Page Type:
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Route |
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Lat/Lon:
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47.44669°N / 121.43038°W |
Route Type:
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Mountaineering, Trad Climbing, Scrambling |
Season:
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Spring, Summer, Fall |
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Time Required:
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Half a day |
|
Rock Difficulty:
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5.4 (YDS) |
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Grade:
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II |
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Overview
This is an exposed ridge which can be reasonably climbed in a day for a great tour of the Snoqualmie Pass area. The ridge connects with Mount Roosevelt allowing for an excellent traverse between the peaks. Despite the generally poor character of the rock in the area, the ridge is reasonably solid and with a substantial number of trees near the ridge crest anchors are relatively easy to find. This route is uncrowded, which allows for some escape from the crowds at Snow and Melakwa Lakes even on Summer weekends.Getting There
There are two practical options to reach the North Ridge of Kaleetan.1)Follow the instructions on the main page up Denny Creek to Melakwa Lake. Follow a boot track North past the lake inlet to the pass between Kaleetan and Chair, Melakwa Pass. From the pass drop down to Chair Peak Lake and continue traversing North past the lake. From here either make a generally due West scramble to the ridgeline or continue North to the basin at the base of Mount Roosevelt. Follow the instructions on the Mount Roosevelt page, here, to reach the summit of Roosevelt.
2)Follow the instructions on the Mount Roosevelt page to reach the summit of Roosevelt from Snow Lake. It is possible to cut to the South below the top of Roosevelt to intercept the North Ridge of Kaleetan.
Route Description
From the top of Mount Roosevelt make a descending traverse to the Southeast through trees until a a ledge system leads the way back West to a deep notch in the ridgeline. From this notch scramble southward, with the easiest terrain generally being on the West of the crest. Roughly a quarter of a mile from the notch a narrow knife-edge section is reached that should be climbed with care to where the ridge rises steeply again among trees and blocks. Winding back and forth across the ridge crest climb over low-fifth terrain 500 vertical feet or so to the summit.Descent
Follow the instructions on the main page to get back to Melakwa Lake. From the lake once can descend to Denny Creek or travel over Melakwa Pass to get to Chair Peak Lake and a boot track leading Northeast to Snow Lake and the Snow Lake Trail.The road distance between the Denny Creek Trailhead and the Snow Lake Trailhead is about 5 miles, with the Snow Lake Trailhead being about 800 feet higher in elevation than Denny Creek.