Sun Oct 05, 2008 11:02 pm Stabbed by color, Stiletto-Switchblade-Hock-Twisp 9/27-29/08
Dates: September 27-29, 2008
Destination: Dagger Lake 5508, Hock Mtn 7750, Twisp Mtn 7161, Stiletto Lake 6795, Switchblade Peak 7740, Stiletto Peak 7660 (USGS McAlester Mtn)
Party: Matt, Dicey, Cartman
For combo fall colors – red, gold, & green all together - the meadows high on the south side of Stiletto peak are the best I’ve ever seen.
And this was still a week before the larches had turned gold.
As we traversed along the top edge of the meadows, the colors were stop-you-in-your-tracks, jaw-dropping, tongue-hanging-out gorgeous.
The low autumn sun superbly highlighted the colors. As it echoed our traverse in its arc across the southern sky, it lit up everything in luminescent vivid color.
Bright red blueberries were mixed with darker green heather and white rocks carpeting the ground below, dark peaks were silhouetted against the sky above, and luminescent ranks of larches were shining brilliant emerald in their transition to gold as they marched across the horizon between.
Itinerary:
Saturday: Hike from Bridge Creek TH to Dagger Lake, via PCT & Twisp Pass trail. Side trip to Twisp Pass.
Sunday: Scramble Hock & Twisp Peaks. Move camp to Stiletto Lake.
Monday: Scramble Switchblade & Stiletto. Exit via Stiletto Spur trail.
Saturday
We started from the Bridge Creek trailhead (4400 ft) at 2pm, 9.5 hours after departing from Mountlake Terrace. (I'll explain the unhappy events at the Canadian border in a separate thread later. For now, let’s just say that the Canadian national anthem is far too melodic. It sticks in your head all weekend, provoking curses of frustration when it reminds you of the border rejection, and provoking your companions to demand that you quit whining about it.)
Anyway, we hiked the PCT and Twisp Pass trail to Dagger Lake. The lake itself turned out to be a muck-bottomed basin surrounded by a grassy marsh. Dicey and I briefly hiked a mile further up to Twisp Pass to check the view. Cartman spent the whole time gathering sticks so that we could have a fire in the fire ring of the campsite’s cook area.
Saturday Statistics:
TH 4500, junction 3650, Dagger Lake 5508
In 7 miles, 1900 cumulative gain
Sunday
We ascended Hock (7750) by traveling southwest to the huge boulder-filled basin below the peak, ascending talus and meadows to the 6800-foot col on Hock’s northwest ridge, and following the ridge to the summit. To our pleasant surprise, the basin and ridges were lined with bands of larches, mostly just beginning to change colors, but still a bright and pretty sight.
Hock Summit Views:
To reach Twisp Mtn (71610) , we descended back down Hock’s NW ridge, traversed east across the talus basin circa 6000 feet, and ascended the open red meadows on the righthand side of Twisp’s west face.
We enjoyed another summit break and then descended Twisp’s west ridge, down more red meadows and back into the forest.
We decided that “Stiletto Lake” 6795. perched high in its rock bowl, looked to be a much more inspiring camp than Dagger Lake, down in its marshy valley. We hiked partway to Twisp Pass, then just followed meadows upward to the lake. (Later we realized there is a distinct way trail all the way from Twisp Pass to the lake, which we could have intersected and used.) The lake was crystal clear water bounded mostly by the steep gray rocky cirque of Jacknife & Switchblade, but opening out to larches, meadows, and views on its south side. East of the lake, we found comfortable camps hidden in the trees, thus avoiding damage to the meadows at the lake’s outet.
The lake had already fallen into shade, and I watched shadows climb the eastern hillsides as the sun finished its descent.
The night fell dark and moonless. But the lake’s lambent surface still gleamed faintly with reflections of the rock walls above, rippled by the waves of a soft unfelt breeze. Lying back on the rocks, we watched the stars above burn fiercely distant in the black depths of the clear sky. A few shooting stars added quick streaks. With the North Star over Switchblade, the Big Dipper rotated slowly downward to scoop into the col at the head of the lake. A beautiful alpine night – sky and stars, rock and water.
Sunday Statistics:
Hock & Twisp from Dagger Lake, 8 hrs, 5.2 miles, 3500 gain.
Dagger Lake to Stiletto Lake, 1:30 hrs, 1.7 miles, 1300 gain
Monday
Morning brought golden alpenglow highlighting the western peaks and climbing down the rock walls to the lake and our camp.
Back at camp, the larches began to glow and the pikas came out to greet us.
To ascend Switchblade (7740), we followed the big talus field north, then turned upward as soon as we could get past the cliffs above, followed gullies till we could move right to the ridge crest circa 7400, and followed the crest to the summit. The gullies were 3rd class with some loose rock.
As we ascended, the lake became a lake became a bowl of blue hues showing its rocky shallows and depths.
