Trip Date: August 4-11, 2012

Ptarmigan Mountains Climbing Trip & Ptarmigan Traverse:  Cascade Pass to Suiattle River

Cascade Pass
Cache Col
Kool-Aid Lake
Hurry-Up Peak aka S Mountain (7800+ ft)
Art’s Knoll (7200+ ft)
Spider–Formidable Col
Yang Yang Lakes
Hahlakl Peak (7004 ft)
LeConte Mountain (7762 ft)
Sentinel Pass
Old Guard Peak (8240+ ft)
Lizard Pass
White Rock Lakes
Dana–Dome Saddle
Dome Peak (8920+ ft)
Point 8786 aka Dome Benchmark
Itswoot Pass
Cub Lake
Bachelor Meadow

Trip Report Summary

Region: North-Central Washington Cascades

Sub-Region: Ptarmigan Mountains

Areas: North Cascades National Park & Glacier Peak Wilderness

Starting Point: Cascade Pass Trailhead at end of Cascade River Road (Elev. 3650 feet)

Way Points: Cascade Pass & Mixup Arm & Cache Glacier & Cache Col & Kool-Aid Lake & Red Ledge & Middle Cascade Glacier & Spider–Formidable Col & Yang Yang Lakes & Hahlakl Peak summit & LeConte Pass & LeConte Glacier & Sentinel Pass & South Cascade Glacier & Lizard Pass & White Rock Lakes & Dana Glacier & Dana–Dome Saddle & Dome Glacier Bench & Itswoot Pass & Cub Lake & Cub Lake Pass & Bachelor Meadow & Bachelor Flats & Bachelor Creek & Downey Creek (trail hike & off-trail hike & rock scramble & snow climb)

Ending Point: Downey Creek vehicle bridge on Suiattle River Road (Elev. 1400 feet)

Campsites: Kool-Aid Lake & Yang Yang Lakes & White Rock Lakes & Dana-Dome Saddle & Bachelor Meadow

Summit: Hurry Up Peak (rock scramble via Northwest Slope)

Summit: Art’s Knoll (off-trail hike & rock scramble via West Slope)

Summit: Hahlakl Peak (off-trail hike via North Ridge; descent via South Ridge)

Summit: LeConte Mountain (rock scramble via East Face—South Ridge)

Summit: Old Guard Peak (snow climb & rock scramble via Northwest Snowfinger—Northwest Face)

Summit: Dome Peak (snow climb & rock scramble via Upper Dome Glacier—Northwest Ridge)

Sidetrip: Dome–Chikamin Saddle & Dome Benchmark (snow climb & rock scramble)

Approximate Total Stats (excluding sidetrips): 35 miles traveled; 12,100 feet gained; 14,100 feet lost.

Approximate Total Stats (including sidetrips): 45 miles traveled; 18,000 feet gained; 20,000 feet lost.

Related Posts

>>> Ptarmigan Traverse + Spire Point attempt + Dome Peak – August 2021

>>> Downey Creek Loop + Mt Bruseth + Sentinel Peak + Spire Point + Dome Peak – June 2005

>>> Ptarmigan Traverse + Magic Mtn – September 1981

Full Trip Report

I first attempted the ultra-classic Ptarmigan Traverse back in September 1981 as a party of three.  We made it to White Rock Lakes and then bailed out, for a variety of reasons.  Our exit route took us over a low saddle west of the lakes and down into the green purgatory of upper Downey Creek.  It was a day that will live in personal infamy as one of my two all-time worst bushwhacks.

Last week—a full 31 years later—I completed the traverse with Mike T, Fay, Kevin K, George W, Steve, Deb, and Eileen.  Being a group of eight, we reaped the benefits of mathematical purity:  our car set-up involved four cars with two people each; our shuttle involved two cars with four people each; our tenting arrangements allowed for four pairs; and our glacier travel generally involved two rope teams of four people.

