Trip Date: October 1-4, 2015

GOLDEN LARCH OUTING:  CHIWAUKUM MOUNTAINS

Icicle Ridge Traverse:  Chatter Creek to Leavenworth 

Chatter Creek Pass
Grindstone Mountain (7533 ft)
Lake Edna
Cape Horn (7316 ft)
Painter Pass
Lake Ida
Big Lou Mountain (7763 ft)
Lake Augusta
Cabin Creek Ridge Junction
Icicle Peak / Icicle Ridge Lookout (7029 ft)
Tumwater Overlook Saddle

Trip Report Summary

Region: Central Washington Cascades

Sub-Region: Chiwaukum Mountains

Area: Alpine Lakes Wilderness

Starting Point: Chatter Creek Trailhead on Upper Icicle Creek Road (Elev. 2600 feet)

Traverse Way Points: Chatter Creek & Chatter Creek Pass & Edna Meadows & Index Creek & Painter Pass & Ida Saddle & Lake Ida & Big Lou Mountain saddle & Upper Cabin Creek Basins & Lake Augusta & Cabin Creek Ridge Junction & Cabin Creek Meadow & Fourth of July Trail junction & Power Creek Tarns & Tumwater Overlook Saddle (trail hike & off-trail hike & rock scramble)

Traverse High Point: Big Lou Mountain summit (Elev. 7763 feet)

Ending Point: Icicle Ridge Trailhead in Leavenworth on Lower Icicle Creek Road (Elev. 1200 feet)

Campsites: Edna Meadows & Lake Augusta & Power Creek Tarns

Summit: Grindstone Mountain (rock scramble via Northeast Ridge—North Slope)

Sidetrip: Lake Edna & Edna Pass (trail hike)

Summit: Cape Horn (rock scramble via Northeast Ridge)

Summit: Big Lou Mountain (off-trail hike via Southwest Slope—West Ridge; descent via North Slope)

Summit: Icicle Peak (hike & rock scramble via lookout trail)

Approximate Stats: 35 miles traveled; 13,800 feet gained; 15,400 feet lost.

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>>> Icicle Ridge Marathon Trail Traverse: Leavenworth to Augusta Pass to Chatter Creek – September 18, 1999

>>> Big Lou Mtn Snowshoe Climb via Chatter Creek—Lake Ida – April 17, 2004

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Full Trip Report

For this year’s annual Golden Larch Trip, I spent four glorious days completing an Icicle Ridge Traverse in the Chiwaukum Mountains with Eileen, Lisa L, Kevin L (“K. Lo”), and Kevin W (“K. Dub”).  The larches were pretty close to their prime color, the weather was better than expected, and the trail conditions ran the gamut.  A scenic adventure was had by all, and considering that we ended our trek in Leavenworth during Oktoberfest, this could also be called the “Larches to Lederhosen Traverse.”

Day 1: Trailhead to Edna Meadows + Grindstone Mtn

We dropped a car at the Icicle Ridge Trailhead in Leavenworth, then drove up to the Chatter Creek Trailhead and started our hike to Chatter Creek Pass.  It was sunny, warm, and calm—much like an early September day.  Along the way, we encountered one familiar person and one new acquaintance.  These would be the only other humans that we’d see for the next three days.  Despite being a scant few miles from the hundreds of recreationists crowding through Icicle Canyon every day, the Chiwaukum Mountains still have an isolated feeling.

After arriving at 6660-foot Chatter Creek Pass (5.1 hours from TH), we dropped packs and made a sidetrip up Grindstone Mountain.  One of the hikers had just returned from the summit and provided us with some useful route information.  Simply following your nose upward is also an effective strategy for this peak.

Grindstone Mountain features pleasant Class 2-3 scrambling on generally solid granite.  We reached the summit in late afternoon (1.3 hours from pass) and enjoyed a half hour of remarkably warm weather and good visibility.

Once back at the pass (1.1 hours from summit), we carried our backpacks an easy mile down to Edna Meadows at 6300 feet.  A small creek flows out of this meadow and provides welcome water for camping.

