Switchback/Cooney and Martin Peak (Nr. Twisp)

[summitseeker]

Had a blast on these peaks (easy scrambles/hikes) this past weekend. Went in to enjoy fall on the Golden Lakes Loop and knock off a couple of peaks while we were at it. It turned out to be both a shorter and a longer trip than expected. I had called ahead and was assured by the ranger that the loop in question was open despite concern about the fires. So we arrived Saturday morning early and set off. About an hour or so below Horsehead pass (and quite a good distance in), we were "caught" by two rangers on motorcycles and informed that the way ahead was closed due to an active fire (currently covering some 60,000 acres!). Shit, we thought. So much for those plans. So, we turned around and hiked all the way back to the trail intersection with Cooney Lake Trail and practically ran up to the lake (a bit too much adrenaline, I guess). An absolutely beautiful place, with the larches and meadows turned golden and a surprisingly cold wind blowing down from on-high.

We pitched camp quickly on the shores of the lake and started up Angel's Staircase towards Switchback/Cooney Peak. It was a good and pretty trail, with amazing views down to the lake and the Chelan Mtns. around. At the col, we turned right and walked up through boulders to the summit of Switchback, all 8,321 feet of it. A pretty amazing view, with the turquoise green of Sunrise lake and the smoke of the fire below and the flat plains of the high desert beyond. Down-scrambled the north ridge of Switchback and gaining the high ridge joining to Martin (all above 8,000 feet). It was an exhilarating ridge walk. Easy w/ no exposure and commanding views of the meadows below and to the west and the lake on the east. It took less than an hour to traverse around the east side of an 8,200+ foot subsidiary peak (complete with a good number of gendarmes) and make my way to the summit of Martin, 8,375 ft. Sat with my back to the summit cairn and read the summit register (from 1994) and enjoyed the views. Then a 1/8 mile southwards traverse to gain the easy alpine slopes above Cooney Lake and a beautiful descent back to camp. Round trip from camp: less than 2 hours.

I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a couple of easy scrambles in a beautiful place. Still time to do it this season.