Trip Date: September 20-22, 2024
Huckleberry Mountain Climbing Trip
Kendall Pass & Kendall Katwalk
Ridge Lake & Gravel Lake
Alaska Pass
Huckleberry Flats
Huckleberry Mountain (6320+ ft)
Trip Report Summary
Region: Central Washington Cascades
Sub-Region: Snoqualmie Range
Area: Alpine Lakes Wilderness
Starting & Ending Point: PCT-Northbound Trailhead at Snoqualmie Pass on Interstate-90 (Elev. 3000 feet)
Way Points: Commonwealth Basin Trail junction & Kendall Ridge Saddle & Kendall Pass & Ridge Lake & Alaska Pass & Edds–Joe Saddle & Huckleberry Flats & East Huckleberry Ridge buttress (trail hike & off-trail hike)
Campsite: Ridge Lake Meadow (Elev. 5350 feet)
Summit: Huckleberry Mountain (rock scramble & rock climb via East Ridge—Upper East Face)
Approximate Stats: 21.6 miles traveled; 5850 feet gained & lost.
Full Trip Report
Huckleberry Mountain is an impressive wedge of volcanic rock located on the Cascade Crest only 5 miles northeast of Snoqualmie Pass. If not for its banal name and the fact that it sits halfway between two higher and much better-known peaks—Mt. Thomson and Chikamin Peak—it would undoubtedly get the attention it deserves. As is, Huckleberry Mountain might be the best-kept summit secret in the entire Snoqualmie Range.
Two years ago, Eileen and I spent a full day scrambling around the southern side of Huckleberry Mountain in search of the straightforward route described in Cascade Alpine Guide, but to no avail. What we found instead was a lot of steep, shattered, rhyolite cliffs that guard the towering summit block. This year, we returned with a plan to approach the summit block via the jagged east ridge, as documented in recent trip reports by others. Our revised plan worked, but the overall climb was far from simple. This scrappy little peak delivers a real punch!
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Day 1: Trailhead to Ridge Lake Meadow
Eileen and I headed out from the northbound Pacific Crest Trailhead at Snoqualmie Pass on a cloudy Friday afternoon. The gently graded PCT took us over Kendall Pass and across the famous Kendall Katwalk before dropping to Ridge Lake and Gravel Lake. We set up camp in a grassy meadow above Ridge Lake (4.8 hours + 6.9 miles + 2700 feet from TH) as a cold fog settled in for the night.
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Day 2: Huckleberry Mountain Summit Climb
We awoke to clearing skies and left camp at 7:45am, armed with enough food, water, and gear for a full-day of exploration. Our morning started by continuing northward on the PCT, which makes a big S-curve around Alaska Lake, over Alaska Pass, and around Joe Lake. Along the way, we got beautiful views of Kendall Peak, Mt. Rainier, Mt. Thomson, Alta Mountain, and Huckleberry Mountain.
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After crossing underneath Huckleberry Mountain’s south flank, the PCT enters the rolling meadowland of Huckleberry Flats. We stepped off the trail here and hiked uphill to gain a wooded ridge crest, then easily followed the crest until encountering a rocky buttress at 6100 feet. This marks the beginning of the east ridge climbing route.
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At the base of the buttress, we stashed packs and roped up. Eileen took the first lead, going up the right-hand edge with a running belay while placing a few chocks and slinging a few horns. We swapped leads for what was probably equivalent to a half-dozen belayed pitches using our 40-meter scramble rope. The rock was nicely solid, and the scrambling was quite enjoyable–ranging from Class 4 in the lower portion to Class 2-3 in the upper portion.
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The ridge crest eventually became more jagged, with a series of sharp horns and small notches, so we dropped off to the left (south) side and contoured over to a blocky headwall. This headwall is created by a transverse rock rib that runs perpendicular to the east ridge. Not knowing the best route ahead, we both scrambled up the headwall on broken Class 2-3 rock.
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Upon reaching the top of the headwall, we found ourselves staring at the east face of the summit block. This is a daunting sight! The east face extends upward for approximately 90 feet in a series of vertical steps and sloping ledges, and much of the rock appears to be not only loose but also hard to protect. I seriously doubted that we had enough gear and moxie to make the ascent. Furthermore, there is a deep notch that separates the rock rib from the summit block. Any possible down-climb route directly into the notch would require steep and severely exposed Class 3-4 scrambling. In that regard, I shared the age-old sentiment of George H. W. Bush: “Not gonna do it; wouldn’t be prudent!”
