Trip Date: October 21, 2006
Devil’s Smoke Stack Day Climb
Basalt Pass
Ram-Gar Point
Devil’s Smoke Stack (7600’+)
(Note: erroneously spelled “Smokestack” in some references)
Trip Report Summary
Region: North-Central Washington Cascades
Sub-Region: Entiat Mountains
Area: Okanogan–Wenatchee National Forest
Starting & Ending Point: Basalt Pass Trailhead on Chikamin Ridge Road #6210 (Elev. 3700 feet)
Way Points: Basalt Pass & Basalt Ridge & Ram-Gar Point (trail hike)
Summit: Devils Smoke Stack (rock scramble via Southeast Gully; descent via South Gully)
Approximate Stats: 12.5 miles traveled; 5400 feet gained & lost; 4.9 hours up; 3.1 hours down.
Related Post
>>> Devil’s Smoke Stack attempt via West Ridge – October 17, 2004
Full Trip Report
Here are photos and a map from Saturday’s trip in the Chiwawa River area with Eric, Janet, and Steve. We took advantage of perfect pre-Halloween weather by tackling the Devil’s Smoke Stack on Entiat Ridge.
After meeting at the Monroe smoke stack (where else?), we drove to the Basalt Pass Cutoff TH and hiked up to Basalt Pass. From there, the trail wanders along the scenic crest of Basalt Ridge to 7440-foot “Ram-Gar Point,” which provides a great view of the Stack’s south face.
- Janet, Eric, Smokestack, and Steve
We scoped out our route options and decided to try a left-slanting gully that begins just right of a principal buttress. I’d heard tell of a Class 2 gully and figured this had to be the one. (We later discovered that I figured wrong, and once again, we validated the old adage that “the devil is in the details”!)
We hiked down to a saddle just north of Ram-Gar Point, dropped into a larch basin below the Stack, and contoured over to the objective gully’s mouth. It looked like a long, loose Class 2-3 bowling alley. Janet called it quits partway up, but Steve and Eric and I continued on.
- Eric and Steve Scrambing Class 3 Gully
There were numerous challenging Class 3 steps of solid rock, interspersed with junky Class1-2 benches. The going was a bit slow because we had to be so careful about not dislodging rocks (large parties would be ill-advised here). About 2:00pm, we topped out on the summit horn (4.9 hours from TH). The air was crisp, clear, and calm, allowing for some nice views. Not finding a register in place, I left a small one of my own.
- Devil Eric and Devil Steve On Summit
- Clark Mountain, Luahna Peak, Chalangin Peak, and Glacier Peak
None of us liked the prospect of descending the loose gully, so we gambled on a different gully located slightly to the west. Our gamble paid off: except for a few Class 3 steps, this other gully turned out to be easy Class 1-2 nearly the entire way down. (For future reference, this gully is a right-slanting feature that starts just left of the principal buttress.)
We retraced our steps back to the trail, collected Janet, and enjoyed a leisurely hike back to the car (3.1 hours from summit) to finish off a beautiful autumn day.
Route Map
Photo Gallery
Click to enlarge…
