Ingalls Creek, Lake Ingalls — Friday, Jul. 23, 1999

Central Cascades > Blewett Pass

We had a grand tour planned for our first visit to the Stuart Range, taking Monday as a vacation day ""just in case"" we didn't make it out Sunday night. Trudging up Ingalls Way, we encountered only one blowdown, but I can't complain about it because by Monday someone had sawed it away! Just below Ingalls Pass the trail becomes snow covered, but there are plenty of tracks. My first view of Stuart gave me a nervous stomach, but I couldn't look away from it's craggy gendarmes and spooky black rock. We camped at a flat basin below the pass, and set off to climb Ingalls Peak via the South Ridge. The climb was great, but clouds rushed overhead in a screaming wind. We shoved ourselves into rocky corners on the summit like enterprising parasites, determined to have a relaxed 1 hour stay. Three rappels and downclimbing barely kept us warm until reaching the sheltered basin. With such terrible weather, we cancelled our next-day climb of the West Ridge on Stuart. Sleeping in, we lazily woke at 7 am to clear skies. Doh! We crashed down into the valley and up the other side to the base of the route, just east of Stuart Pass. Climbing some steep snow, we decided to go for the climb at the last minute. Wonderful scrambling followed, and our view of the mountain broke up into a series of towers, ridges and cliffs as we wound our way up and across. This was by far the biggest thing we'd ever tackled, and our apprehension gnawed at us as the sun travelled quickly across the sky. Finally I belayed Steve up the last steep pitch, and we walked 20 feet to the summit and a breathtaking sunset. With tears of happiness I signed the register, and we began descending. We only got as far as the false summit and huddled for warmth, sharing our last pieces of fruit leather. Happy to be moving at first light, the mountain heaved up more obstacles: steep icy snow to downclimb, an endless descent on blocks and scree, finally vertical bushwhacking in slide alder. Ok, back to trailtalk: The Ingalls Creek trail was, and snowfree up to a pretty meadow just below Lake Ingalls. I mostly zoned along, waking up for the occasional blowdown, but my eyes ever wandered to the imposing ridges and lonely towers of a great and terrible giant.