Last Updated: October 9, 2025
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    Start

    Recent content updates are viewable under what's new.

    Reports in the queue for posting are coming soon!

    Upcoming reports & photos:

    • Silvertip Mountain - scramble (July 2024)
    • The Old Settler - scramble (July 2024)
    • Silent Hub Peak - scramble (August 2024)
    • Saint Jacobs Mountain - scramble (August 2024)
    • Mount David (WA) - scramble (August 2024)
    • Goat Mountain West Peak & Table Mountain (WA) - hike (August 2024)
    • Griswold Pass (Tuber Hill, Glacier View Peak, Subatomic Peaks: Baryon, Meson, Muon, Lepton) - scramble (September 2024)
    • Yellow Aster Butte (WA) - hike (September 2024)
    • Mazama Dome (WA) - hike (September 2024)
    • Ptarmigan Ridge - (WA | The Portals East Peak, Coleman Pinnacle) - hike (September 2024)
    • Tetrahedron Peak - scramble (September 2024)
    • Lone Cone & Peak 86 (Tofino) - hike (September 2024)
    • Mount Athelstan ("Pk. 2460") - scramble (September 2024)
    • Excelsior Peak and Cowap Peak (WA) - hike (October 2024)
    • Hollyburn Peak - hike (October 2024)
    • Cheam Peak - hike (October 2024)
    • Blanchard Needle - scramble (October 2024)
    • Debeck's Hill & 4 Lakes Loop - hike (October 2024)
    • Mount Hallowell - hike (November 2024)
    • Anderson Mountain (WA) - hike (December 2024)
    • Sumas Mountain (WA) - hike (December 2024)
    • Gloria (Peak) Lookout - hike (January 2025)
    • JAPOW! & more (Niseko, Sapporo, Kyoto, Tokyo) - snowboarding (February 2025)
    • Mount Fletcher (S3/1400) - snowshoe (April 2025)
    • Mount McNair - snowshoe (April 2025)
    • Lewis Butte (WA) - hike (April 2025)
    • Ruby Mountain (WA) - snowshoe (April 2025)
    • Mount Oleg - snowshoe (May 2025)
    • Carnival Peak - snowshoe (May 2025)
    • Shovelnose Creek Knoll & "Pk. 1956" - snowshoe (May 2025)
    • Tolkien ("Pk. 2188") - snowshoe (June 2025)
    • Mount Ichor - hike (June 2025)
    • Mount Ronayne - hike (June 2025)
    • Mount Athelstan - scramble (June 2025)
    • Ample Mountain - hike (June 2025)
    • Bird Peak - hike (July 2025)
    • Gimli Peak - scramble (July 2025)
    • Squamish Headwaters - hike (July 2025)
    • The Pinnacles (North) - scramble (July 2025)
    • Fire Mountain - scramble (August 2025)
    • Mount Fosthall - hike (August 2025)
    • Mount John Clarke - scramble (August 2025)
    • Trophy Mountain - scramble (August 2025)
    • Choir Traverse (Linus, Schroeder, Contralto) - scramble (September 2025)
    • Copper Mound & Macleod - scramble (September 2025)
    • Tin Hat Mountain - hike (September 2025)
    • Mount Freda - hike (September 2025)
    • Thompson Peak - hike (September 2025)

    *As of 10/09/2025


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    Thursday, October 9, 2025

    Steep Peak - Darkside Peak Traverse - Counterclockwise via Darkside Lake (plus Emory Falls), July 2024



    My curiosity for this was first piqued touring around Steep Peak the winter prior. I learned from a couple Lillooet locals who've spent a good amount of time ski touring out in these parts that a summertime hike out to Steep is a pleasantly scenic affair, mostly following a trail with zero bushwhacking before gaining the crest of a gentle ridge that leads to the summit. I hadn't been to the tippy top yet, and frankly type 1 outings such at this are increasingly in short supply for me these days, so why not go see if what they say is in fact true? And so, accompanied by Wes I did. However, instead of stopping there, I thought of upping the ante and making a traverse as it were, linking Steep and Darkside essentially following the crest of the cirque containing Darkside Lake. Note that this is hardly a novel idea, as there are a few reports out there describing exactly this, although practically all are in the spring. Without any brush and a nice open ridge linking the peaks, there's no reason to suggest this isn't as good or perhaps better as a summer outing. Either way, I was determined to find out!