Over the course of a week, we enjoyed great camaraderie, a healthy snowpack, good weather, few bugs, splendid terrain, and a sprinkling of mountain hijinks.  Collectively, our group also tucked in eight summits along the way.  Naturally, there were a few mishaps too, but they paled in comparison to the highlights.

Day 0: Car Shuttle & Car Camp

We all met in Darrington under a large shade tree in 90-plus-degree heat.  Plans for setting up cars at the beginning and ending points of the traverse were quickly finalized.  Because the lower Suiattle River Road was temporarily closed, we had to drive over Rat Trap Pass to leave two cars at the closure gate near Milepost 12, then drive back over the pass.  This consumed much time, and it was evening when we finally arrived at Mineral Park Campground on the Cascade River Road.

Day 1: Cascade Pass Trailhead to Kool-Aid Lake

We drove up to the Cascade Pass Trailhead and started our hike.  The weather was sunny and warm, as had been predicted for the entire week.  We hiked up to Cascade Pass, then ascended to Cache Col before dropping to still-frozen Kool-Aid Lake (6.8 hours from TH).

With a little time available before dinner, Kevin, George, Mike, Eileen, and I scrambled up Hurry-Up Peak (Class 2-3 with moderate exposure along the summit ridge).  This is an excellent viewpoint for Trapper Lake and the north-central Cascades.

We were back at camp (3.2 hours R.T.) in time for an icy dip in Kool-Aid Lake.

Day 2: Kool-Aid Lake to Yang Yang Lakes

Our day started with a traverse over to the famous Red Ledge, which required a bit of steep snow climbing with pickets for protection.

Once past the ledge, most of us hiked up Art’s Knoll before continuing on to the Middle Cascade Glacier.  We hugged the glacier’s left edge until above the crevasses and then contoured easily to the Spider-Formidable Col (6.8 hours from camp 1).

Steep snow led down the other side of the col, and from there we made a long sidehill traverse over snow and some rock before descending to the inviting parkland of Yang Yang Lakes (9.2 hours from camp 1).

Everyone took a dip in the lakes to wash off, and Kevin garnered a hearty round of cheering when he stripped down to his rainbow-striped skivvies and ran across the last remaining patch of floating ice.

Day 3: Yang Yang Lakes to White Rock Lakes

Fay and I awoke early to get a headstart up to LeConte Pass.  Soft morning alpenglow on Old Guard Peak portended a day of fair weather.

We somehow got separated during the ascent but both ended up topping out on Point 7004 (Hahlakl Peak) before reconnecting at a 6900-foot bench directly below the northeast face of LeConte Mountain.

We grabbed summit packs and hurriedly climbed snow and talus to the mountain’s false (south) summit.  From here, the true summit looked impossible to reach, but Fay found a key ledge (seriously exposed Class 3-4) that led toward the true-false notch.

We scrambled more exposed rock to the true summit, and Fay left a register.

We could look straight down on pea-soupy South Cascade Lake…

…and straight out to the continuation of our traverse.

By the time we had returned to our packs on the bench (2.1 hours R.T.), Mike was waiting for us, and the rest of our group had passed by en-route to Sentinel Pass.  I hustled on toward the LeConte Glacier and caught up with them at the pass (7.2 hours from camp 2).

From Sentinel Pass, Kevin, George, Eileen, and I made a sidetrip over to Old Guard Peak, which involved a steep snowfinger followed by fun Class 3 scrambling on super-grippy gabbro rock.

For my money, Old Guard probably gives the greatest return-on-investment of all peaks in the Ptarmigan Mountains.  We spent some time on this well-positioned summit, marveling at the countless array of surrounding peaks, before returning to Sentinel Pass (2.6 hours R.T.).

Fay had proceeded southward to climb Lizard Mountain, so we met up with her, Mike, Steve, and Deb at Lizard Pass.

