help a newbie out - Guye Peak

[minx]

I've been invited to tag along w/a group going to Guye Peak.(depending on weather) I can't find a lot of info on it. Anybody want to offer anything up? Where can I find some info? Is it worth doing this time of year? Routes? Approach?

[mvs]

It's a nice little peak, climbable (hikable) year round. A leisurely half-day trip is to hike up a steep trail that starts a few yards right of the Snow Lake trailhead. This trail reaches Cave Ridge (it is a nice ramble to traverse that), then goes rightward up to the summit. There is a little bit of exposure at a step about 200 feet below the summit, may provide a nervous session when icy or under fresh snow.

 

Note that you reach a sub-summit this way, the true summit probably requires a rope.

 

If you are taking a rope and know how to use it, there are other routes. The South Rib is a good scramble route with one pitch of 5.5 and room for variations. There is a West Face route, of a similar difficulty but much more scree. There are also harder routes on the West Face, consult a guidebook for those.

 

The South Gully is good in winter, but I wouldn't climb it now.

 

All of those routes go to the true summit, then you can make one rappel and scramble to the trail leading down from Cave Ridge.

 

:-)

[minx]

Thanks! Have rope will travel! Can you suggest any good guide books for this one? All my cascades books are either lacking or sadly out of date.

[erik]

becky's brown book

 

columbia river to stevens pass

[remlec]

Beckey does an ok set of descriptions of the routes on Guye. Don't let your guard down at that upper exposed area. This time last year while I bailed on a South Early due to an early wet snow, one of my climbing first aid students slipped there after doing the south ridge. He now views daisies root first. In summer, improbable traverse is nice (5.7).