    Bit of a late start for us, driving up the now familiar Steep Creek FSR. Right at the one junction and then up as far as my appetite for pin striping allowed, just shy of the upper parking area. Shouldered our packs and started hiking a bit past 11 am. Good trail all the way to the lake and Beeker's Cabin situated near the shore, couple parties already there as we arrived, mostly just hanging out, surprisingly popular place, and even more so upon our return. Followed the shore for a bit before turning up a large open slope below the north spur coming off Steep's WNW Ridge. It was damn hot out already, so our pace slowed considerably. Gained the spur and then on to the main ridge. Easy ramble from there on to the summit proper.

    It had taken us a little over three hours to reach the top, leaving time for us to relax and savor the fruits of our labor before pressing on. Despite the haze, we could make out several familiar sights as well as innumerable unfamiliar ones. The view west towards Joffre Group easily stole the show, as it often does in these parts, but what really caught my attention for whatever reason was the view out towards Silent Hub Peak. Caltopo reveals a road branching off the Van Horlick FSR that potentially provides access to a side-valley west of the peak. The utility of this road was later corroborated by reports I managed to dig up indicating the existence of a trail that heads up this valley beyond road's end. Looks like I'd stumbled upon another "low hanging fruit" objective that's ripe for the picking. Who needs a scrambles guidebook for inspiration when all it takes is some imagination and a desire to explore! But anyway, something for another time.

    After a nice break, we pried ourselves from our perch on Steep and proceeded along the ridge towards the saddle between Steep and Darkside. Mostly easy going, with just one steeper bit immediately before the saddle that took a bit of route-finding for the best way down. Then back up from the saddle for a somewhat monotonous plod to Darkside, getting there at 4 pm, about 5 hours after starting that morning. Views were better from Steep I'd say. Didn't stick around for long as we had an unknown descent ahead of us not to mention a growing thirst for cold beer. Going with what appeared to be the quickest way down, we descended directly from the summit into the hanging basin between Steep and Darkside. This went well enough but do beware the potential for party-induced rockfall towards the latter half of the descent. Others have reported better travel by backtracking to the saddle and then descending from there, so maybe do that if you prefer not having to dodge basketball-sized boulders bounding down from above.

    A large patch of snow provided relief from the unstable talus towards the bottom of the basin, which we followed into a steep chute with cascading water down into the Darkside Lake basin. A bit more talus traversing around the left side of the lake and back to the cabin in short order where a merry posse was hanging about and drinking beer. None offered us any, so we cut the chitchat short and continued for the remaining hike back to the truck, encountering still more parties on their way up. As we had ambitious plans for the following day which ultimately didn't materialize, Silvertip I believe it was, we continued the drive to Lillooet then back up north via the Fraser Canyon, finally stopping and setting up a hobo camp near Yale for the night. Unmotivated for anything big the following morning, we went and checked out the 2nd falls at nearby Emory Creek instead before resuming the long drive back home. In summary, the Steep-Darkside circuit truck-to-truck took us 7.5 hours at a relaxed pace and makes for yet another very worthwhile day trip in the Duffey region, and if you don't mind a healthy detour to check out a nice waterfall on the way home, Emory Falls doesn't disappoint!

    Click here to view.

    Wednesday, October 8, 2025

    Torrent Peak - East Route via Rutherford West, July 2024



    Torrent is a ~6600-foot peak situated on the Rutherford-Soo Divide about 22.5 kilometers as the crow flies from the town of Pemberton. Its relatively diminutive height belies the fact that a fantastic 360-degree panorama can be had from the summit and is the main attraction for most that make the journey to the peak. Good driving access, a relatively short approach and a recently flagged albeit rough but mostly brush-free trail adds to the appeal. With all that in mind and without anything else I could think of in the moment for a relatively chill solo day trip, off I went to bag Torrent!

    Drove up past Whistler, turning off the highway onto the now familiar Rutherford Forest Service Road (Ipsoot, Rhododendron), and continued straight for some 17 kilometers to the Rutherford West junction. Left here and continued for a short distance, parking right where the RUT47-2 spur branches off to the west. Gathered up my gear and started up the spur for about 2 kilometers before locating the marked start of the trail. I noted a cairn on the side of the road as well as some orange flagging and figured that must be it. The trail enters a cutblock shortly beyond the creek draining Torrent's east basin; the same creek the trail eventually follows up into the alpine.