Firm snow led down to half-frozen White Rock Lakes (12.7 hours from camp 2).  We made camp in a windy, rocky meadow with an awesome view of Dome Peak.

Day 4: White Rock Lakes to Dana–Dome Saddle

The morning started out sunny, but low clouds poured over from the west and quickly engulfed us in a cold mist.  We packed up and continued our southerly traverse over heather and snow.  Within a few hours, the weather had completely cleared up.

We stopped for lunch on a rock knob at the top of a steep stream gully, feeling pleased with both the weather and our progress.  However, our good mood suddenly changed to shock and dismay when Eileen’s backpack went tumbling down the gully!  Fortunately, Kevin was able to pluck it from the stream, and the only damage done was a thorough dousing of her gear.

After lunch, Mike and Fay branched off to climb Spire Point, whereas the rest of us continued onward to make camp at the Dana–Dome Saddle (5.2 hours from camp 3).

With camp established, George, Kevin, Eileen, and I headed up Dome Peak.  It was my third climb of this magnificent mountain and was every bit as awe-inspiring as the first climb.  George just kept murmuring the words “outstanding…outstanding…outstanding,” whereas Kevin and Eileen showed their approval with huge grins.

We returned to camp (3.9 hours R.T.) in soft evening light.

We were happy to learn that Steve and Deb had found a nearby water source––our biggest concern for this campsite.  Fay and Mike arrived 15 minutes later, bursting with tales of their drama-filled ascent of Spire Point.  Because George had carried his medical degree on the trip, Steve, Fay, and Kevin felt obliged to present him with an assortment of personal lacerations, abrasions, and contusions for treatment before dinner.

Day 5: Dana–Dome Saddle to Bachelor Meadow

We awoke to calm, blue skies and the promise of another fine-weather day.  Our original goal had been Gunsight Peak, but group motivation was not equal to the climbing demands.  As a consolation, Eileen and I headed back up Dome Peak to reconnoiter the Chikamin Glacier, while the others spent a relaxing morning in camp before heading on to Cub Lake.

Our reconnaissance took us to Dome Benchmark on the mountain’s eastern shoulder, where we found not only three USGS markers but also the wood and wire remnants of the old triangulation tripod.

From this seldom-visited vantage, the summit of Dome Peak looks remarkably like a large granite frog!  Ultimately, we concluded that the only reasonable access to the Chikamin Glacier is via the high saddle on Dome’s north ridge––and even this would involve some dicey down-climbing around a gaping bergschrund.

We returned to camp in mid-afternoon, packed up, and followed the tracks of our group over to Itswoot Pass and down to Cub Lake (2.3 hours from camp 4).  George and Kevin were just finishing a cool-off swim in the mostly-frozen lake, and they informed us that the others had continued over Cub Lake Pass and down to Bachelor Meadow.  We all regrouped in the grassy meadow by early evening (3.5 hours from camp 4).

Day 6: Bachelor Meadow to Suiattle River Road

After a leisurely morning in camp, we packed up and started hiking down Bachelor Creek.  The long-abandoned trail is quite good in some places but badly overgrown by brush in other places.  Nonetheless, with eight pairs of eyeballs, we were able to tease it out all the way to its junction with the recently maintained Downey Creek Trail (4.2 hours from camp 5).  From there, we all shifted into overdrive to cover the next 6 miles out to the Suiattle River Road, arriving just in time for a last supper on the bridge (7.9 hours from camp 5).

While the rest of us ate, Mike and Steve donned running shoes and hightailed it down the road for 9 miles to retrieve our cars at the closure gate (thankfully, we had a key to the gate).  Our final night of this fabulous week was a car-camp beside the Suiattle River.

Day Z: Celebratory Breakfast & Car Retrieval

Following a pleasant night beside the river, we drove up to Marblemount for a celebratory breakfast, then retrieved our cars from the Cascade Pass Trailhead.

…

Photo Gallery

Click to enlarge…