Mt Arriva Above Silent Lakes from West Ridge of Fisher Peak in the Ragged Range
Mt Arriva above Silent Lakes viewed from Fisher Peak

Mt Arriva via South Ridge + Fisher Peak via Northwest Ridge + Silent Lakes (Ragged Range, WA)

Trip Date: July 26-29, 2019

MID-SUMMER OUTING NO. 17:  RAGGED RANGE

Mt. Arriva & Fisher Peak Climbing Trip

Easy Pass
Fisher Creek Meadows
Silent Lakes
Mount Arriva (8215′)
Fisher Peak (8040’+)

Trip Report Summary

Region: Northeastern Washington Cascades

Sub-Region: Ragged Range

Area: North Cascades National Park

Starting & Ending Point: Easy Pass Trailhead on Highway 20 (Elev. 3700 feet)

Way Points: Granite Creek footlog & Easy Pass Creek & Easy Pass & Fisher Creek & Fisher Creek Basin & Fisher Overlook Camp & Silent Pass & Upper Silent Lake (trail hike & off-trail hike & snow climb & rock scramble)

Campsites: Upper Silent Lake (Elev. 7000 feet) & Fisher Overlook Camp (Elev. 6000 feet)

Summit: Mt. Arriva (off-trail hike & rock scramble via South Slope—South Ridge)

Summit: Fisher Peak (rock scramble & rock climb via Northwest Ridge)

Approximate Stats: 18.5 miles traveled; 11,200 feet gained & lost.

Mt Arriva via South Ridge + Fisher Peak via Northwest Ridge – August/September 2008

Full Trip Report

For our 17th annual Mid-Summer Climbing Trip, old-timers Jon, Adam, Todd, and I were joined by newcomer-brothers Kris and Eric J.  Our summit goals this year were Mt. Arriva and Fisher Peak in North Cascades National Park.  The unseasonably cool and wet weather that has prevailed in Washington all summer did continue through our trip but had little adverse effect on our success and shenanigans.

Climbers at the Easy Pass trailhead
Mid-Summer Gang At Trailhead (photo by Jon)

Day 1: Trailhead to Upper Silent Lake

On a sunny and warm Friday morning, we started hiking up the Easy Pass Trail.  W.A.C. friends Wayne, Heather, and Alli hiked with us to the pass (2.3 hours + 2800 feet from TH) before peeling off to the west.  Our objective peaks were clearly visible to the southeast.

Looking up Fisher Basin from Easy Pass at Fisher Peak and Mt Arriva
Fisher Peak and Mt Arriva From Easy Pass

We continued down the trail to Fisher Creek, then turned eastward and headed up through Fisher Creek Basin—initially on a good bootpath and later on a cross-country route through pleasant meadows.

Climbers heading up Fisher Creek Basin with Fisher Peak in the distance
Hiking Up Fisher Creek Basin

After working our way up talus slopes on the right side of the creek, we took a break at scenic and breezy Fisher Overlook Camp (5.4 hours + 4100 feet).  From there, we assessed our options for gaining the next 1000 vertical feet to Silent Pass.  The most obvious route is directly up a gully on the far right, but my previous experience with this feature (not-so-fondly nicknamed “the death gully”) was far from positive.  A second option (endorsed by my brother Brad) is to ascend a series of heathery zig-zag ramps immediately left of the gully, and a third option (endorsed by my wife Eileen) is to ascend a different series of ramps farther to the left.  We chose the third.

Snow and loose talus led up to the left end of a broad talus ramp, which we then followed back to the right.  Where the ramp terminated at a deep slot, we scrambled up a Class 3 rock step.

Climbers scrambling up Class 3 step toward Silent Lakes
Scrambling Up Class 3 Step

More heather ramps and a snow chute took us up to Silent Pass, followed by a short stroll down to Upper Silent Lake (7.4 hours + 5600 feet from TH).

Climbers crossing steep snow below Silent Pass and Silent Lakes
Crossing Steep Snow Below Silent Pass
Climbers hiking over Silent Pass heading to Silent Lakes
Hiking Over Silent Pass

We made camp near the lake, which is tucked between Fisher Peak, Black Peak, and Mt. Arriva.

