Trip Date: May 28, 2004

Corax Peak & Libby Mountain Day Climb

Crater Lake
Libby Mountain (~8555 ft)
Raven Ridge
Corax Peak (8572 ft)

Trip Report Summary

Region: North-Central Washington Cascades

Sub-Region: Sawtooth Mountains

Area: Okanogan–Wenatchee National Forest

Starting & Ending Point: Crater Creek Trailhead at end of Crater Creek Road (Elev. 4750 feet)

Way Points: Crater Creek & Crater Lake & Crater Creek Basin (trail hike & snow hike)

Summit: Libby Mountain (snow hike & rock scramble via South Ridge; descent via East Ridge)

Summit: Corax Peak (rock scramble via West Ridge; descent via South Slope)

Approximate Stats: 10 miles traveled; 4300 feet gained & lost; 5.2 hours up; 2.3 hours down.

…

Full Trip Report

I became intrigued with Raven Ridge in the Sawtooth Mountains after reading a report by Don Duncan several years ago.  He had questioned the accuracy of the USGS 7½-minute topo map and had performed a surveying exercise to determine the true high point of the ridge.  Was it Point 8580 (often called Libby Mountain) or Point 8572 (provisionally named Corax Peak)?  Don concluded that Corax Peak is actually higher by about 17 feet.

Given a Friday off work and a poor west-side weather forecast, I took the opportunity to head up Raven Ridge in hopes of either confirming or confuting Don’s topographical conclusion.  Actually, that was just an excuse to go climbing, but I did take a pocket transit with me.  A rainy drive over Snoqualmie Pass toward blue skies in the east indicated that I was at least partially on the right track.

The Crater Lake trailhead at 4750 feet was snow-free and mostly sunny, but it did occasionally sprinkle a rain/snow mix.  The first mile of trail was also bare;  snow appeared in patches at 5200 feet, then became prevalent at 6000 feet.  The snowpack was randomly unconsolidated, and I postholed up to my knees every few steps.  I stumbled onto Crater Lake at noon (2.0 hours from TH).  Snow snifters continued to come down, and a few rumbles of distant thunder threatened.

From the lake, I headed due west into a little larch basin, then straight up to a saddle in the ridge spanning between Libby Mountain and Mt. Bigelow.  Snow conditions steadily improved and punch-throughs decreased, but there were about 4 to 8 inches of fresh snow that seemed very prone to start sliding over the old corn.  I turned right on the ridge crest and followed snow-covered boulders to the top of Libby Mountain (3.9 hours from TH).

Swirling fog precluded any hopes of sighting from Libby to Corax, so I quickly headed east along the connecting ridge.  The traverse over semi-treacherous, snow-and-ice-covered talus took a bit more than an hour but seemed much longer, as I slipped and fell repeatedly.  Finally, the horn-shaped summit of Corax Peak appeared through the fog, and I scrambled up the south slope on Class 2-3 rock (5.2 hours from TH).

I lingered on the windy summit for almost an hour, hoping for a break in the visibility.  During this time, I looked around for a summit register but found nothing, so I left a film can under a tiny summit cairn.  I also sprinkled some of Laura’s ashes on the summit, and they were quickly whisked away by the icy wind.  Laura had been methodically working through the Sawtooth Six group of major peaks over the past several years, and Corax was her one remaining peak.  Now she will have a permanent resting spot on this high, eastern outpost.

Right on cue, just as I got ready to descend, the visibility improved.  Martin Peak, Mt. Bigelow, Star Peak, and Oval Peak all came out briefly.

I quickly took out my pocket transit and sighted across to Libby Mountain.  Sure enough, my level sight-line passed cleanly over Libby’s summit, probably by several body lengths.  Don Duncan was confirmed!

I started down at 4:00pm sharp, taking a direct course toward Crater Lake.  The first 500 feet of snow-covered talus was slow and hazardous, but I soon encountered a nice snow slope that extended almost to the lake.  The hike out from there started out to be somewhat aggravating because the snow had actually gotten mushier, although it didn’t seem possible.  But junky snow eventually gave way to bare trail, and a soft evening sun highlighted the ridge tops.  All in all, a great hookey day!

Photo Gallery

Click to enlarge…