3, on par with Stone in overall difficulty. It would be a better climb with snow, I think, but the trip is worthwhile any time for the great views. Gear Notes: Helmet Poles helpful in the loose crap

Can anyone tell me how crevassed the route is right now? Thanks

McCloughlin is easy, just a hike, really, and nothing more than Class 2 if you stay on route. I second the Diamond Peak suggestion. I did it last summer in a short day from Corrigan Lake, on the west side of the peak. I think this is the quickest route. Hike the short trail to the lake, then head cross-country in open forest due east. Only about 4-4.5 miles to the summit. Easy scrambling (Class 2-3), tons of mosquitos, beautiful views.

Yeah, inspiring photos. Thanks. Could you give me any beta on your approach? Trail, bushwack, road condition, etc. And roundtrip mileage? thanks

If your time is limited, and you want to get up into the alpine, Mt. Washington and Mt. Stone are pretty straightforward scrambles with great views. If you did Stone, you could camp at Lake of the Angels -- only about 4 miles (and 4,000 vertical feet) up from the Hamma Hamma River Road. Mt. Washington takes only about 5 hours round-trip.

Definitely the Matterhorn above Ice Lake, approaching from the east side of the peak.

Anyone have any information on the ridge between White Mountain and Mt. LaCrosse? The climbers guide says its doable, and class 3, so I'm wondering if it's sketchy and exposed or fairly straightforward. I'm guessing the former. And has anyone climbed White Mountain from the LaCrosse Basin side or Mt. Duckabush from O'Neil Pass? I'm looking at the Duckabush East Peak route in the guide, as well as the Class 3 route (route 3)to the true summit, which sounds very cool but potentially scary: "Ascend the steep rock arete between the two glaciers directly to the summit." And lastly, any recent mosquito reports for the south-central Olys? I'm not sure whether I'll carry a tent into LaCrosse basin, or go with the bivy. Thanks

Thanks. Good TR. I've wondered about that climb for awhile. I almost went up there a couple of years ago when I was in the area for another climb, but hiked up Mt. Rose instead after the ONP gatekeeper told me how much I would have to pay to enter the park and spend the night up at the lake. Copper sounds A LOT more interesting than Rose. Were you guys trying to follow the climbers guide route? I don't have the guide in front of me, but it seems like it was rated Class 2. Sounds like it was under-rated by the Oly book.

Thanks for the TR. One question: I'll be making my first trip to that area in August, so I'm a bit ignorant about the regulations. For some reason I thought the permit/quota thing was in effect only for the Enchantments. But it sounds like I'll need a special permit for a day or overnight trip in the Caroline Lake/Cashmere Mt. area. You just need to show up early at the Leavenworth Ranger Station on the day of your trip? No reservations? Thanks

How rough is Chiwawa River Road? I've been planning to head up that way in August, but I have a pretty low Honda Civic with a brand new exhaust that I don't want to damage.

Thanks. I didn't get our route information from that book you mentioned. I gathered information from a bunch of trip reports and other sources online. The mazamas website lists the steepest grade at 35 degrees, and I think that's why I got that number stuck in my head. Of course, that site also says the route has 4th class rock, which doesn't quite jibe with the listed grade.

Climb: Middle Sister-North Ridge via Renfrew Glacier Date of Climb: 6/24/2005 Trip Report: After being assaulted by mosquitos while packing up our gear, my partner and I left the Obsidian trailhead around 8:30 Thursday night. We made camp at 11 p.m. about 4.5 miles in after a brief detour on the wrong trail and a long search in the dark for a decent campsite. We hiked in snow for the last mile or so. After four hours of sleep for me, and just two for him, we hit the trail around 5:40 Friday morning. Snow was pretty continuous from the PCT junction on up. The sky was perfectly clear and the views of North Sister, Middle Sister, Mt. Washington and Mt. Jefferson were awesome. The snow was a bit firmer as we began our ascent, but still too soft for crampons. Around 8,200 feet, where the glacier levels out, we hit a stretch of bad snow -- breakable crust with soft stuff beneath -- that was really tedious and time-consuming. My partner even resorted to crawling on all fours for a bit to avoid the really frustrating post-holing. He got up before I could snap a photo. At this point, we wondered whether the snow near the summit would be safe. Luckily, at about 8,700 feet -- and after about an hour of post-holing hell -- the snow firmed up as the slope steepened, and we gained the North Ridge. After a little scree, we climbed a stretch of steep snow carefully, staying to the right to avoid a runout that led over a cliff to our left. The snow was firm enough to kick good steps that held. I had read that the slopes were never steeper than 35 degrees on this route, but we both felt we were climbing 45-degree snow in this stretch. We topped out and hiked snow to the summit and breath-taking views. We summited shortly before 11, spent about 20 minutes on top, and carefully descended the softening slope. We saw one skier heading in on our way out, but no other climbers. The skier said he planned to turn around at the ridge due to the soft snow. A fun climb, and the first Middle Sister summit for both of us. Gear Notes: Needed ice axe, really needed gaiters Brought crampons, didn't use Could have used snowshoes Approach Notes: Trail has some snow starting around 6,000, but it's easy to follow up to the PCT.

Climbing this route on Friday. It sounds like a pretty simple snow slog, with no crevasse danger, based on what I've read. But I'd appreciate any route-finding advice/recent beta anyone could offer up. Thanks!

Thanks for the report. I assume the access road is clear of snow now and passable for a Honda Civic?