Lichtenberg Mountain — Sunday, Jul. 2, 2017

We took the Lichtenwasser Lake approach, a great day hike for those seeking adventure. The first half, from parking to lake, is 100% bushwacking on steep, forested slopes. After about 1000' of climbing, we arrived at the lake, absolutely stunning and pristine, with Lichtenberg rising at the far end.

A mostly obvious boot path works its way around the lake. We encountered snow patches on much of this section. At the head of the lake, we proceeded up the main valley to the saddle between the main peak and a smaller summit to the left (SE). This is a fairly steep combination of meadows and talus. Most of this was snow covered. If you climb now, you need to have self arrest experience, but I found no need for crampons or axe.

From the saddle, we simply walked the ridge to the summit, snow free. There's plenty of room at the top to spread out, eat lunch, and enjoy the views. There is a cragy second summit just to the west, overlooking Lake Valhalla. We did not attempt this and, I believe, it is a class 3 scramble.

We had beautiful clear weather. Very prominent to the north were Daniel and Hinman. To the left of that Stewart towered above the surrounding peaks. Rainier was showing its crest. Also Baker and Glacier were immediately recognizable.

If you try this route, be prepared for going through a lot of brush. We were able to almost completely avoid devil's club but we did have to push aside a lot of blueberry, manzanita (I think), various other tenuous shrubs, and small trees. As long as you continue up the fall line and stay near the lake's outlet stream, it would be hard to get lost. Coming down, the brush came in handy, literally, to help slow down the descent.