Trip Date: May 23-24, 2020
Jim Hill Mountain Climbing Trip
Lanham Lake
Jim Hill Ridge Saddle
Jim Hill Mountain (6765′)
Trip Report Summary
Region: Central Washington Cascades
Sub-Region: Upper Icicle Mountains
Area: Okanogan – Wenatchee National Forest
Starting & Ending Point: Lanham Lake Trailhead on Highway 2 (Elev. 3000 feet)
Way Points: Lanham Creek & Lanham Lake & Jim Hill Ridge Saddle (trail hike & snow hike & snow climb)
Campsite: Jim Hill Ridge (Elev. 5800 feet)
Summit: Jim Hill Mountain (snow climb & rock scramble via North Ridge—Northwest Face—West Arete—Upper Southwest Face)
Approximate Stats: 6 miles traveled; 4000 feet gained & lost.
Related Posts
Jim Hill Ridge + Henry Creek Bowl Ski Tour – April 2008
Jim Hill Mtn via Lanham Lake—North Ridge—East Arete – April 1999
Full Trip Report
For our first overnight climbing trip of the year, Eileen and I selected Jim Hill Mountain as a destination. This moderately popular summit in the Upper Icicle Mountains is typically climbed in a single day, but we wanted to blow some dust off our snow-camping systems and to take advantage of scenic high-camp options on Jim Hill’s long north ridge.
Day 1 (AM): Trailhead to Jim Hill Ridge
We started at the Lanham Lake Trailhead beside Highway 2 on Saturday morning and hiked 1½ miles up Lanham Creek. The trail was snow-free for the first ½ mile, then snow-covered thereafter. Upon arriving at the lake outlet (1.8 hours + 1150 feet from TH), we were disappointed to see that Jim Hill Mountain was enveloped by low clouds and fog. At least the weather seemed to be clearing.
We curved around the lake’s left shoreline, then began ascending steep forest on a southeasterly bearing. This hillslope started with scattered snow patches that gradually became more prevalent, and continuous snowcover was encountered at an elevation around 5000 feet. Crampons were advantageous due to the hard, crusty snow conditions at all elevations.
After working through several cliffy zones between 4800 and 5200 feet, we gained the swooping ridge crest at 5700 feet (4.7 hours + 2800 feet from TH). A convenient snow bench about 100 feet higher on the crest provided a nice campsite with a view to the east.
While setting up our tent, we were greeted by two young men returning from the summit of Jim Hill Mountain. They reported that the conventional route up the east arete was blocked by a steep, exposed headwall. As such, they had traversed under the northwest face and climbed the west arete instead. We appreciated the timely information.
Day 1 (PM): Jim Hill Mtn Summit Climb
Eileen and I left camp at 3:30pm and headed up the stair-stepped north ridge, passing numerous potential campsites along the way. We then traversed under Jim Hill’s northwest face on a moderately steep snow slope. Because visibility was less than 50 yards on this upper slope, we were glad to have fresh tracks to follow.
A short, steep snowfinger led us up to a small notch in the west arete. There, we stashed our crampons and began scrambling up the blocky Class 3 crest.
When the arete steepened farther up, we traversed rightward across the southwest face on Class 2 ledges, then scrambled straight upward. The near-vertically dipping schist on this peak ranges from fairly loose to fairly solid.
We reached the summit at 5:00pm (1.5 hours + 1000 feet from camp). Everything to the west was obscured by low clouds, but the Chiwaukum Mountains were visible to the east.
By retracing our ascent route down the west arete, across the northwest face, and down the north ridge, we easily returned to camp in just under 1 hour. Visibility improved steadily throughout the evening, and low-angle sun lit up the graceful expanse of Henry Creek Bowl adjacent to us. It looked like a blank canvas waiting for ski tracks.
Day 2: Jim Hill Ridge to Trailhead
Following a calm and overcast night, morning sun peeked through a narrow gap above the horizon. Nason Ridge and the DaKobed Range stood out clearly to the north as the sky gradually cleared.
We broke camp, donned crampons, and descended to Lanham Lake. Our down-route generally stayed to the right (north) of our up-route, but this variation did not offer any improvement; there were still several cliff bands to be negotiated. We arrived at the lake outlet in mid morning (1.5 hours from camp) and took a last look at Jim Hill Mountain, which was now completely exposed.
The weather was sunny and mild by the time we reached the trailhead in late morning (3.1 hours + 100 feet from camp). Despite such favorable conditions, hiker traffic seemed far below normal for a holiday weekend.
Route Map
Photo Gallery
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