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.
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.
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.
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.
