East Slope : Climbing, Hiking & Mountaineering : SummitPost

East Slope

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Page Type: Route

Location: Washington, United States, North America

GPX File: Download GPX » View Route on Map

Route Type: Hiking, Scrambling

Season: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter

Time Required: Most of a day

Difficulty: Off trail

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Page By: don frazier

Created/Edited: Apr 26, 2011 / Apr 28, 2011

Object ID: 712063

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Page Score: 85.89% - 1 Votes

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Table of Contents

Overview

As the crow flies, this route is the shortest distance from car to summit (approx. 2 mi.). It is also a steep route that gains 4200' in the short distance. It involves complete off trail travel and I found it to be a nice easy navigation. There are some very minor cliff bands along the way; however these are easy to bypass. The route is almost entirely in trees except the last several hundred feet. There could be several different options for the final upper slopes. One could finish by using the southern slopes to the final summit or traversing NW into the basin on the north flank and meeting the standard route. I chose a finish along the NE ridge that required a short traverse under a couple false summits on their northern side.

Getting There

Take Hwy 2 to the Money creek campground turnoff (approx milepost 46) and turn right. Follow this road for one mile and then turn right onto Miller River road 6410. Follow this road for approx. 2 miles to Miller River campground. From the campground drive further up the road exactly 1/2 mile and find a spot to park on the east side of the road. The route heads up the hillside due west.

Route Description

I did this route in late April of a very snowy year so conditions could be different than stated here, depending what time of year it is done.The general rule of this route is to head due west. At times one will have to vear slightly SW and NW to get around obstacles, but always try to keep a due west heading. The first 1500' of gain are the worst. There are a lot of downed trees to navigate around and lots of slippery logs and holes hidden under ferns and leaves. Surprisingly, there is very little brush to contend with! After the first 500' a small cliff band is encountered and can be bypassed by heading climbers right. Once around the cliff band a very small stream is encountered, (could be seasonal) cross the creek to the right bank and continue up due west again. At around 2800' I shifted my travel slightly SW, following up the left bank of another creek.I found a snow bridge to cross over the creek on at 3100' and continued up due west again. From here the slope starts narrowing to a rib and sky could be seen to the left and right; just keep following the trees that extended up the center. Shortly after, a ridge can be seen to the north across a drainage. Above 4200' another ridge comes into view to the south across a drainage.
At around 4700' some more cliffs appear and a descision to bypass left or right must be made. There was some snow dumping off the cliffs and out of the trees that were starting to pinwheel down the steep slope. Due to the considerable avalanche danger on all slopes except northern ones, I chose to head north and bypass the cliffs on the right. After getting around the cliffs the NE ridge is gained and travel direction shifts to SW; aiming towards the summit (which still cannot be seen). There are a couple small false summits that do not show up on the map. At the top of the first one, look in the background through the trees and to the right of the next false summit, and the true summit can be seen. Drop down the 30' from the first FS to the saddle and head right onto the north slope of the next false summit. Traverse SW just under its cliffs as the gentle northern basin spreads out below. At the far end of the traverse, head up south to regain the ridge. Now at the base of the final summit slope; go up and right around a corner. Take a short steep gulley up and pop out on a small bench east of the summit and 30' below. A short steep slope leads to the top.
After reaching the summit it appeared as though one could have also went left to bypass the cliffs at 4700'; traversed through the trees SW and then headed up slope NW to reach the small bench east of the summit.

Essential Gear

Map, compass, treking poles, ice axe, snowshoes (winter/spring) crampons (late spring/early summer)

External Links

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red tape

This is not an officail trailhead so a park pass permit is not required. The road is designated as a winter recreation road past Miller River campground so check with the forest service to see if a snow park pass is required in the winter.

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