The beginning of the climb up Crystal Peak's south slopes starts at the ruins of a mining cabin, flattened by a century of wind and snow. This unique landmark cannot be seen from above for your descent, so pay attention to other landmarks on the slopes above to avoid loose and nasty terrain while going back down. If you manage to position yourself above these ruins for the descent, you'll save yourself some annoyance. These ruins are marked with an "X" (mining claim) on topo maps.

Fall, 2004. Digital photo by Aaron Johnson