Headlee Pass and Vesper Lake, Sunrise Mine
Jun 28, 2009
by
fitclimb
—
last modified
Jun 29, 2009 09:55 AM
- Type of Outing
- Day hike
- Read More in our Hiking Guide
- Hike: Headlee Pass and Vesper Lake
- Region: North Cascades -- Mountain Loop Highway
- Agency: Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, Darrington Ranger District, (360) 436-1155
- Trails: Sunrise Mine Trail (#707)
- Avg Rating: 3.38
- Read More in our Hiking Guide
- Hike: Sunrise Mine
- Region: North Cascades -- Mountain Loop Highway
- Trails: Sunrise Mine (#707)
- Avg Rating: 3.40
- Be Aware Of
- Bridge out
- Snow on trail
Climbing up to Headlee pass, lower portion of chute
This was the earliest we'd hiked up through Headlee pass and we weren't disappointed. We were going to climb Sperry and then follow the ridge to Vesper but Sperry had more snow and less exposed holds for our comfort level and so we just went up Vesper. The trail is mostly clear, you do pass a creek about 30 minutes into the hike that requires balancing on a few logs to cross, and can be scary for novices. We hit snow at 3000 feet in Wirtz basin and continued up the valley with spots where the trail can be seen, heading up the valley it's hard to miss the turn to Headlee Pass. Most of the way up the pass is in snow, we kick stepped all the way and used ice axes on the last 2/3 for safety. After the pass it was easy going in patches of snow and dirt to Vesper Lake. Followed a small boot trail to the top of Vesper, made it from car to summit in 4 hours. Great Glissading on the way down, it took us 2.5 hrs to get back to the car.
I've added more pics on www.fitclimb.com
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Sperry Peak from South
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Vesper and route up
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