Trip Date: September 19, 2003
Cooney/Switchback Peak Climb & Foggy Dew Loop: Cooney Lake to Merchants Basin
Foggy Dew Creek
Cooney Lake
Cooney Pass
Cooney Peak aka Switchback Peak (8321 ft)
Merchant’s Basin
Trip Report Summary
Region: North-Central Washington Cascades
Sub-Region: Sawtooth Mountains
Area: Okanogan–Wenatchee National Forest
Starting & Ending Point: Foggy Dew Trailhead at end of Foggy Dew Road #4340-200 (Elev. 3400 feet)
Way Points: Main Fork Foggy Dew Creek & North Fork Foggy Dew Creek & Cooney Lake & Cooney Pass & Merchants Basin & South Fork Foggy Dew Creek & Main Fork Foggy Dew Creek (trail hike)
Summit: Cooney/Switchback Peak (rock scramble via Southeast Ridge)
Approximate Stats: 16 miles traveled; 4800 feet gained & lost; 5.4 hours up; 3.2 hours down.
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Full Trip Report
Friday morning found Laura and me hiking up the dusty Foggy Dew Creek Trail to Cooney Lake. I expected this lake to look much like Martin Lakes but it turned out to be far more scenic. We were quite enchanted by the grassy, larch-rimmed shore, which was occupied by at least three anglers at the time.
- Laura & Larches At Cooney Lake
After continuing up the trail several hundred vertical feet, Martin Peak and its meadowy haunches served as a photogenic backdrop for Cooney Lake. Upon cresting 8000-foot “Cooney Pass” on Cooney Peak’s southeast ridge, we were treated to more beautiful views down into Merchants Basin and over to Sunrise Lake.
- Cooney Lake From Cooney Pass
A short Class 1 jaunt up nearby Cooney/Switchback Peak gave us a good look along Sawtooth Ridge. We could see another person on the summit of nearby Martin Peak, which is only 54 feet higher than Cooney but much more impressive than the opposite view. Although Cooney’s summit has no register, we figured the peak gets climbed frequently throughout the summer and fall. (Little did we know at the time that Stefan F and Greg K were only one day behind us in this area.) Again, an icy wind cut short our stay.
- Laura On Cooney/Switchback Peak Summit
- Finney Peak & Star Peak From Cooney/Switchback Peak
We quickly descended back to the trail and continued down to Mechants Basin for purposes of completing a planned loop hike. The trail traversing through the basin was absolutely delightful. Rolling green grasslands with small groves of evergreen and larch trees sweep upward to meet cliffs of metamorphic rock, all reminiscent of the Chiwaukum Mountains. When I occasionally daydream at my desk about hiking, my mental vision often looks something like this.
- Descending To Merchants Basin
We eventually closed the loop and hiked back down the main Foggy Dew trail, reaching the trailhead with plenty of daylight to spare.
Photo Gallery
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