Northeast Ridge on Black Peak

July 12, 2018

With a desire to get on top of something high during our 4-day staycation, Colin and I set our sights on Black Peak after having a great day climbing two routes on Liberty Bell. Following our late finish on Wednesday from that adventure, we got a late start Thursday and figured out our plan. We packed up our gear, including camping equipment, and headed for Rainy Pass. We geared up and left the car around 11:40am.

The hike up to Heather Pass and down the other side, then up to Lewis Lake was a bit less than 1.5 hours. We continued up to Wing Lake, dropping our camping gear and setting up shop at the edge of the mostly-frozen lake by 2:30pm. With much lighter packs, we headed for the col at the start of the Northeast Ridge, staying mostly on snow from the camp and traversing some steeper bits, arriving at the col within an hour or so. An improbably bold mountain goat was up there with us, posing on top of the ridge as we racked up.

High on the ridge with great views of the range

Soaking in views on the descent from just below the summit

The climb started pretty chossy, but soon improved in rock quality as we got higher. We fought to stay true to the ridge, climbing back to it whenever we'd traversed a short ways. The climbing was quite fun, with low 5th class moves here and there and lots of 4th class terrain. We did the whole ridge in a series of simul-climbing blocks and arrived at the summit at about 6:30pm. Black is pretty high at 8,970 feet and is somewhat solitary with awesome views of the North Cascades all the way down to Rainier. We soaked the view in for a bit before scrambling off the summit block, packing up our gear, and scrambling down the 4th and 3rd-class South Ridge staring at Goode the whole time, reminding me of last summer's climb up the Northeast Buttress with Kelsey.

Snow was continuous from the col down to camp and we had a great time boot skiing down nearly all of it. The descent went quite fast and we were back at the tent before 8pm with plenty of time to soak in the sunset while having dinner and a bit of whiskey. We hiked out the next morning with our sights set on one more climb before getting back to Seattle.

This route was great. I think we timed the conditions really well—there was quite a bit of snow left on the talus field to Lewis Lake and again from camp to the Northeast Ridge col as well as from the South Ridge col back to camp, but there was only a little bit of snow on the ridge itself that was easy to get around. I'd put this ridge climb up there in terms of climbing and views with some of the other classics in the North Cascades!

Northwest Face on Liberty Bell

July 11, 2018

After waiting out some weather on the first day of our staycation, Colin and I headed up from our campsite at Lone Fir to the Blue Lake Trailhead and hiked up for the Liberty Bell. While it was forecast to be a pretty warm day, the NW Face looked a bit chilly in the morning, so we decided to do a warm-up route in the sun first, selecting Rapple Grapple based on reviews, the position, and having been up the Beckey Route before.

Rapple Grapple was quite fun, with good rock and movement throughout. We started climbing just before noon and met the Beckey Route near the summit at about 1pm. After lunch on top, we rapped down to the gully and traversed over to the NW Face, gearing up there around 3pm. We were surprised to find another party starting just before us that late in the afternoon on a weekday and chatted them up throughout the climb at the belays.

The first pitch isn't terribly memorable—some low-angle slot climbing past a bit of shrubbery to a nice sandy ledge. The second pitch has fun movement off the belay for 20 feet or so through a left-leaning ramp with a roof above it before turning up and going through sandier, looser terrain to another big ledge system.

The third pitch was pretty engaging and a bit spooky for my liking with hollow flakes and marginal protection. The final traverse rightward to the left-facing corner was the trickiest part and had some great movement.

Pitch four was advertised as the winner and it delivered. After working through a series of varied moves up the corner, I found myself a bit confused near the top as the crack in the dihedral thinned out and didn't look protectable while the beta implied a ledge on the right. I eventually kept moving up and was happy to find just enough friction, holds, and protection to keep going. This corner deposited me on a ledge straight up where I brought Colin up and we then simul-climbed up for our second summit of Liberty Bell that day.

Popping out from the crux onto the final traverse to the summit on the East Ridge

East and South Ridges on Ingalls Peak

July 8, 2018

With a perfect forecast on Sunday, Erica and I left Seattle at 7am bound for Ingalls Peak. I'd hiked past Ingalls twice before on my way to Stuart's North and West Ridges, but hadn't yet stopped to sample the goods.

We left the car at about 9:15am and were above the lake on some rocks having a snack about 2 hours later, headed first for the East Ridge of Ingalls. After a bit of snow in the couloir, we were geared up and starting the climb before 12:30pm with nobody ahead of us on the route—surprising given the peak's popularity and the forecast. The first pitch was fun for a few moves, then a bit loose and dirty, then ok up to the notch—it looked looser than it was.

Down-climbing on the second pitch of the East Ridge

From the notch I angled across the ramp to a fun move which gained the ramp next to the gendarme. I down-climbed the far side and kept going around the next rise to the following notch where I brought Erica up. The next bit was very short and steeper climbing on good rock to the base of a quick ridge. I scooted across this and wove my way around some boulders, across another spine and just barely rope stretched to the base of the crux, which was clear since the ledge petered out and the climbing on either side was much steeper. The crux itself felt pretty straightforward and protected well and I was soon on the final traverse to the summit. Erica made it up and we enjoyed clear views while finishing our lunch at 3pm.

Climbing the second pitch of the South Ridge

We'd decided the night before that, if we were moving quick enough, we'd climb the South Ridge too, so, after rapping down, we immediately climbed back up. The first pitch went quickly and then we got in a bit of a traffic jam with two parties on their way down and a party ahead of us on the way up. After a bit of hanging out, we climbed the fun second pitch in easy, off-angle cracks and then the short last pitch to the final anchor at about 5:45pm. We rapped down again, packed things up and scooted down the snow back to the rock scramble above the lake before hiking out, reaching the car at 8:30pm or so.

Great day and fun climbing. Approach shoes worked fine for all of it, which was nice and comfy—type 1 fun the whole way, minus the hike in and out!