Switchblade Summit Views:
Back at camp, I seized my chance to finally have a sunny day for an alpine swim. The water was cold, but felt it wonderfully refreshing to swim in such a beautiful place, floating in a bowl of crystal clear liquid suspended between rock and sky.
Then we traversed a mile westward to reach the col west of Stiletto’s named summit. The meadows were so gorgeous I felt they were pulling the eyes right out of my head. I could only stumble forward and stare in admiration. The photos really don't do it justice. Around every corner, a new composition of colors would catch my eye and stop me. Just taking a few steps would cause the sun to backlight a new slope of blueberries in raging red or a stand of larches in viridescent green. (I just made up that word - it's a combination of verdant and irridescent, for the the needles glowing with living emerald light.)
To ascend Stiletto (7660), we left our packs circa 6500 feet below Stiletto’s east col. We hiked up meadows and bouders to about 100 feet below the col, then traversed left and took the first long gully slanting upward toward the summit. The gully was mostly 3rd class, with a a few brief harder moves, but not exposed. On the summit, we found an old Mountaineers register can, originally placed in 1933 by REI member #1 Lloyd Anderson, with a note from Don Goodman explaining its history.
Stiletto Summit Views:
To exit, we traversed further west to reach the col between the Stiletto Lookout spur and Point 6420. Directly below our Stiletto were some large grassy meadows with water still running.
Further west, we had to sidehill around a bowl of trees to get to the last col.
At the col, we found no trail. We descended along drainage stream to 5800, then found the trail by traversing far to our right. The trail was making long switchbacks further to the right, north of where the maps seemed to show it. I think perhaps it comes up higher on the flank of the lookout spur. Once on the trail, we made easy progress back to Bridge Creek, and gained the 500 feet back uphill to the trailhead, arriving at 7pm
Back at the car, this trip’s mouse had left the trunk alone, but shredded some crackers I accidentally left in the back seat.
Monday Statistics:
Swtichblade 1000 gain from lake. Stiletto 1200 gain from meadow. Lake to TH 6.5 miles, 800 cumulative gain.
-------------- "Matt, you are truly full of it. But you take great --- pics, in spite of that." Scrooge
Joined: 02 Mar 2003 Posts: 8568 | TRs | Pics Location: Going to Tukwila
Mon Oct 06, 2008 1:01 am
Nice pics, Matt! Looks like you guys had prime conditions!
BTW - I've never met a person who's had more problems with mice than you. What is your car made out of anyway? Swiss cheese?
-------------- "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
Joined: 31 Oct 2004 Posts: 5828 | TRs | Pics Location: Conspiring in the Man Cave.
Mon Oct 06, 2008 8:07 am
Awesome Matt, I've been looking at that area, great fall colors and pics. I am waiting for the "indian summer", but remember last year the 2-3' of snow at Larck Lakes towards the end of October, so we will see.
-------------- I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary; the evil it does is permanent_Gandhi
Joined: 08 Jun 2003 Posts: 1882 | TRs | Pics Location: Round the Bend
Mon Oct 06, 2008 9:16 am Re: Hock, Twisp, Switchblade, Stiletto, 9/27 – 9/29/08
Matt wrote:
Back at camp, I seized my chance to finally have a sunny day for an alpine swim. The water was cold, but felt it wonderfully refreshing to swim in such a beautiful place, floating in a bowl of crystal clear liquid suspended between rock and sky.
Totally crazy but apparently clean! Well done trip and TR recap, thanks for the picture show ~Jo
Great backup plan. Whenever I head out, I usually have an alternate plan, just in case. So far, I've never had to use the alternate, but I'm sure I will at some point.
-------------- caminante, no hay camino,
se hace camino al andar
-Antonio Machado-
Tue Oct 07, 2008 6:37 pm Re: Stabbed by colors on Stiletto-Switchblade-Hock-Twisp 9/2
The night fell dark and moonless. But the lake’s lambent surface still gleamed faintly with reflections of the rock walls above, rippled by the waves of a soft unfelt breeze. Lying back on the rocks, we watched the stars above burn fiercely distant in the black depths of the clear sky. A few shooting stars added quick streaks. With the North Star over Switchblade, the Big Dipper rotated slowly downward to scoop into the col at the head of the lake. A beautiful alpine night – sky and stars, rock and water.
how poetic!
-------------- bobbi ૐ
"Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So…get on your way!"
Joined: 28 Mar 2007 Posts: 800 | TRs | Pics Location: The Quah
Tue Oct 07, 2008 8:02 pm
Wow, what great trip report. Not bad for a backup plan.
-------------- "Forest 101: These big wood stick things are called trees. The big rocks are called mountains, and the little rocks are their babies." Elliott from Open Season
Way to go! You guys got the most out of the weekend. I have to admit that when I see the lineup of Matt, Dicey, Cartman I get pretty whooped up for the report. Satisfying as usual.
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