    Followed flagging up through the cutblock and then into mature forest. No brush really to speak of save for the occasional blueberry bushes to push through. Flagging very easy to follow. Passed through some boggy areas and open meadow sections and soon thereafter reached the large talus and snow basin below Torrent's North Face. The way ahead is now obvious - up the talus slope towards the saddle above. Talus gave way to snow, which got progressively steeper as I approached the crest. Not wanting to bother with crampons and ice axe, I clambered onto the first rock outcrop I could safely reach, and trending left hopped between adjacent outcrops to reach easier snow above. I then continued up into a large snow basin before hooking sharply left for the final rock and snow scramble to the summit.

    Took me a little over three hours to reach the top, so had time to spare and enjoy the view for a change! And speaking of the view, she be a goodun alright! Lotsa S2S big boys (and some not so big boys) on display - panning clockwise I could make out Currie, Sootip, Weart, Wedge, Overlord, Castle Towers, Mamquam, Rainbow, Garibaldi, Black Tusk, Cayley, Powder, Callaghan, Sisqua, Appa, Sampson, Rhododendron and Ipsoot! Plenty more if I look harder. Also, a neat up-close view of one of the eastern lobes of the Pemberton Icefield draining to the headwaters of the Rutherford. Started back down after about an hour of soaking in the views, mostly returning the way I came, but skipping the rock outcrops this time in favor of plunging down the soft afternoon snow. Back to the truck about half-past five in the afternoon for a satisfying 6.5-ish hour day of gallivanting in my glorious backyard!

    Click here to view.

    Tuesday, October 7, 2025

    Mount Ratney & Mount Bardeen - via Skwellepil Creek Valley, July 2024



    Back to the Chehalis Range, this time for Ratney and Bardeen, a ridge of peaks at the southern end of the range forming the divide between the valley containing scenic Statlu Lake to the north and Skwellepil Creek Valley to the south. The area has seen a surge in popularity in recent years thanks to the popular 4th-low 5th friction slab route on nearby Stonerabbit Peak, the lower of the 3 named summits situated at the western end of the divide. With reportedly good access via the Chehalis Forest Service Road, I wrangled Kevin into joining me on what was to be an unexpectedly long scorcher of day that tested our limits for heat exposure on a largely south-facing rock route.

    We made good time driving to the community of Harrison Mills, where we turned off the highway onto Morris Valley Road and then hanging a left onto Chehalis FSR which we hoped would faithfully deliver us to the SK100 branch for the remaining several kilometers to the "trailhead". Alas, a locked gate on the Chehalis FSR immediately after the bridge spanning Skwellepil Creek stopped us dead in our tracks and had us contemplating an additional ~7.5 kilometer walk along the road each way. Well shit, we're here now so just suck it up, I guess! Boots on our feet, packs hoisted and off we go at the crack of 8:30 am.

    The road hike was uneventful, if not a bit boring but we made it to our turnoff in good time and started up along a faint trail adjacent to a rushing series of cascades flowing down from snow slopes high above. The gist for the next several hours was to proceed up the polished granite slabs generally on the left side of the creek, occasionally crossing over to the right for a bit to avoid brush and whatnot, but then soon crossing back over to the left before proceeding upwards. It was an incredibly scenic climb up with fun scrambling on what can best be described as a granite sidewalk interspersed with countless falls and pools and rushing water throughout! If only it wasn't so damn hot and humid out! Our pace suffered greatly for that but still we persevered and pushed on.

    After what seemed like an eternity, we reached the alpine basin between Ratney and Bardeen and gradually veered off to the left aiming for a prominent saddle directly below Ratney's East Ridge. Crossing a large snow slope, we proceeded to the crest of the saddle and continued towards Ratney proper. The East Ridge appears steep and improbable from below, but as is often the case a viable route up became evident the closer we got. We managed to avoid all the steep snow by scrambling up heather and short rock pitches and ramps to finally reach the open summit area. Six gruelling hours to here, ugh! Grand views from up top, particularly looking to the west towards Judge Howay, Robie Ried and lower Winslow Creek Valley near where it merges with the Stave River before draining into Stave Lake. To the north there's of course Mount Clarke, serving as a nagging reminder that I have yet to get up it. Damn you Clarke!

