Sperry Peak - South Ridge, October 2007
Having been granted the proverbial green light to take a break from his parental obligations, and myself having been cleared for a day off from my caretaker duties (Agata recently underwent sugery on her ankle), Scott and I were effectively handed a kitchen pass to go play in the hills. I succeeded in talking Scott out of skiing up on Mt. Baker, citing the obvious lack of new snow, for my tastes anyway and instead proposed doing a scramble of some sort. A few options were discussed, but we eventually settled on climbing Sperry Peak's South Ridge. With the shorter days, and more than just a dusting of snow on the higher peaks, this easy rock scramble seemed the ideal venue for a casual, yet enjoyable romp in the mountains.
I picked up Scott at his Mill Creek residence around 6:30am and proceeded to drive to Granite Falls and beyond, taking a right on the obscure turnoff that leads to the Sunrise Mine Trailhead. Only a few cars were present and we wondered if anyone would be joining us on our route. We were on our way by 8:30am, following a trail through cool, dark and damp forest. A footbridge near the trailhead is mostly destroyed, but can still be passed by carefully negotiating the slippery rocks in the creek. The trail crosses the South Fork of the Stillaguamish River after about a half-mile. The big log that apparently served for many years as a bridge was nowhere to be found. Careful boulder hopping again saw us safely to the opposite bank. Once across the Stillaguamish, the trail leaves the forest and traverses into lower Wirtz Basin. (more...)
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