View of Fisher Peak from Upper Silent Lake
Fisher Peak From Upper Silent Lake
Evening alpenglow on Black Peak with Upper Silent Lake
Alpenglow On Black Peak

Day 2: Mt. Arriva Summit Climb

Although nighttime rain had been forecasted, it held off until 3:00am and kept us pinned down in our tents and bivouac sacks until 9:00am.  Dark clouds persisted throughout the late morning but began to dissipate by the time we headed out for Mt. Arriva at 11:45am.

Climbers traversing hillside toward Mt Arriva
Traversing Toward Mt Arriva

A mile-long westerly traverse across heather slopes took us to a 7200-foot saddle in a spur ridge, from which we made a rising traverse across a talus bowl to gain a key 7800-foot notch in Arriva’s south ridge.

Climbers traversing hillside towards 7200-Foot Saddle Below Mt Arriva
Traversing Toward 7200-Foot Saddle Below Mt Arriva
Climbers heading up snow patch to 7800-Foot notch on Mt Arriva
Ascending To 7800-Foot Notch

We crossed through the high notch and entered a hidden slot formed by an eroded volcanic dike.  This led us back up to the crest of the southwest ridge.

Looking up Lower Dike Slot leading to the summit of Mt Arrvia
Looking Up Lower Dike Slot
Climbers ascending the Lower Dike Slot under the Summit of Mt Arriva
Ascending Lower Dike Slot

Remarkably, a continuation of the same volcanic dike sliced across the peak’s southeastern face, thereby providing a series of interconnected slots.  The highest (and steepest) slot ended closely east of the summit.

Climbers ascending Middle Dike Slot under the summit of Mt Arriva
Ascending Middle Dike Slot
Climbers heading up the Upper Dike Slot towards the summit of Mt Arriva
Ascending Upper Dike Slot

The dike-slot initially appeared to be a dead end, but a fortuitous ledge system here (possibly a geologic contact) runs around the summit block and provides easy access back to the south ridge.

Climbers traversing around the upper ledges below the summit of Mt Arriva
Traversing Around Upper Ledges

A short scramble up the ridge crest put us on top in mid-afternoon (2.9 hours + 1900 feet from camp).

Mid-summer climbing group on the Summit of Mt Arriva
Group On Mt Arriva Summit
Closeup of the mid-summer climbing group on the summit of Mt Arriva
Group On Mt Arriva Summit (photo by Kris)

Summit views were restricted by lingering clouds, but many of the landmark peaks managed to poke through.

Mt Goode from the summit of Mt Arriva
Mt Goode From Mt Arriva Summit

After a leisurely summit break, we packed up and began descending.  Our group mood was jovial, and everyone was looking forward to swimming in Silent Lakes.  However, the mountains do not tolerate such complacency; they can be quick to punish inattention or carelessness.  And so it was.  Scant minutes after we left the top, a surfboard-size rock was accidentally dislodged and sent careening downhill, narrowly missing two members of our group.  No harm was done, but everyone was shaken by this near-miss.  We completed our descent with a greater focus on rockfall and were happy to reach Upper Silent Lake without further incident (2.4 hours + 500 feet from summit).

Alpendglow on Fisher Peak and Black Peak with Upper Silent Lake from Upper Silent Lake
Alpenglow On Fisher Peak & Black Peak (photo by Kris)
Evening light on Upper Silent Lake with lingering snow patches
Evening At Upper Silent Lake

Day 3 (AM): Fisher Peak Summit Climb

Following a surprisingly cold night, we awoke to clear blue skies and no wind.

Morning in climbers camp at Upper Silent Lake
Morning In Camp At Upper Silent Lake
Morning light on Black Peak and Upper SIlent Lake from climbers camp at Upper Silent Lake
Black Peak & Upper Silent Lake
Snow patches on the Upper Silent Lake shoreline
Upper Silent Lake Shoreline

We assembled summit packs and headed for Fisher Peak in mid-morning.  Our route followed the crest of the peak’s northwest ridge over several knolls before serious scrambling began at a deep notch.

