Fortress Mtn. (8674) Helmet Butte (7366) — Wednesday, Jun. 29, 2005

Fellow wta trailhiker who posts under the screenname ""Meganerd"" joined me for this outing into Glacier Peak Wilderness. We spent the night at the trailhead for the Buck Creek/Chiwawa River trail in the parking area adjacent to Trinity at the end of the Chiwawa River Road. We left at 0500 assuring us of enough daylight hours to complete the climbs. The trail crosses Phelps Creek soon after the start and after 2 3/4 miles crosses the Chiwawa River leading then into Buck Creek valley. The trail is in wonderful shape and we hiked another 6 miles before heading up a climbers path into the basin draining Pass No Pass. Just before reaching the pass we angled NE up a steep heather slope to connect with the ridge that separates Snohomish Co. from Chelan Co. We stayed on the ridge jumping over to the north side when the route to the summit became apparent with the lifting of the clouds. This is principally a Class 2 route from the south with short sections of Class 3. The quietness and beauty of the surroundings belies the titanic forces that occasionally visit the area. The ground has deposits of pumice from prior eruptions of Glacier Peak. We passed rock wall displays of migmatite with its characteristic wavy pattern of blended rocks which solidified before becoming homogenous like poorly blended cake batter. We used our ice axes only briefly to kick steps up a snowfield before reaching the summit six hours after starting. We couldn't find the register so I left one for future parties. We lingered on the top enjoying the peaks and watching Dakobed (i.e Great white mother, ""Glacier Peak"") wake up slowly with its cap of clouds slow to burn off. I decided to also climb Helmet Butte but Meganerd had to return to Seattle for an engagement. So we parted ways near Pass No Pass. Soon thereafter I dropped my pack to lighten the load and climbing with only a helmet and ice axe quickly gained the summit from the NE. The views into the Suiattle Valley and neighboring peaks were breathtaking. I startled two goats who were also enjoying the views at the very top. As they gambolled off I was reminded of a legend within the Sauk tribe. Nels Bruseth was a Forest Ranger, naturalist, and author of ""Indian Stories and Legends of the Stillaguamish, Sauks, and Allied Tribes."" His name is immortalized by nearby Bruseth Mtn. but through his written words he passes on the history of this area he called home since his birth in 1889. Dakobed was not always located where it is presently. Long ago it was situated far away in an area SE of Wenatchee where a large pile of red rocks can be found. A tribe of mountain goats lived beneath a glacier at that locale. The roof of their home was held up by a large pole. To make a long story short the ever-trickster coyote whittled away at the pole to make kindling for a fire sending the glacier crashing down. The tribe of goats travelled a long way and made their new home where it is today. The goats were loosing their winter coats and handfulls of it were at one location where they had rolled in a dirt pile. The Suiattle Valley came close to having a road built through it. A bill was introduced and passed the state legislature in 1905 appropriating money to construct a road from Wenatchee to the Red Mtn District mining interests. L.A. Navarre was in charge of the survey party and wanted the road to cross Buck Creek Pass and then descend into the Suiattle valley to connect with Darrington. No bids were received for the job and the use of convict labor to get the job done was entertained briefly. Thankfully the proposal lost steam and died or the views from Helmet Butte summit would be less inspiring. One final point of interest from this vantage point should be mentioned. Arthur Ford studied geology under Peter Misch (Mt Misch) at UW. His informative dissertation on the Geology of the Glacier Peak Quadrangle can be reviewed at the Suzzallo library. His study of the area revealed a lake used to exist from the water of Chocolate Creek being dammed by a pyroclastic debris pile. The lake was analogous to the one currently found at Spirit Lake near Mt. St. Helens. Well the area was quite tranquil during my brief visit and will hopefully remain so for the next visitor. I returned via the same trail down Buck Creek. Car-to-car 12 1/2 hrs; Distance travelled, 21 miles; Elevation gain, 7,000 feet.