Trip Date: December 11, 2005
Pemmican Peak Snowshoe Climb
Perry Creek Valley
Stillaguamish Ridge Saddle
Pemmican Peak (5442 ft)
Trip Report Summary
Region: North-Central Washington Cascades
Sub-Region: West Sauk Mountains
Area: Mt. Baker – Snoqualmie National Forest
Starting & Ending Point: Old Perry Creek Road #4063 blockage (Elev. 1800 feet)
Way Points: Perry Creek Trailhead & Perry Creek & Stillaguamish Ridge Saddle & Pemmican Peak summit (road hike & trail hike & snowshoe climb)
Summit: Pemmican Peak (snowshoe climb via Southeast Slope)
Approximate Stats: 7.5 miles traveled; 4400 feet gained & lost; 5.7 hours up; 3.8 hours down.
Related Posts
>>> Stillaguamish Peak via Perry Creek–East Ridge – March 13, 2005
>>> Mt. Forgotten via Perry Creek—East Slope—Northeast Spur – August 6, 2000
Full Trip Report
On a sunny December day, Steve, Mike T, Natala, and I did an early-winter ascent of Pemmican Peak in the West Sauk Mountains. We started at the abandoned road that is now blockaded 1/4 mile short of the old Perry Creek Trailhead. After hiking 2.5 miles up the Perry Creek Trail, we donned snowshoes and veered off to the left. A long westerly traverse took us across the south flank of Stillaguamish Peak and over to the summit of Pemmican Peak (5.7 hours + 4400 feet from car).
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Thanks to the unusually mild weather, we enjoyed a long sojourn on the sunny summit. The views were excellent in all directions.
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Rather than retracing our long traverse route, we discussed the option of descending directly southward to intersect the Perry Creek Trail farther down-slope. Steve and I were skeptical about attempting an unknown route when we had only a couple hours of daylight left, but Mike pushed hard for it. “I’m a gambler; I’ve always been a gambler,” he proclaimed with great pride. And so it was.
Our descent of the south slope initially went quite well. However, we later found ourselves wallowing down steep, slippery, snow-covered talus, navigating by moonlight. By the time we reached our car well after dark (3.8 hours from summit), we all agreed that it probably would have been faster and easier to simply retrace our up-route. Oh well, not all gambles pay off!
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:
>>> Trail & Mountain Snowshoes
>>> Backcountry Ski & Snowshoe Packs
>>> Wintertime Comfort Accessories
Photo Gallery
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