cascades – Alpine Stewards

This trip report was a hard one to write and I hope in time my memories fade and I can look back a little more fondly on the climb. But until then I can say this was one of the hardest/worst climbs I have done in my climbing career so far. It might have been that fitness wasn’t where it should have been or maybe I just wasn’t mentally ready for the bushwhacking involved.

My friend Josh and I had been scoping out a couple of different options and eventually settled on Jumbo Mountain because there was a recent trip report from the Mountaineers and it was right in the neighborhood of Whitehorse and Three Fingers. Based on the trip report it sounded like a moderate scramble and great opportunity to enjoy the beautiful weather and get to see this part of the Cascades up closer than I had been before.

Knowing we wanted to get an early start and some route finding was going to be needed we spent the night at the trailhead so we could hit the trail right at sunrise. The first .9 miles is all flat and we cruised along until we found the 3 rock cairn which marked the start of the real challenge. From there the trail turned from flat and beautiful to basically no trail at all. For some reason I was struggling spotting the tiny pieces of occasional flagging but Josh was able to see some. Sadly I didn’t take any photos but some of this flagging was about the size of a postage stamp. One of my biggest mistakes of the trip was wearing shorts because the weather forecast predicted it to be very warm. The sheer amount of bushwhacking however meant that was a very bad decision on my part.

Just a small taste of the fun that we had

We doggedly pressed on following the trip report from the mountaineers trip and the gpx track from PeakBagger. Crossing the first gully wasn’t bad at all but we cliffed out trying to cross the second gully. Finally we found our way across the second gulley and hit the last section in the trees. This part got steep and after climbing higher and finding the aptly named Magic Corrider we finally left the trees and could see our objective.

Taking a refreshing break and filling up with water from snowmelt we put on our mountaineering boots and crampons and started the final push. There was no technical difficulties on this upper section but it was a hot day and getting hotter. Knowing speed was essential we pushed on while keeping on eye open for any hazards ahead and above. The last steep section of snow was finally completed and then an easy class 2 scramble on the rock ridge and finally we were at the summit. Seeing the old Mountaineers summit tube and finding the drawn map inside was such a treat. Josh had cell service and was able to get a quick call into his wife as well.

Hand drawn guide for climbing Jumbo Mountain

We inhaled some food, hydrated, and signed the summit register before quickly heading back down as we didn’t want to linger too long with the snow getting baked in the sun. Josh had a nice 1k or so glissade down and I again regretting the decisions on wearing shorts while I ran after him. In no time at all we were back at the tree line and not looking forward to the rest of the descent.

Based on the amount of fun we had coming up we knew the descent through the trees was going to be brutal. I predicted that I was going to spend a lot of time slipping and falling and I was completely correct. I also managed to lose my favorite pair of sunglasses and also a lens cap from my camera. Several long grueling hours we finally made it back to the trailhead and celebrated our accomplishment of climbing Jumbo Mountain.

Glacier Peak looking fantastic as always

Looking back the climb and ascent it was certainly worth it to get some pretty spectacular view of Squire Creek Wall and Whitehorse Mountain. It’s probably a view that not many people get as evidenced by the summit log it is not done frequently. It was certainly a challenge and one that I can say with pride I did, and one I would not do again.

White Horse from a perspective that not many see

A sunny end of March Saturday in the PNW, low avalanche conditions, and plenty of good snow on the ground? That sounds like a great day to get a ski tour in. My friend Walt and I discussed several different options and settled on trying a tour at Jim Hill Mountain along Highway 2. Jim Hill Mountain is known as a great moderate ski tour that had been on his list for a while. I was looking to continue to expand the area in which I tour and just generally get more skiing in to build up my skills as I am still in the gumby phase.

We started the tour at the Lanham Lake trailhead which is also where the Nordic Center is. There is two separate parking lots so make sure and park in the correct one before the gates so you don’t get locked in. Also, be respectful of the nordic trail that you have to cross over. Soon we were headed up and making good time to Lanham Lake.

The ridgeline to the left is where we were headed. Jim Hill Mountain is the second peak to the left.

The real fun started though once we started up the ridgeline where the goal was to gain the saddle at 5520 ft of elevation. The skin track that we were following was cut aggressively and had slightly frozen so both of us had a terrible time making forward progress. We were both regretting not having ski and split board crampons with us as we burned far more calories than we should have skinning up.

From the saddle we finally could see what we had worked so hard for.

Finally we hit the saddle and rewarded ourselves with lunch. The sun continued to shine which lifted our spirits and also meant an application of sunscreen. Soon we hit the trail again to gain the last 1000ft of vertical to the top.

*Glacier Peak just barely visible through the clouds*

Our optimistic plan was to go for the summit of Jim Hill but as we got closer we had a decision to make. The true summit required a slight deviation from the line we wanted to ski and involved us going for the saddle in this photo then climbing the ridge to the left. It was getting late in the day and crossing underneath all of the snow blasted trees under the summit that had been getting sun baked didn’t seem wise. We had expended a lot of energy gaining the ridge so we also would have been slow in a place where we needed to be fast. Agreement was made to not go for the summit and just chase the pow instead.

Jim Hill Mountain is the peak on the left with the saddle we would need to gain in the center.

Soon we were at the eastern saddle where most people drop in to ride the lines heading north east. We did a quick detour to the false summit as the views were too good to pass up as you can see.

Another skier putting in the work on the uphill track

Mount Stuart dominating the view to the south

Big Chiwaukum to the east. If you look closely you can see the skin tracks of someone that skied the right side couloir.

We quickly strapped in though and prepared to get some turns in. I snagged a couple of photos of the other split boarders as they dropped in and they came out great. I definitely did not look as excited dropping in as they did as it was a little steeper than I liked.

I survived though and found a safe spot to get shots of Walt getting some great turns in.

After all that fun we made it back to Highway 2, which we then had to hike back up .5 miles to get to the vehicle. As you can see a very solid day from my Strava track though for some reason I ended up with way more vertical gain than it was. It should be right around 4k in vertical gain.

I will definitely be coming back to tour this one again. Though next time avoiding the Lanham Lake trailhead to start and just directly coming up the Henry Creek side would be my recommendation.

As always check out my Photography Website for some of my favorite photos from my adventures.

Tag: cascades

Jumbo Mountain Scramble and Bushwhack Party

Jim Hill Mountain Ski Tour