Looking up West Ridge of Fisher Peak from Silent Lakes
Looking Up West Ridge Of Fisher Peak

Eric, Jon, and Todd gradually reached their individual quotas of loose rock, so they headed back to the last knoll.  Meanwhile, Adam, Kris, and I continued up the steepening ridge, working over or around numerous horns and pinnacles.

Climbers scrambling up the West Ridge of Fisher Peak
Scrambling Up Fisher Peak
Climbers high on the Northwest Ridge of Fisher Peak looking at Ragged Ridge
High On Northwest Ridge Of Fisher Peak

Approximately two-thirds of the way up the ridge, we came upon “The Fisher Step,” a steep, 20-foot-high, Class 4 (or 5.0) dihedral face.  We pulled out our rope, tied in, and belayed each other up the dihedral.

Climbers scrambling Dihedral crux on West Ridge of Fisher Peak
Jim Climbing Dihedral (photo by Todd)

Once past this crux, another 400 feet of easier scrambling put us on the summit shortly after noon (2.7 hours + 1400 feet from camp).

Climbers on Fisher Peak Summit taken from West Ridge
Climbers On Fisher Peak Summit (photo by Kris)
Closeup of climbers on Fisher Peak Summit
Jim & Adam & Kris On Fisher Peak Summit

In contrast to yesterday, today’s visibility was nearly unlimited.

Black Peak from Fisher Peak Summit
Black Peak From Fisher Peak Summit
Mt Goode From Fisher Peak Summit
Mt Goode From Fisher Peak Summit
Mt Logan From Fisher Peak Summit
Mt Logan From Fisher Peak Summit
Kitling Peak and Graybeard Peak From Fisher Peak Summit
Kitling Peak & Graybeard Peak From Fisher Peak Summit

Our descent was slow and careful, with a belay rope being used at the steep dihedral.

Climber downclimbing steep Dihedral on West Ridge of Fisher Peak
Kris Downclimbing The Steep Dihedral (photo by Adam)

We rejoined our comrades on the knoll and then dropped down to camp (2.3 hours + 200 feet from summit).

Mt Arriva Above Silent Lakes from West Ridge of Fisher Peak
Mt Arriva Above Silent Lakes

Day 3 (PM): Upper Silent Lake to Fisher Overlook Camp

Because it was only 3:00pm when we arrived in camp, our group elected to spend the remainder of the afternoon descending to Fisher Overlook Camp.  We packed up and headed over Silent Pass, generally following our previous up-route down the snow chute and heather ledges.

Climbers crossing steep snow below Silent Pass and Silent Lakes
Crossing Steep Snow Below Silent Pass

At the Class 3 step, we set up an overly complicated (and unintentionally humorous) rappel system that consumed a full hour.

Todd rappelling over the Cliff Band with Mt Arriva
Todd Rappelling Down Cliff Band

It was early evening when we reached well-named Fisher Overlook Camp (2.2 hours + 100 feet from Camp 1).

Climber Glissading Down Fisher Peak Snow Patch To Fisher Overlook Camp
Glissading Down To Fisher Overlook Camp
Climbers setting up camp overlooking Fisher Creek Basin
Fisher Overlook Camp

Day 4: Fisher Overlook Camp to Trailhead

Hoping for an easier descent to Fisher Creek Basin on our final day, we followed a game path along the eastern side of the valley.  Farther down, half of our group traversed through the forest, while the other half walked through the valley-bottom meadows.  We ultimately found that the latter route is slightly faster.

Climbers Descending Into Fisher Creek Basin with Ragged Ridge in the distance
Descending Into Fisher Creek Basin On Day 4

We regrouped at the trail junction (1.2 hours from camp), then humped over Easy Pass and down to the trailhead (4.3 hours + 1500 feet from camp).  A quick plunge into frigid Granite Creek finished off another fun and successful Mid-Summer Outing!

Route Maps & Profile

Route map from Easy Pass Trailhead to Easy Pass to Silent Lakes including Mt Arriva and Fisher Peak
Silent Lakes & Mt Arriva & Fisher Peak Route Map (NatGeo)

Silent Lakes & Mt Arriva & Fisher Peak Route Map (CalTopo)

Silent Lakes & Mt Arriva Route Profile

Click to enlarge…