Day 2 (AM): Cape Horn Summit Climb

We awoke to intermittent winds and incoming clouds.  The forecast called for moderate rain and wind by afternoon, so we made a morning sidetrip over to Lake Edna and a short scramble up Cape Horn for more views (1.0 hours from Camp 1).

Day 2 (PM): Edna Meadows to Lake Augusta + Big Lou Mtn

From near Edna Meadows, we turned onto the Icicle Ridge Trail and followed it down to Index Creek, then back up to 6650-foot Painter Pass (2.8 hours from Camp 1) on the ridge between Index and Painter Creeks.  Amber grasses nudge up against golden larches at this sublime and lonely pass.

Our day’s destination was Lake Augusta, several miles to the east.  However, rather than continuing down the trail to Carter Lake and then hiking over Augusta Pass, we elected to take a cross-country trek over to Lake Ida and up to Big Lou Mountain.  This turned out to be a good choice, because we were treated to the most beautiful scenery of the trip.

A 6900-foot saddle about 1 mile southeast of Painter Pass gave us easy access to Lake Ida.  It was a stunning sight to come over the ridge and see the sapphire blue water nestled in a shallow bowl of larches and grass.  If this had been a five-day trip, we surely would have made camp right then and there.

From Lake Ida, a vast grassy slope leads gently upward to Big Lou Mountain.  I believe this to be the largest and finest example of an alpine tundra outside of the eastern Pasayten area.

As we hiked toward Big Lou Mountain, a chilly gale kicked up, and we saw dark clouds spilling over Snowgrass Mountain to the west.  Most certainly, the forecasted storm was arriving. We reached the 7763-foot summit in mid-afternoon (5.8 hours from Camp 1). It should be noted that CalTopo maps erroneously identify this summit as “Big Slide Mountain” and incorrectly put the “Big Lou Mountain” label on a lower point to the west.

We stayed on the summit only long enough to sign the register, which dates back to 2002, and scope out our descent route to Lake Augusta.  We quickly dropped down the mountain’s northern slope, then crossed two meadowy basins to reach Lake Augusta in early evening (9.5 hours from Camp 1).  Fortunately, the impending storm never amounted to anything more than wind gusts and a few drops of rain.

Day 3: Lake Augusta to Power Creek Tarns + Icicle Peak

Following a cool night, we awoke to a skiff of graupel on the ground and blue patches overhead.  Our day involved an 1800-foot drop into Cabin Creek, immediately followed by a 2000-foot ascent of Icicle Ridge.  This topographical dipsy-doo was made more challenging by the fact that most of the trail has not been maintained in a decade or so and is difficult to track in many places.

The worst location is on the southern side of Cabin Creek, where the trail switchbacks up through a recent burn.  It took all of our eyeballs to spot cut logs and overgrown trail bed.  Aficionados of forgotten and abandoned trails would be delighted by this 7 miles of sketchiness.  Eventually, we gained the crest of Icicle Ridge and followed the meandering old trail southeasterly toward Icicle Peak.

At a point closely below Icicle Peak, we dropped packs an made a short but exposed scramble up to the 7029-foot summit, which formerly hosted Icicle Ridge Lookout. The lookout cabin is long gone, but the airy foundation boulders make this a special place nonetheless.  Visitors will revel in outstanding views across the Chiwaukum Mountains and over to the northern facade of the Stuart Range.

It was late afternoon when we began our 3-mile traverse from the lookout down to Power Creek Tarns.  The ridge crest was burned many years ago and now supports mostly low grasses and eerie silvered snags.  We camped on sandy terraces above one of the tarns (8.5 hours from Camp 2).  These tarns don’t offer much in the way of scenery, but they do provide the only reliable water source between Cabin Creek and Leavenworth.

Day 4: Power Creek Tarns to Trailhead:

The night had been crystal clear, and we found a thin layer of frost coating our camp in the morning.  Our last several hours of the trip was spent hiking down the nose of Icicle Ridge amid yellow and red foliage.  The dozens of day-hikers we encountered on the lower trail signaled the end of our marvelous journey from larch country to lederhosen country.

Route Maps & Profile

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Photo Gallery

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