Suiattle Crest 50 Mile Adventure Run Loop
Colin Abercrombie and I completed a 50 mile adventure run loop in the Glacier Peak Wilderness that includes 12,500+ ft of elevation gain and passes through six passes (Little Giant Pass, High Pass, Buck Creek Pass, Suiattle Pass, Cloudy Pass, Spider Gap). We did the loop in 13:37, but our progress was often slowed by stops to photograph the amazing scenery. A large portion of this extremely aesthetic loop follows near the Cascade crest along the Suiattle River drainage, hence the name “Suiattle Crest 50 mile.” While we climbed no summits, the alpine flavor and grand vistas along the way make this a classic outing.
Alternatively, the movie can watched on YouTube.
Colin designed this giant loop which is remarkably close to 50 miles in distance and covers virtually all the highlights in the region. There are essentially two scenic areas of the loop – the Napeequa Valley/High Pass region and the Lyman Lakes area – separated by 10+ miles of relatively uninteresting trail in the woods between Buck Creek Pass and Suiattle Pass, with a significant extra hill climb over Middle Ridge. We started at Little Giant TH and I recommend doing the route clockwise beginning with the climb up to Little Giant Pass. The first 16 miles from Little Giant TH to High Pass are the most arduous with the steepest climbs, brush (very wet and very cold from dew in the morning), some off-trail travel, and routefinding issues. After High Pass, the complexities are mainly over as the trails improve allowing for more running. Doing the loop clockwise provides for a relatively easy 13-mile finish along the Phelps Creek Trail and dirt road from Phelps Creek TH back to Little Giant TH. A shorter option that is very popular with backpackers is the ~37 mile Spider Gap/Buck Creek Pass Loop. This option avoids the complexities of Napeequa Valley and the ascent to High Pass, but the beautiful scenery in the Napeequa Valley and around High Pass is well worth the extra effort and mileage.
Location (Elevation): Time Elapsed / Split / Real Time
Little Giant TH (2,600 ft) : 0 / 0 / 04:55
Little Giant Pass (6,409 ft) : 1:35:24 / 1:35:24 / 06:30
High Pass (6,876 ft) : 5:35:31 / 4:00:06 / 10:31
Buck Creek Pass (5,796 ft) : 6:43:15 / 1:07:43 / 11:38
Cloudy Pass (6,420 ft) : 9:18:52 / 2:35:37 / 14:14
Spider Gap (7,040 ft) : 11:00:02 / 1:41:09 / 15:55
Phelps Creek TH (3,500 ft) : 12:42:38 / 1:42:36 / 17:38
Little Giant TH (2,600 ft) : 13:37:23 / 54:45 / 18:42
Clark Mountain from Little Giant Pass
Napeequa Valley
Walrus Glacier
Clark Mountain and Richardson Glacier
Luahna and Pilz Glacier
Glacier Peak from High Pass
View across Buck Creek Valley to Fortress and Chiwawa
Upper Suiattle River
Meadows!
Miners Ridge and Plummer Mountain
Carpet of trees below Suiattle Pass
Agnes Creek Valley from near Suiattle Pass
View of Lyman Lakes Basin and Chiwawa Mountain from Cloudy Pass
Lower Lyman Lake
Bonanza Peak
Lyman Glacier Remnant
Spider Meadows and Phelps Creek Valley
Gear:
La Sportiva Fireblade Trail Running Shoes, SaltStick electrolyte caps, Clif Shot Bloks, Ultimate Direction Handholders and the Ultimate Direction Wasp pack.
Trail Conditions Report:
The forest service has done a good job logging out the Little Giant Pass Trail and the Phelps Creek Trail. Napeequa Valley is brushy, and the brush is very wet and very cold in the morning! The path up to High Pass is difficult to spot as it climbs from the Napeequa Valley, but it is worth looking for. The path is a bit overgrown, but nothing compared to the slide alder mess you will encounter otherwise. There are a few large logs remaining on the stretch between Buck Creek Pass and Suiattle Pass to jump over or walk around.
Ok that's just Krazie, and impressive! Nice work.
Shouldnt you have invited Jason Hummel? You high energy buggers!
"If destruction be our lot we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen we must live through all time or die by suicide."