    Down from Ratney back to the saddle and then an easy hike over slabs and snow to Bardeen where more of the same views awaited us. Didn't linger as the day was starting to get away from us, so back down we go navigating as best we could back to the watercourse and granite sidewalk we followed on our way up. All was going well until Kevin's phone started acting up and because I didn't bother to record our track, we were left to navigate the old-school way sans GPS and ended up dealing with some short bits of unpleasant cliffy bushwhacking before getting back on course for the remaining scramble back to the road. Once there, it was simply a matter of placing one foot in front of the other in a race against the coming darkness back to the truck. Wasn't till a quarter past nine that our day finally came to an end, yes you read that right - a solid near 13-hour day for a couple of old farts. Uff! Key in the ignition, headlights on and back down the FSR we go, the cold beer never having tasted so good and stoked to have this one finally in the bag!

    Click here to view.

    Friday, August 8, 2025

    Old Snowy Mountain - via Snowgrass Flat, July 2024



    The central feature of the Goat Rocks Wilderness is a rugged semi-circle crest of peaks that were once part of a much larger volcano, which went extinct some 2 million years ago. Of these, the most popular with the hiking community is Old Snowy, followed closely by the tallest peak in the range, Curtis Gilbert Peak. I climbed Curtis Gilbert back in the fall of 2004, making the most of the early season snow touring on skis/split up the Conrad and Meade glaciers en route to the summit, and enjoying a nice long descent back down! My previous attempt on Old Snowy, many moons ago and also as a ski tour, was stymied by navigational challenges which ultimately caused us to run out of time. Before the GPX era, we wandered in circles through the forest near Tieton Pass, struggling to navigate with a topo map. By the time we finally emerged from the trees into the 5000-foot creek basin north of peak PCT 7210, we simply didn't have enough daylight hours to continue and, more importantly, return through the disorienting forest in the dark. Our vehicle then got stuck in the snow on the drive home, adding insult to injury as we spent the next hour or so digging ourselves out!

    I conveniently allowed myself to forget about the peak after that, until July 2024, when I decided that a hike to Old Snowy via the popular Snowgrass Flat Trail would complement my week of WA peakbagging quite nicely. Either that, or I still had "Snowgrass" on the brain after climbing a peak by that name immediately prior to Old Snowy! Whatever the case may be, I left Icicle Canyon, drove over Blewett Pass, enjoyed the Yakima Canyon views (photos 2-4), then headed west via White Pass, detouring around Rimrock Lake and stopping at Clear Creek Falls (photos 5-11) on my way to the trailhead. As I was doing this, I recalled the description written for Old Snowy in the Selected Climbs in the Cascades guidebook by Jim Nelson, which states, among other glowing remarks, that "Old Snowy symbolizes the kind of mountaineering that restores the soul and psyche...". Well, how could I ignore such a ringing endorsement!

    I turned off Hwy 12 just south of Packwood and continued up to a charming little campground adjacent to Chambers Lake for the night. The following morning, I completed the short drive to the Snowgrass Trail trailhead and made my way through the forest, reaching Snowgrass Flat after about 9 kilometers of good trail. Now traveling over snow, the way forward was obvious, following others' tracks aiming for the craggy peaks directly ahead. As the final ascent follows Old Snowy's North Ridge, I made an ascending traverse leftwards over snow to eventually gain the crest of the western spur overlooking Packwood Glacier. I followed this over loose talus to the base of the North Ridge for the final easy scramble to the summit, where the outstanding view did not disappoint! It's obviously all about the volcanoes in these parts, chiefly Saint Helens, Adams, and Rainier, all of which surround the Goat Rocks Wilderness. Simply stunning!

    I had read about a neat little arch feature located somewhere near the summit and so proceeded southeast along the summit ridge towards a saddle. Sure enough, there's a volcanic arch here! I've seen plenty of sandstone arches and bridges in the national parks of the southwestern US, but this must be my first lava arch! To return to the trailhead, I simply descended from the saddle down scree and snow to intersect my route from earlier, then back to the trail for a mind-numbing plod back to the van with my soul and psyche restored indeed!

    As I had a day or so to spare before heading back home, I continued south towards the Oregon border for a couple "low hanging fruit" objectives along the Columbia River - Beacon Rock and Dog Mountain.

    Click here to view.

