Leatherman Peak NNE Route

If you are going to climb Leatherman Peak, please seriouly consider this route. Start at West Fork of Pahsimeroi River, East side Lost River Range. The drive in from Highway 93 is about an hour and very rough, but well worth it. I'd never imagined the East side of the Lost River Range could hold such beauty. It reminds me of Garnett Canyon in the Tetons. Hike up the trail to Pass Lake which is somewhat hidden in places. Just keep Leatherman on your left and your headed in the correct direction. Once you reach a point in between peak 11,909 and Leatherman, head up the scree gulley. There is lots of solid rock on this slope and you can climb it all the way to the top. That's why I think this is such a great route. Without these patches of solid rock, the mountain is one big pile of scree. Another nice feature of this route is you are able to see the true summit for the entire climb. No false summits to overcome. Summited in 3hrs 45min then came down the NNW or West face to Leatherman Pass. This route was terrible. Nothing solid at all. Looking behind me on the descent, I couldn't imagine ascending this route. A better descent would have been back down ascent gulley; just surfing the scree fields. In my opinion, quicker and safer. Basically, I believe this route is less traveled than the Western route because of the drive to the trailhead. But for the die-hard with a high clearance vehicle, it's a jewel. Round trip up and back to trailhead was about 7hrs. I wouldn't even attempt the routes from Leatherman Pass. Hope this helps someone looking to bag Leatherman. It's quite an adventure.

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