Trip Date: February 11, 2022
Lichtenberg Mountain Snowshoe Climb
Smith Brook Flats
Lichtenwasser Lake
Lichtenberg Mountain (5844 ft)
Trip Report Summary
Region: North-Central Washington Cascades
Sub-Region: Upper Wenatchee Mountains
Area: Henry M. Jackson Wilderness
Starting & Ending Point: Smith Brook Road #67 pullout on Highway 2 (Elev. 3200 feet)
Way Points: Nason Creek Bridge & Smith Brook Flats (snow hike); Smith Brook crossing & Lichtenwasser Lake & Lichtenberg Mountain summit (snowshoe hike & snowshoe climb)
Summit: Lichtenberg Mountain (ascent via East Slope—Northeast Ridge—North Face—West Ridge; descent via Southeast Ridge—East Slope)
Approximate Stats: 9.0 miles traveled; 2950 feet gained & lost; 8.0 hours elapsed.
Full Trip Report
On a sunny Friday following a week with no new snow, Yoko joined me for a snowshoe climb of Lichtenberg Mountain in the Upper Wenatchee Mountains near Stevens Pass. We parked at the big pullout alongside Highway 2 and booted up Smith Brook Road on crusty snow, playing leapfrog with a pair of backcountry skiers who had the same destination in mind. After 2 miles of easy road-walking, Yoko and I donned snowshoes and veered off at picturesque Smith Brook Flats.
We crossed Nason Creek on a snowbridge, then gained the forested ridge that leads due south to Lichtenwasser Lake. This ridge provides a straightforward snowshoe ascent except for a cliff band at 4400 feet. We had to poke around a bit before finding a steep chute that cuts up through the cliffs. Once above the cliff band, it was easy travel to the lake.
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We snowshoed across Lichtenwasser Lake and began a rightward-curving ascent beside the inlet stream. Pleasantly open slopes took us to a moderately steep headwall, where the snow transitioned from a hard crust to a weak crust underlain by deep mush. This part got very tiring.
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From the top of the headwall, we earned our first good view of Lichtenberg Mountain, looking straight up the east slope. The southeast ridge to our left was heavily corniced and unappealing; the northeast ridge to our right was steeper but not corniced, so we took that option. As it turned out, we should have spent more time assessing the terrain.
We made a right-leaning ascent of the east slope, aiming for a high saddle between two rock outcrops. The uppermost 100 feet was fairly steep, and the snow was softening in the afternoon sun. At the top, we found ourselves on a knife-edged snow arete that was even steeper on the north side! I climbed up the crest hoping for an easy walk-off route, but instead, I was presented with a 50-degree snow slope dropping into a high north-facing basin. Although this was not at all inviting, the shaded snow appeared much more stable and the runout did not look too bad.
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I gave Yoko one of my Ramer arrest poles and then began carefully down-climbing the crusty north face. This was as steep as anything I’d ever want to do on snowshoes, but conditions were pretty favorable and the angle eased off a bit after about 35 vertical feet. Yoko handled the descent like a champ and joined me at a small stance. Our escape route from here was a 100-yard traverse to the peak’s west ridge. We doffed snowshoes and booted across on excellent “styrofoam” snow.
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Upon reaching the west ridge, we had an easy walk up to the summit dome (4.7 hours + 2850 feet from car). The air was mild, calm, and clear in all directions, with visibility extending from Mt. Baker to Mt. Rainier. You just can’t beat a perfect February day on a mountaintop!
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Rather than retracing our dicey ascent route, we simply booted down the broad southeast ridge. There were ski tracks heading down this sun-softened crest, possibly from the skiers we’d leapfrogged earlier today. Near the ridge sag, we found a cornice break that provided safe and easy access over to the east slope. If I had paid more attention during our ascent, I probably would have spotted this weakness.
We intersected our up-tracks on the east slope, donned snowshoes, and descended to Smith Brook Road. We then booted down the icy road, reaching our car just before dark (2.6 hours from summit). Although I hadn’t picked the quickest and easiest route up the mountain, Yoko assured me that it would prove to be far more memorable!
Equipment Comments
For more information regarding the various equipment that I used for this particular trip and that I typically use for this type of trip, see my gear reviews on the following pages:
>>> Backcountry Ski & Snowshoe Packs
>>> Wintertime Comfort Accessories
Route Maps & Profile
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Photo Gallery
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