    Wednesday, August 6, 2025

    Ladies Pass Quartet - Cape Horn, Ladies Peak, Snowgrass NE Peak, Snowgrass Mountain, July 2024



    Couple previous trips into the Chiwaukum Range, always approached from the north and on skis/splitboard. First there was the so-called North Chiwaukum Tour with Todd B., an attempt on our primary objective, Big Chiwaukum stymied by weather up at Cup Lake before crossing over the crest at Deadhorse Pass, essentially cutting our loop short before making camp in a blizzard and hightailing it the next day. Then there was an attempt via the standard but interminably long Whitepine Creek Trail with Eric H., making a go for "Big Chiwi" from a camp somewhere along the trail several miles in. Uninspired by the surprisingly thin snow conditions, we deemed it not worth pursuing as the skiing down from the peak would have been marginal at best and instead entertained ourselves yo-yoing short pitches on the lower slopes before calling it a day. And finally, joined by a different Eric H., we enjoyed a ripper descent from Peak 6601 just northeast of North Chiwaukum Peak down an avalanche chute informally referred to as "The Swath". Having satisfied myself of all things "Chiwaukum", despite the shortcomings, I moved on to other things and forgot about these mountains...for a time.

    Fast forward several years, and increasingly on the hunt for novel trail approaches to areas and peaks I've not yet visited, my search led me to the upper reaches of the Icicle Creek Valley. Here the Chatter Creek Trail is found, providing access to the Chiwaukum Mountains this time from the south. I was intrigued by the network of trails present here, following a meandering and mostly alpine route up and over numerous passes going roughly SE to NW, with no shortage of peaks to bag along way. A quick search on the internet confirmed that the area is indeed a popular destination with ski tourers in winter and backpackers and peakbaggers in the summer and fall. Nuff said, I had to go check it out for myself and made this my second objective on a week-long mini peakbagging trip in WA last July!

    As I was approaching from the south this time, I narrowed my focus to peaks in the vicinity of Ladies Pass, where I would make camp the same night I hiked in from the trailhead. But first I had a sweaty ~7 kilometer grunt up to the unnamed pass at the head of Chatter Creek to contend with. Took a short break here, eyeing the mostly snowbound basin on the other side which I'd be hiking through next. An absence of tracks in the snow suggested that few if any parties had traversed out beyond the pass yet this year. Down I go, doing my best to follow the trail mostly still buried in snow to reach picturesque Lake Edna. From the lake, the route to a saddle directly north of Cape Horn was obvious, so up I go for an additional ~3 kilometers from the pass to that point. Dropped my pack here and made the short ascent up to Cape Horn, the first of four on this trip. Excellent views from up there, even if it is the lowest of the lot!

    Collected my backpack back at the saddle and resumed hiking another ~0.5 kilometers to Ladies Pass proper. Pitched my tent and with daylight to spare I decided to wrap things up with an evening hike up Ladies Peak. Continued directly on the crest from the pass making my way up heather and grass onto the ESE Spur. A short scramble at the very end saw me to the summit where a glorious view awaited me. Grindstone Mountain with The Enchantments to the SE, the Snowgrass summits close at hand to the north with Glacier Peak and the Dakobed Range beyond, The Cradle with mighty Mount Rainier looming behind to the south, and even Baring Mountain and the Gunn Peak Group far to the NW - a damn fine view if I do say so myself! Back down to camp where only the finest freeze-dried fare awaited me for dinner. Settled in for a breezy night at Ladies Pass, without a soul a soul in sight for miles around.

    Got going shortly after dawn the following morning, making my way back towards Ladies Peak before dropping right (north) off the ridge and traversing snow slopes northwards towards Snowgrass. Unsure which was the highest, I went for the Northeast Peak first which required a bit of careful navigating. Stepped off the snow following a ledge to the right, then back left traversing below a steep snowfield before turning back right for a short scramble up some steeper rock along the upper margin of the snowfield to reach the summit. Getting there, I immediately realized that it wasn't the true summit, but at least it afforded me a great vantage point of the serrated ridge connecting with Big Chiwaukum. Couple minutes up top and back down I go, reversing the route back to the gentle snow slopes below. Backtracked until directly below Snowgrass proper before turning up and kicking steps in steep snow the rest of the way there. Can't say enough good things about the view, like that from Ladies but obviously better being higher and such. Without the distant clouds from the day before to obscure things, I could also enjoy fine views towards the Daniel-Hinman Group to the SW, Sloan, Pugh and White Chuck to the NW, and so much more!

    Spent a good while up top before starting the slog back down to camp. With several hours of daylight remaining upon arriving there, I decided to pack up and head back to the trailhead. Encountered several parties now on the trail as I was returning, mostly the trail runner type - if only my ankles would permit me to do such things! Back at the campervan around 7 or 8 pm, deciding to call it a night right there enjoying cold beer and a proper meal before turning in. Slept soundly, pleased with the outcome of the previous days and finally able to put this Chiwaukum business to rest once and for all!

    Click here to view.
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