Vesper Peak — Friday, Sep. 9, 2011

North Cascades > Mountain Loop Highway

One of the most beautiful and varied hikes I've been on. I'll skip the details since they're well covered elsewhere. The trail up to Headlee Pass is obvious most of the time; look for kairns when crossing talus. Once at the outflow of Sperry Lake, take the ridge on the left to the peak; should be pretty obvious. The lake was still mostly frozen and there was snow most the rest of the way up,except in one area of the rdige with shrubby trees. Our day was warm and sunny and the snow soft and grippy, but I think the nights are cold enough now that you might encounter ice on the snow fields. Though we didn't use crampons or ice axes, they may be needed very soon. There's a terracache box at the summit. If you want to particpate, bring something to exchange!