ZakG - Apr 25, 2017 1:41 am Date Climbed: Jun 30, 2013
From Spectacle Lake
What a beautiful summit. I could see downtown Seattle and Ellensburg at the same time. The rock towers below Lemah Two were gorgeous.
http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=1108220
gimpilator - Aug 8, 2015 4:33 am Date Climbed: Aug 7, 2015
Single Day Ascent via Mineral Creek
Single day ascent via Mineral Creek trail. 18.5 hours car-to-car. We came via Park Lakes and Glacier Lake and Chikamin Lake an then Lemah summit #1 and finally the central #3. A long day but very rewarding. The tarn east of Lemah #2 is probably the most picturesque one I have ever seen.
This is an excellent route and I'm not sure why it's not done more often. Did this as a very long day trip, camping out at the Pete Lake TH. Note, the Owhi Campground was crazy busy, and Pete Lake and the area appeared to be quite full of backpackers.
Smoot's beta has inaccuracies on this one. This route is about 20 miles RT. At the first junction beyond Pete Lake, do not go left to cross the creek, but instead go right 0.8 miles. Here you'll reach the PCT, and go left and continue about another 0.8 miles to Lemah Creek. This is where the PCT bridge is destroyed and crossing does not appear to be safe. Good news...you don't cross the creek. A very old trail exists along the North side of Lemah Creek. It fades in and out, and there is occasional flagging. The first 400 vertical feet after leaving the PCT is overgrown with deadfall, but the bushwhacking is not that horrible and you'll make it to the meadow. At the end of the meadow, the old trail works through the slide alder, but it's not easy to pick up. I took off my boots and worked around it in the cold creek. But on the descent, I could see a definite line in the slide alder, and found the old pathway that goes through. Not bad. This must have been more popular once upon a time. Another note: a decent campsite exists at the PCT/Lemah Creek junction, right where the old trail starts.
High up, hit the crux scramble at about the highest spot of snow. Easy step off onto rock. From below, it looked like the moat would be impassible, but it worked out. The wet chimney scramble was a little exciting, especially coming down. A couple moves of c4. Cruiser the rest of the way.
Thanks go to SmilingWhiteKnuckles' trip report at Cascade Climbers.
Long, dull backpack in to Spectacle lake from Cooper lake. Then the unpleasant bushwhack, talus, and scree begin to get on top of the 5,600 ft sub-alpine ridge where I bivied. Moderate snow to rock band (be careful of the moats), class 3-4 scrambling, more snow, more scrambling. Fantastic summit and view in the "Pickets of the Central Cascades". 6.5 hrs car to bivy, 11.5 hrs day 2, to summit and back to car. Should have tried the some other "fingers" as well. Will go back sometime to do that.
zhong - Aug 10, 2022 1:38 am Date Climbed: Jul 31, 2022
Lemah via Chikamin Lake, from Mineral Creek THTrip report:
https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/trip-reports/trip_report.2022-08-08.1033879780
ZakG - Apr 25, 2017 1:41 am Date Climbed: Jun 30, 2013
From Spectacle LakeWhat a beautiful summit. I could see downtown Seattle and Ellensburg at the same time. The rock towers below Lemah Two were gorgeous.
http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=1108220
gimpilator - Aug 8, 2015 4:33 am Date Climbed: Aug 7, 2015
Single Day Ascent via Mineral CreekSingle day ascent via Mineral Creek trail. 18.5 hours car-to-car. We came via Park Lakes and Glacier Lake and Chikamin Lake an then Lemah summit #1 and finally the central #3. A long day but very rewarding. The tarn east of Lemah #2 is probably the most picturesque one I have ever seen.
thundercloud - Sep 1, 2014 4:21 pm Date Climbed: Jul 26, 2014
Lemah Glacier via Lemah CreekThis is an excellent route and I'm not sure why it's not done more often. Did this as a very long day trip, camping out at the Pete Lake TH. Note, the Owhi Campground was crazy busy, and Pete Lake and the area appeared to be quite full of backpackers.
Smoot's beta has inaccuracies on this one. This route is about 20 miles RT. At the first junction beyond Pete Lake, do not go left to cross the creek, but instead go right 0.8 miles. Here you'll reach the PCT, and go left and continue about another 0.8 miles to Lemah Creek. This is where the PCT bridge is destroyed and crossing does not appear to be safe. Good news...you don't cross the creek. A very old trail exists along the North side of Lemah Creek. It fades in and out, and there is occasional flagging. The first 400 vertical feet after leaving the PCT is overgrown with deadfall, but the bushwhacking is not that horrible and you'll make it to the meadow. At the end of the meadow, the old trail works through the slide alder, but it's not easy to pick up. I took off my boots and worked around it in the cold creek. But on the descent, I could see a definite line in the slide alder, and found the old pathway that goes through. Not bad. This must have been more popular once upon a time. Another note: a decent campsite exists at the PCT/Lemah Creek junction, right where the old trail starts.
High up, hit the crux scramble at about the highest spot of snow. Easy step off onto rock. From below, it looked like the moat would be impassible, but it worked out. The wet chimney scramble was a little exciting, especially coming down. A couple moves of c4. Cruiser the rest of the way.
Thanks go to SmilingWhiteKnuckles' trip report at Cascade Climbers.
sprosseda - Jul 23, 2013 5:16 pm Date Climbed: Jul 12, 2013
SE faceLong, dull backpack in to Spectacle lake from Cooper lake. Then the unpleasant bushwhack, talus, and scree begin to get on top of the 5,600 ft sub-alpine ridge where I bivied. Moderate snow to rock band (be careful of the moats), class 3-4 scrambling, more snow, more scrambling. Fantastic summit and view in the "Pickets of the Central Cascades". 6.5 hrs car to bivy, 11.5 hrs day 2, to summit and back to car. Should have tried the some other "fingers" as well. Will go back sometime to do that.