— Abraham Lincoln
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"If destruction be our lot we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen we must live through all time or die by suicide."
— Abraham Lincoln
Even if i was physical capable of some thing like that....mentally it would be impossible for me to quickly pass through country like that. Way too much eye candy.
"Bears couldn't care less about us....we smell bad and don't taste too good. Bugs on the other hand see us as vending machines." - WetDog
Albuterol! it's the 11th essential
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"Bears couldn't care less about us....we smell bad and don't taste too good. Bugs on the other hand see us as vending machines." - WetDog
Albuterol! it's the 11th essential
"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke
"Ignorance is natural. Stupidity takes commitment." -Solomon Short
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"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke
"Ignorance is natural. Stupidity takes commitment." -Solomon Short
Yowza! that is incredible, makes my knees ache just thinking about it. I agree with Hulk that I'd have trouble not hanging around to take pix, but you do a great job on the run. I'd also be interested in what and how much you ate and drank. Also what emergency gear did you bring in case someone got hurt and had to hang out overnight?
Even if i was physical capable of some thing like that....mentally it would be impossible for me to quickly pass through country like that. Way too much eye candy.
Agreed, agreed, agreed.
Impressive, but not for me!
ok ... so much for raggin on speed .. i mean for the sake of stopping long enough to smell the fleurs .. you guys still manage to get in some great moments to enjoy the scenery and take some mighty fine photos ... way to go AGAIN!! amazing stats .. herculean effort .. esp when looking at the past few weeks combined and all that you've accomplished ..
when do you plan to do the wonderland?? .. forget i said that .. i know you can't annouce .. but i expect a record breaker soon
PHOTOSFILMSKeep a good head and always carry a light bulb. – Bob Dylan
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PHOTOSFILMSKeep a good head and always carry a light bulb. – Bob Dylan
Thanks for the TR. I keep looking for more data points on the following: How would you rate the danger at the following points, for a solo Plain Old Hiker (not climber) with family responsibilities?
1. The descent from Little Giant Pass to the Napeequah. I've heard that at spots "to trip would be bad" or "a misstep could add you to the casualty list".
2. The scramble (?) just N of High Pass, getting to the start of more trail.
Also, if someone wanted to spend a few minutes improving the start (bottom) of the alder-mess trail starting up from the Napeequa to High Pass, would a one-handed pruning shear suffice or would you need a saw?
Conrad, I wouldn't think either of those sections would be horribly sketchy.
The interesting part would be going up the valley and hanging the right to get up into the valley that leads up toward High Pass.
"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke
"Ignorance is natural. Stupidity takes commitment." -Solomon Short
0
"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke
"Ignorance is natural. Stupidity takes commitment." -Solomon Short
Thanks!
- Food: Clif Shot Bloks are my food of choice. They are easy to use, clean (unlike Gels), and provide lots of electrolytes. I also bring some PowerBars and Balance Bars.
- Electrolytes: I use SaltStick electrolyte caps, the only electrolyte capsule formulated to closely resemble the electrolyte profile lost during activity. They are crucial to minimizing cramping and fatigue.
- Little Giant Descent: I actually found it to be a little sketchy in spots where the tread has completely disappeared on the steep slope or where it is overgrown. Definitely not running terrain or even fast walking, but not a problem if you exercise caution.
- Scramble north of High Pass: There is a boulder field to cross north of High Pass and then you hit trail all the way to Buck Creek Pass so no problems.
- Alder mess out of Napeequa: We actually could not locate the path for about 25 minutes because the grass and brush has grown so much this year, but it is definitely worth finding. The alder is not really the problem, more so the seasonal brush (ferns, salmonberry, etc.) so a pair of loppers will go a long way.
pantilat--I am amazed at some of the trips shown here--congratulations on an amazing trip. Love the pictures. I did the loop the other way a few years ago-- parked at the Little Giant TH and walked the road first. We took a more relaxed four days to do it though. This did allow us to add to the views by make a side trip out Minors ridge to the lookout and Image Lake. This filled in a great view area between Lyman lake and Buck Creek pass. We did not find the trail dropping down into the Napeequa so just went down through the slide alder--I was glad we were going down and not trying to climb up. The only route finding issue was staying on the brush covered trail in the Napeequa valley.
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