Trip Date: September 11, 2004
Choral Peak Day Climb
Entiat River Valley
Anthem Pass
Choral Peak (7960+ ft)
Trip Report Summary
Region: North-Central Washington Cascades
Sub-Region: Chelan Mountains
Area: Okanogan–Wenatchee National Forest
Starting & Ending Point: Entiat River Trailhead at end of Entiat River Road (Elev. 3150 feet)
Way Points: Entiat River & Anthem Creek & Anthem Pass & Anthem Creek Basin & Choral Peak summit (trail hike & off-trail hike & rock scramble)
Summit: Choral Peak (rock scramble via South Ridge; descent via Southeast Slope)
Approximate Stats: 17.5 miles traveled; 5300 feet gained & lost; 4.4 hours up; 3.3 hours down.
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Full Trip Report
Faced with a forecast calling for lots of wet weather, I headed east of the crest early Saturday morning, hoping the rain-shadow would serve me well once again. I had no definite goal but brought a sheaf of Green Trails maps. It was auspiciously sunny in Wenatchee, where I stopped to have breakfast and peruse my maps. At that point, I decided to head up the Entiat River Road with intentions of climbing Choral Peak. The weather still looked promising when I arrived at the road end 1½ hours later. Along the way, I noticed that the Entiat River is a milk-chocolate color, indicating that it is receiving a huge load of silt somewhere upstream—perhaps yet another by-product of last October’s rainstorm.
I hiked 2.2 miles up the Entiat River Trail, then turned right and hiked 5.5 miles up the Anthem Creek Trail to 6800-foot Anthem Pass (2.9 hours from TH). Aside from occasional mud puddles, both trails were in excellent condition. It was cool and windy at the pass, but the sky remained 95-percent clear. To the west, I could see storm clouds piled up along the Cascade crest. I had been merely hoping for some rain-shadow effects here in the Chelan Mountains; what I got was more like a rain blockade! The cliffy knob of Choral Peak was clearly visible a mile to the northeast.
- Choral Peak Buttress
I headed east from Anthem Pass, staying on the ridge crest as it gradually curved northward to Choral’s summit. Travel was mostly Class 1-2, with a few Class 3 rock steps thrown in for interest. As I got closer to the top, the crest became harder to follow, due to numerous horns and notches. Eventually, I dropped down to the right side and then scrambled up the easy east face to the summit (4.4 hours from TH).
- Entiat Mountains From Choral Peak Summit
- Chelan Mountains From Choral Peak Summit
Dark clouds still engulfed Clark Mountain and Glacier Peak, but everything to the east of those was fully exposed. This is a particularly fine vantage for viewing the major peaks along the Entiat and Chelan crests, including South Spectacle Butte, Mt. Fernow, Pinnacle Mountain, and Cardinal Peak. I spent nearly an hour on the summit before the cold breeze chased me off.
- Cardinal Peak
- Saska Peak and Emerald Peak
Thinking that Choral Peak probably generates only meager climbing attention, I was surprised to find a brass Mountaineer tube among the summit rocks. The register inside had been placed in 1985 and showed anywhere from zero to four ascents per year, with one or two being the typical number. I was the first person to sign in since 2002. Several of the previous parties were large Outward Bound groups on multi-week traverses through the Chelan Mountains. Judging by their full-page scribblings and rantings, register etiquette is not one of the backcountry skills taught by Outward Bound.
Rather than follow the long ridge back down to Anthem Pass, I dropped southeastward into picturesque Anthem Creek Basin and then followed Anthem Creek down through scruffy forest to intersect the trail at 5800 feet (1.1 hours from summit). From there, it was a pleasant autumn hike back to the trailhead (3.4 hours from summit). The only “rain” falling on my delightful day came at the very end, when I discovered a $50 fine waiting on my vehicle because I’d forgotten to renew my trailhead pass! Sigh.
Photo Gallery
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