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Rather than attempting a risky down-climb into the deep notch, we scrambled back down the blocky headwall and investigated a possible traverse route around the left side of the rock rib. We were in luck; a rubbly ledge curves entirely around the rib. This ledge is not difficult (only Class 2) but crosses above a big cliff, so great care is needed to avoid a long fall. Once past the ledge, we were able to make an easy scramble up a dirty cleft to gain the deep notch.
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From our position in the notch, the east face appeared no less intimidating. It even seemed to be overhanging in places! We roped up, and I began climbing with little expectation of success. However, the lower part of the face was easier than it initially looked (mostly Class 3 and Class 4), the andesite rock was surprisingly solid, and the protection was decent. It was pretty fun!
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Before long, I reached a large, distinctive ramp near the top of the face and had to consider two options: (1) follow this ramp out to the left and around the corner, or (2) climb straight up a short, curving dihedral. Option 1 seemed terribly exposed and somewhat loose, so I decided on Option 2. This turned out to be the route’s crux—probably Class 5.3 for about 10 feet—but the dihedral crack took stoppers and small cams very nicely.
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A few easy moves above the dihedral ended on the convex summit plateau. I belayed Eileen up, and we were both on top shortly after 2:00pm (5.8 hours + 1900 feet from camp). There was a summit cairn but no register to be found.
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Visibility was excellent, so we could gander at many other peaks in the rugged Snoqualmie Range. These included Chimney Rock, Lemah Mountain, Chikamin Peak, Mt. Thomson, and Chair Peak. Far to the south was a gleaming-white Mt. Rainier, and far to the north was a somber-gray Glacier Peak.
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The summit rappel anchor comprises a medium-size boulder buried under a pile of smaller rocks. It looked a bit dodgey but held fast when I tugged on it. Down we went. As expected, our 40-meter rope did not reach to the notch; it got us only to a ledge located about 20 feet above the notch. Fortunately, though, the remaining distance merely involved a reasonable Class 3 down-climb.
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From the deep notch, we retraced our traverse route around the rock rib, then descended the east ridge by a combination of scrambling and rappelling. We reached our backpack stash at the base of the buttress in mid-afternoon (1.3 hours from summit).
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The rest of our day involved a pleasant hike back along the PCT in late-afternoon sunshine. Now that we were hiking southbound, we encountered numerous northbound through-hikers en route to the Canadian border. Most of them had already covered nearly 2400 miles and looked forward to a final 270 miles. Eileen and I arrived at Ridge Lake by 7:00pm (4.6 hours + 900 feet from summit).
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Day 3: Ridge Lake Meadow to Trailhead
Following a clear night, we hiked back across the Kendall Katwalk and down to Snoqualmie Pass, encountering a steady onslaught of Sunday morning day-hikers and backpackers. Shortly before noon, we strode into the bustling trailhead (4.0 hours + 350 feet from camp) with a satisfied spring in our steps.
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Equipment Comments
Eileen and I used a 40-meter scramble rope on our climb. This length was adequate for running belays along the east ridge and for a fixed-belay pitch up the east face of the summit block. However, it was not long enough for making one full rappel off the summit; we came up about 5 to 10 meters short of reaching the east notch. As such, we needed to down-climb the final Class 3 portion. A 50-meter rope would come close to reaching the notch, and a 60-meter rope would easily reach the notch.
For protection on the east ridge and on the summit block, we used our standard “alpine half-rack,” which comprises five stoppers (even-numbered pieces ranging from #2 to #10) and two small cams (#0.5 and #0.75). We also used six runners (three singles and three doubles) for slinging horns and extending pro. Although fairly spartan, we found this collection to be adequate.
Because we underestimated the difficulty encountered on this route, Eileen and I each did the entire ascent in our hiking boots. We definitely would have felt more comfortable climbing the summit block in better footwear, such as a technical approach shoe. However, neither of us felt that a true rock shoe was necessary.
Route Map & Profile & Sketch
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Photo Gallery
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