Slow and steady gets you to the top of this challenging mountain. Carol had attempted this back in September of 2018 with Steve and me, but water streaming down steep slabs made us turn back before gaining the ridge. I had been to the top many years ago, and now Carol wanted to check this off her list.
It took us nearly three hours to get to the trailhead from Everett. The road we took was off the Mountain Loop Highway near the Beaver Lake trailhead. From the Northside Sauk River Road, we took the 24 Road onto the Decline Road (0.5 mi), then to the Upper Decline Road (5.1 mi), and finally a 0.6-mile spur to the trailhead. The roads weren’t too bad, but there were some big, water-filled potholes along the way. Most cars can probably make it, though the brush might be a deterrent if you're worried about scratches to your paint job.
We left the trailhead (4,900') around 9:30 AM, hiking a pleasant wooded trail that follows a ridge. There were about ten fallen, step-over trees along the way. A tall vertical rock horn makes for an interesting photo backdrop. The White Chuck Trail continues for 1.4 miles (per Gaia Topo map) to 5,700'. After that, a boot path climbs up a rock-filled gulley, crosses exposed rock, and then ascends another gulley to reach the ridge. Some moist dirt patches made the ascent slippery in places. The boot path continues below on the south side, then there's a gap to cross before heading up to the summit. We reached the top three hours after departing the trailhead. Near the summit, we encountered an icy patch that was easy to navigate around. A rare brass Mountaineer-labeled canister sits under some rocks at the top—look for it and sign in.
After eating lunch and photographing the breathtaking surroundings, we headed down the same way we came. We both used trekking poles but often let them dangle from our wrists to use the many handholds the rocks provided. Blueberries were mostly overripe but still hanging on until the freeze comes. We arrived back at the trailhead at 3:30 PM and saw no one else on this quiet weekday trip.
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