Yakima Peak, Naches Peak

After checking the local pass cameras I came to the conclusion that the only place it was nice was down by Mt Rainier. BTW, great link for those seeking a view of the Olympics, Mt Rainier or the North Cascades is this air quality web site:

http://www2.nature.nps.gov/air/webcams/

(Currently out of service, not sure why)

I had wanted to do Yakima and Naches during a Fall color time of season, but this seemed like the perfect fit of a trip since I had been on a 27 mile mountain bike ride the night before and wasn't feeling like waking up early or doing a bigger trip.

I opted for Yakima first, and parked just SW of Chinook Pass at about the 5200' level in a gravel turnout. From this spot, I could look upslope to a false summit and the ridge I needed to gain. Open travel through calf high shrubs and breaks in the trees brought me to the ridge just W of that false summit. I used a short and easy gully to access the N side of the ridge where I ran into hard snow, but easy enough to travel. Passed another false summit staying on or on the N side of the ridge before finishing with what could barely be called a scramble.

Only took 30 minutes to reach the top. Nice large, flat rocky summit with great views of the surrounding area. I allowed myself some serious lounge time and picked up some trash left by morons. Looking over to Naches, I saw a steep looking ridge and snow filled gully just before the summit. Seeing how hard the snow was on Yakima, I had some doubts about including Naches in the day. Found out I had some cell service on the peak and called Randy to get some beta on Naches. His response was iffy, and after a bit of yakking on Yakima, I resumed lounge position.

Thirty minutes after leaving, I was back at my rig and wanted to further investigate Naches. I drove up and over Chinook Pass and turned around, getting a better view of the peak on the way back. Although looking at the snowy N slope, it still looked alot better than it had from Yakima.

I decided to go for it and parked at the uppermost Tipsoo Lake Overlook, directly between the lake and the summit. From my parking area, I headed straight up a grassy/snowy belt and worked through a couple minor obstructions, eventually gaining the ridge at 6300'.

Stayed on top of the ridge for just a short time before dropping to it's S side on a climbers path that eventually led me back up to the ridge top when the S slope began to cliff out.

Weather was moving in and this ridge is pretty exposed so the strong wind trying to blow me off was of added enjoyment. To top things off, I knew the dreaded ""10' step down"" was coming up. I found it, and it did offer some pause, but also provided good footholds and I was just happy to see it was not ice or snow covered. I was able to climb down it facing away and had no troubles, although anyone not comfortable with exposure/heights and scrambling should probably not venture this way. I would rate it a stiff Class 3 as is, but if it were just 5' higher I might say Class 4.

Now the summit was clearly in sight and the only thing I wondered about (snow hardness/steepness) turned out to be a non-issue. The slope did have poor run out, but was not as steep as I had thought and the snow firmness was easily workable. Since this entire adventure had been started late, dusk was approaching so I didn't linger long. Back down the ridge and up the step I went.

Back to the car in no time once off the ridge, just in time for thick fog to engulf the pass area and make for an adventurous drive home.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/climbercraig66/sets/