Labyrinth Mountain

Well today's hike starting a little later than we had anticipated. We got to the trailhead and started hiking at 11:00 am (typically I like to be on my way down by this time of day, but it all worked out.) The four of us starting climbing the steep trail and quickly my legs could feel the pain of the previous days' climb of Mt. Mastiff. The trail is shaded as you hike up through the thick tree coverage gaining lots of elevation very quick: about 1500 feet in .8 miles. After the initial steepness, the trail's incline eases off a little bit as you exit the thick tree coverage and you climb the rest of the way to Minotaur Lake. The lake was beautiful with Labyrinth Mountain standing directly behind it, asking to be climbed.

From the lake we made our way to the east side of the lake toward the ridge where you can look down upon Theseus Lake. We continued upward along the ridge toward Labyrinth. We made our way into some tree coverage again for a quick time and exited up onto some rock. From here there is a great view of Minotaur Lake which you just left. Very beautiful with the fall colors changing. We continued up following a faint boot path up to the peak of Labyrinth Mountain, there are several peaks and it may be hard to tell just by looking which is the actual highest point. But we determined it was the most east point that is the highest point, and that is where we found the summit registry and benchmark identifying Labyrinth Mountain.

At the peak we rested and ate some lunch, took in the views, signed the registry, relaxed and took some pictures. While we were at the peak a jet fighter flew right by us! It was flying low through the valleys and took a sharp banking turn right next to us, couldn't have been more than a few hundred yards away. It was really dang cool! After that excitement we made our way back down the mountain, on our way down we met a couple guys going up to Labyrinth and we tried pointing the route we took to help them out, but as we looked back a few minutes later they had gone to the wrong peak. Don't know if they every made it to the true peak. But I'm sure they had great views nonetheless.

We made our way back down rather quickly and were able to get done and home at a really reasonable hour considering how late we got started. I will be honest, at the start of the day I was not in the best mood and wasn't too excited about climbing today due to sore legs, a wicked headache and the lateness of the start that we had. But I'm definitely glad I did end up going, my headache went away, it was an absolutely beautiful day, the views were amazing and I had great company once again. Certainly a worthwhile trip. Good times once again (I've found its hard to have a miserable day in the mountains.)

Region: Central Cascades, Stevens Pass East
Distance: 5 miles
Elevation Gain: 2800 ft
Peak Elevation: 6350 ft
Difficulty: S2, T1
Pass Requirement: Yes, Northwest Forest Pass

As always check out all the photos of the hike and every hike by clicking on the "Photos" tab.

Mount Mastiff

This morning I woke up early and got ready to head to the mountains. I met a group of fellow Mountaineers at the trail head of Merritt Lake over passed Stevens Pass about 8:30 am and got going up the trail at about 9:00. It was an absolute beautiful morning. So we started off and followed the switch back trail gaining about 1800 feet of elevation before you come to a junction in the trail at about 4820 ft, one continues on north to Merritt Lake the other heads south. We took the one heading south, which switchbacks some more and becomes less maintained. There was an area here with lots of downed trees and the trail becomes hard to follow and we eventually lost the trail. After some short discussion amongst the group we determined our direction of travel and quickly found the trail again. We continued on this trail until about 5400 ft and then followed a climbers trail up the ridge. Along the ridge were some excellent views of the valley and surrounding mountains.

As we continued up the ridge enjoying the views and the beautiful mountain ash changing color, we caught glimpse of Lost Lake which was quite the sight. There were a handful of people on rafts floating around the lake. About this time, we took a rest, ate some food, hydrated ourselves and enjoyed the views. Then we donned our helmets and got ready for some rock scramble, we descended a couple hundred feet or so from the ridge (which wasn't very passable) and scrambled toward a more accessible route up the rest of the mountain. We then ascended up a boulder field and eventually made our way all the way to the top of Mount Mastiff. Here the views were astounding, views of Glacier Peak, Labyrinth Mountain (a bit of foreshadowing there, since this is were I would be going the next day) Lake Wenatchee and more were our backdrops.


At the top we rested for a bit, ate lunch, took pictures and signed the summit registry. Some of us even took a quick nap (okay that was me.) It was such a beautiful day with blue skies all around us, but there was quite a lot of wind at the peak, so it was a bit chilly. But after a good time at the top we made our descent down the mountain. On our way down I used trekking poles for the very first time. I have used them before while snowshoeing, but I've never used them on a trail just on a hike or scramble before. Lots of people were telling me how much they liked them and they saved their knees. I think I liked them and may use them more often. But we made our way down safely, no injuries other than sore muscles and sore feet. It was a great trip with lots of beautiful views with a good group.

Region: Central Cascades, Stevens Pass East
Distance: 10 miles
Elevation Gain: 3800 ft.
Peak Elevation: 6700 ft.
Difficulty: S3, T3
Pass Requirement: Yes, Northwest Forest Pass.

As always check out all the photos of the hike and every hike by clicking on the "Photos" tab.

