Last year I explored Web Mountain's west ridge by hiking mainly east and up, directly from the museum. I gained the ridge and hiked about a third of it before dropping off the north side into the basin below Dirty Harrys bathtub.
Equipped with intel from Bryan H., I gave it another shot on Tuesday.
the ridge itself is about 1.3 miles, and 2,350 feet of elevation gain
Bryan had pointed out where he accessed the route by leaving the DHPT at .20 miles from the "Log bench" view point. Basically right were the DHPT crosses the West Ridge.
If you reach the Museum trail turn around.
Finding a path of least resistance, scramble up the DHPT's upper bank (to your right). This puts you into thickish Oregon Grape. Not bad traveling. Before long the canopy thickens and the underbrush subsides.
I found remnants of a trail climbing up the steep pine needle covered terrain.
Came across what turned out to be Gnome Plants. Fun surprise.
Gnome Plant, Hermitomes Congestum.
Before long the Ridge becomes rockier and more well defined. I traveled on both sides, but mainly on the North side under the canopy. There's some bootpath in places. The south side is a little brushy.
Bryan mentioned staying on the ridge and avoid being drawn to the more open southern slopes.
This strategy seemed to work well. A bit of rocky scrambling and occasional bushwacking.
As you climb the trees thin and the views start to open up.
Breaking out of the forested ridge.
public/
views begin to open up.
public/
Scrambling the West Ridge of Web
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Granite creek drainage
First views of the summit let me know I still had a ways to go.
First summit views. It was still a long ways away.
Scrambling the West Ridge of Web
Scrambling the West Ridge of Web
Before too long I crossed paths with the/my normal Spring route (from the NW basin), then on to the top.
Scrambling the West Ridge of Web
Stats on the West Ridge, 1.3 miles (+/-), 2,350 ft of elevation gain (+/-).
Btw, I started from the Ira Springs TH, took the connector to DHPT, up the West Ridge of Web, ran the ridge to the Defiance trail, out the Mason Lake Trail. Made for a neat 9 mile, 4,300 ft elev gain loop.
Looking east, I ran the ridge, then hiked out the Mount Defiance/Mason Lake Trail.
I like this idea. Sounds like an interesting ridge route to the top and the loop is a nice way to finish. Thanks for sharing your adventure!
And the gnome plant is cool too!
Here on this mountaintop...Woahoho...I got some wild, wild life - Talking Heads
Now I Fly
Here on this mountaintop...Woahoho...I got some wild, wild life - Talking Heads
Thanks for the report. I climbed web once with my daughter (via the talus basin) and we tried to come down the ridge. But the rocky areas made her uncomfortable so we dropped back into the basin. It's so different than in winter with the snow smoothing over all the rocky points.
And your Gnome plant is so cool -- from what I read it's extremely rare so a lucky find. Recently I saw a large slime mold colony for the first time.
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