Wedge Mountain

Today we woke up early in the backyard of a fellow Mountaineer who lives in Leavenworth. 7 of us piled into two vehicles and drove out to our destination: Wedge Mountain. We drove east on HWY 2 then south on HWY 97 and then we began our dirt road trek up the mountain to the beginning of the trail. This dirt road is not for the weak at heart. It begins easy enough climbing slightly with nice even gravel but as you take multiple off-shoots of road the road becomes less friendly. It is very steep in some spots with extremely deep ruts from tires spinning in the mud. Trees and shrubs are overgrown and engulf the road, there is nowhere to pull off if you encounter another car coming the opposite direction. Needless to say it was a major feat just to get to the trail. I would strongly advise a 4WD, high clearance and short wheelbase vehicle if at all possible and try going when you know the road will be dry. That will significantly increase your chances of making it to the top.

At last both our cars made it to the top (we were prepared for the poor road conditions.) The hike is a pretty steady climb the whole way as it follows a fairly defined trail. Once we reached the ridge, we took a break and took some pictures of the amazing views of the Enchantments. Snow Lakes, The Temple, Little Annapurna, MeClellan Peak are all right there just staring right at you. Beautiful vistas to say the least. Once on the ridge, the trail becomes less defined and hard to stay on, especially due to past fires and lots of downed trees. So we meandered our way through thick fog up the ridge toward what we assumed was the high point on the ridge.

Once we neared the peak we found ourselves a little nervous about our next task. The trail (or what was left of it) was completely gone and what stood before us was some pretty sketchy rock with some definite exposure that we had to scramble up if we were to reach the top. We looked for the best route up and went for it. After we got going, it seemed a lot easier than it looked, and we all made it the top with no scares or issues. Once at the peak we relaxed, took some pictures, ate lunch and all signed the summit registry at the top. We sat there for quite a while and I started to get cold and stiff. (I wasn't expecting the cold weather that we had.) Once we started moving again my knee was starting to bother me a little bit, I think we sat too long and my knee got stiff. But we all managed to get down the peak and back onto the trail safely. On our way back down the ridge the fog cleared up and the sun started to shine and we were able to get some better pictures of the peaks and lakes off in the distance. The hike back down the mountain was pretty uneventful and easy going. I think after this scramble some of the rookies in the group (myself included) gained a little bit of confidence after climbing that technical bit that looked quite scary. So far this has been one of my favorite scrambles and I would certainly do it again. (While its dry, only so I could ensure I would make it up the sketchy road.)

Region: Central Cascades, Leavenworth Area
Distance: 6 miles
Elevation Gain: 2400 ft
Peak Elevation: 6900 ft
Difficulty: S2 T3
Pass Requirement: Likely none, too far out on a terrible road?

As always check out all the photos of the hike and every hike by clicking on the "Photos" tab.

First Mother Mountain/Castle Peak

Today started early, I had to drive down from Everett to Mt. Rainier National park to get started around 8:00 am. But I've gotten used to waking up early, even on weekends. I met some others from the Mountaineers group and we headed up to Knapsack Pass from Mowich Lake. It was a steady but short climb from the lake to the pass. Once you reach the pass you can see a sliver of Mt. Rainier standing tall directly behind some other peaks.

From the pass we climbed some more toward our first destination for the day; First Mother Mountain.

The climb up First Mother wasn't too terribly difficult or scary. Other than some sliding loose rock and shear cliffs to your death, it was pretty straight forward to the peak. Once we were at the peak we relaxed in the sunshine, had a quick snack and enjoyed some amazing views.

Our next summit was to be Castle Peak. We climbed back down First Mother and tried to find the best way along the ridge over to our destination. After a bit of searching and discussion among the group about our route we did a little bush whacking and found a boot path toward Castle Peak. We followed that along the ridge right to the base of the peak and from there made our ascent up to Castle Peak. The climb to Castle Peak was up a rock field and hard to know which way to go. But eventually our group found the best way up it through great teamwork. By this time it was midday and was getting quite hot. So after we made it to the top we took a quick rest and headed back down to the boot path along the ridge. From there we headed down, blazing our own trail through some meadows toward Mowich Lake. We ended up on the opposite end of lake (which was planned) after descending from the mountain. From here we got onto the well maintained trail and hiked back to our starting point.

It was a good day to be out in the mountains and in such close proximity of Mt. Rainier. It was a beautiful day with lots of sunshine, good company and great views. Unfortunately there were A LOT of bugs. I got pretty well devoured by mosquitoes. I have to say that was the only downside to an otherwise magnificent day.

Region: Mt. Rainier National Park
Distance: 5.2 miles
Elevation Gain: 2465 ft.
Peak Elevation: 6480 ft.
Difficulty: S2, T3   
Pass Requirement: Yes, Mt. Rainier National Park Pass.

As always check out all the photos from of the hike and every hike by clicking on the "Photos" tab.

Mt. Catherine

This morning several mountaineers met together and traveled up to the Alpental Ski area. We all had the goal of summiting Mt. Catherine. We drove up to the snow line and parked our cars and we got our stuff together and we traveled NNW and then climbed the west ridge. The weather was cloudy with off and on showers. The climb was short and fairly easy. Our route was a mix between kicking steps in snow and bush whacking. Once we gained the western ridge the wind was quick strong, making it an uncomfortbaly cold climb. We made our way off the ridge a little bit to guard against the strong wind and contented to climb. We found a trail near the top and followed that for a short distance to the peak.

At the peak we rested a bit, took a few pictures, although the visibility was quite poor, and ate some lunch. Although there wasn't much to see at the top, due to the poor visibility it was an important climb for most of the group because it was their first official summit with the mountaineers.

On the way down we followed the trail most of the way and this time avoided the windy ridge. We left the trail once it turned and we headed straight down towards were we parked. As we arrived at our cars there were more people just showing up to enjoy the mountains. The sun was peaking out just as we were leaving. But we still had a good time even though we just missed the sunshine.

Region: Snoqualmie Pass
Distance: 4 miles (total distance)
Elevation Gain: 1500 feet
Peak Elevation: 5070 feet
Difficulty: Easy
Pass Requirement: Yes, most all passes honored.

As always check out all the photos from of the hike and every hike by clicking on the "Photos" tab.

Kendall Peak

This morning I went out with some members of the Mountaineers group. We set out as a group of 10 with a goal to summit Kendall Peak near Snoqualmie Pass. We started out at commonwealth campground and vaguely followed the Pacific Crest Trail for the first part in the snow. Then we made our own path straight up the mountain aiming for the peak paying no attention to the much longer route of the PCT. 

After we cleared the forest we tried to take a bearing on the peak but it was a complete white out. The snow was white, the clouds were white and low; visibility was very poor. So we headed in what we thought was the direction of Kendall Peak. Trudging up the mountain in the soft snow was tough work if you were up front doing all the work. We each took turns making steps up the steep mountain gaining the last 1600 feet of elevation in 1 mile.

Eventually the clouds cleared a little and we were able to see where we going a little better. We got toward the top and got to the rock section that was snow free. Here we had to scramble up the rocks to the top of the peak. We were very lucky once we got to the top the clouds cleared up and we were able to see surrounding peaks and lakes. The forecast was calling for rain and luckily we didn't get any.

Unfortunately when we cleared the forest and tried to find our route we were off a little bit and ended up on a false summit of Kendal Peak; one was that 50 feet of elevation short of Kendall Peak. But it was too sketchy to try to traverse over the actual summit and time was too short to descend and find another route to the actual summit. The group consensus was we were "close enough" for the day. We would come back another time to try for the actual summit.

Coming down was a little boy dream. Sit on your butt and slide down. We descended about 1000 feet in 5 minutes. After the initial glissade it got a little sketchy trying to slide in-between trees. But we all made it back safe and sound and had lots of fun.

Region: Snoqualmie Pass
Distance: 7 miles (total distance)
Elevation Gain: 2750 feet
Peak Elevation: 5650 feet
Difficulty: Difficult
Pass Requirement: Yes, most all passes honored.

As always check out all the photos from of the hike and every hike by clicking on the "Photos" tab.

Mt. Persis

Today was my first attempted scramble. A buddy and I headed out early in morning to climb Mt. Persis. Getting there was quite an adventure in and of itself. It's difficult to find the "trailhead" without knowing where it is. It's best to go with someone who has been there. The road becomes increasingly more rough and bumpy as you climb higher to the start. It would probably be wise to bring a sturdy vehicle with some good ground clearance.

We starting hiking at 2800 ft. elevation and climbed very quickly. The "trail" is more of a footpath rather than a well marked trail. (After all scrambles are mostly just climb to this peak rather than follow this trail.) The forecast called for a 100% chance of rain for the day, they weren't wrong. The

morning started out raining, as we climbed it turned into freezing rain and eventually we got up high enough to see it snow.

As the elevation increased the amount of snow on the ground increased. Every step became harder and harder. The snow was soft, so we would sink into the snow with each step. We got to a point where we would regularly sink waist deep into the snow. We had our ice picks and crampons, but the snow was too soft for crampons.

Eventually we decided with the difficult conditions, poor weather, and poor visibility it may not have been worth even making it to the peak. We wouldn't have been able to see much anyway. We turned around and headed back down. On the way back down we had to come back down the rock field covered in snow that we climbed on the way up. That was quite scary. The possibility of stepping in-between rocks that were covered in snow and injuring a leg was quite real. In fact my buddy did get his leg stuck in-between two rocks but luckily his weight didn't carry him forward causing a possible break.

We made it down safely but weren't able to stay dry. Having stepped waist deep into snow several times, slipping and falling in the snow, constant downpour of rain and the combination of sweat made it a wet adventure. We didn't make it to the peak, but it was good to get out and exercise in nature once again. It was a fun adventure, we will be back to summit this peak in better conditions sometime soon.

Region: Central Cascades, Stevens Pass-West
Distance: 2 miles
Elevation Gain: 2658 ft.
Peak Elevation: 5464 ft.
Difficulty: Difficult
Pass Requirement: None

As always check out all the photos from of the hike and every hike by clicking on the "Photos" tab.