[Sultan Guy]

Not many TR’s from me this year as I chose to focus mainly on paddling over the spring and summer months which were fine with the late snow melt. However having just returned from a two week sea kayaking trip to British Columbia I was amped to get out in the local backcountry. Fortunately I have been running regularly all summer so relied on that for aerobic fitness. Initially I had no intentions of this being a solo hike. But a funny thing happened. I started the week off with a half dozen names of potential companions. As the week progressed the “No’s” kept coming back but the weather forecast kept getting better. Not sure when I would have the available time and the weather window I made the decision to go for it but be extra careful! Like many other hikers I have long gazed up or over at Ragged Ridge and wondered what it was like up there. Arguably the least seldom visited area of Wild Sky. One guidebook states “Ragged Ridge, west of the North Fork Skykomish River, is one of the most remote and impenetrable areas still remaining on the west flank of the Cascades.” When I read that about an area it goes on my list! There are scant TR’s on this area and most focus on the few small lakes. Beta on the peaks is almost nonexistent. While on Nine Lives Peak (5,110’) last October(https://www.nwhikers.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=7987040&highlight=sultan), I carefully studied the Ragged Ridge area with an eye towards some type of Grand Traverse. Some definite cliffy sections but it looked like it might go. I also really wanted to climb Bushwhack Peak (5,145’) near NLP which I missed last year due to weather. DAY 1-Reiter Road to small unnamed lake at head of Deer Creek (4,400’) Since this was a one way trip I left my car at work in Sultan and got a ride with a coworker up Reiter Road. Reiter Road is currently closed not far past the Lake Isabel TH due to washouts from past winter storms. I found it strange to hear busy holiday traffic on Hwy 2 while I walked nearby on a totally deserted paved road. Started walking at 3 PM. Was thinking of camping somewhere along Deer Creek Flats road but since the evening was so nice decided to go on up to my first lake. The cross country travel from the Deer Creek Flats road (2,000’) up to 4,000’ was surprisingly easy. No brush, nice thick second growth woods, beautiful cascading stream. Hit the 4,400’ lake at 7:15. Several great campsites here.

Ragged Ridge Traverse overview

Ragged Ridge Traverse 1

Reiter Road closed

Don't want someone to steal this plate

Lots more work to do

Deer Creek Flats Rd.

Pass needed for a "Temporary Closure". DNR needs your money!

Upper Deer Creek

Great off trail hiking

Deer Creek below lake

Unnamed lake at head of Deer Creek

Campsite

DAY 2-Head of Deer Creek to Snowslide Lake I awoke to a large deer near my tent. That was appropriate. Spent a leisurely morning exploring this small lake. Old fire ring with grate. More small nearby pots with more campsites. This would be a nice destination for a day hike. Left the lake by 9 to get on with my project. The North Star Creek pots look very nice. Tons of camping over here. Easy stroll from Deer Creek Lake. Surprised to see so much snow at this low elevation. The ridge to the west out to Pt. 4,817’ looks like an interesting side hike for future. A great place to explore from these pots. The traverse to the summit of Ragged Ridge (5,145’) was not too brushy but physical. Great views down to Heart Lake and Lake Isabel valley. The route to Pt. 4,973’ was considerable harder with more brush and several steep sections. Very hot at this place! I was surprised to see the dramatic summit of Pt 5,137 just to the northwest of me. The east face of this was an imposing spire of rock. I wonder if any climbers even know about this summit? From Pt. 4,973’ I could actually see Snowslide Lake. Now I just had to get there from here! One of the cool things about the Ragged Ridge area is that most ridges have a steep cliffy side while the other side is wooded and more gradual. The trick is to survey the route ahead at every vantage point and then know when to crossover so you don’t get stuck and have to backtrack. Simple in theory. I arrived at Snowslide Lake (4,272’) at 3 PM drenched in sweat having negotiated the hardest brush yet and a more than a few physical rock moves causing some anxiety. I immediately went for a dip in the bracing cold water, set up my tent in a shady spot and laid down for a nap and some book reading. I had allowed myself the luxury of one book. On my sea kayak trip I had started reading “Solitude-Seeking Wisdom in Extremes” by Robert Kull. Kull elected to spend an entire year alone in a remote area off the coast of Chile to study the effects on himself. A perfect book for my solo adventure. Both the previous day and today at many times I found myself seized with anxiety of getting injured falling, or not being able to climb up or down along this route. Kull also had to deal with anxiety and found ways to cope. He writes “Physical activity does dissolve (or cover up) anxiety, but one of the things I’ve come here to learn, or remember, is how to feel comfortable without losing myself in constant doing. Actually, I believe our whole culture needs to consider this if we want to survive and enjoy living. It isn’t actually non doing that generates anxiety, but rather fretting about doing or not doing. When I’m simply in the moment, without worrying about what I ought to be doing, my mind is at ease. It’s when I try and microplan everything that my imagination runs amok-because I can’t really know what will happen. Then after all the nutty speculation, things often fall into place naturally as the actual situation unfolds. But planning is useful, so the trick is to think about pending activity without becoming anxious.” Taking this lesson to heart I became determined to live in the moment on this hike. Don’t be overwhelmed by that far off impossible looking peak. One step at a time and FOCUS. I found Snowslide Lake to be very peaceful and quiet. Again one old fire ring. Most likely from the Trailblazers who probably stocked this lake years ago. I went bed with the hulking shape of Snowslide Peak (4,964’) above me. Could I summit that? No anxiety.

Ragged Ridge Traverse 2

North Star Creek pots

More North Star Creek pots

Frozen pot

Crest near south end of Ragged Ridge

Lake Isabel and Heart Lake

Snowslide Peak from summit of Ragged Ridge

Ragged Ridge summit

View from Ragged towards Spire Mtn.

Pt. 4,973 from Ragged

Ragged from Pt. 4,973

View from Pt. 4,973 down Excelsior Creek

Point 5,137

View from Pt. 4,973 NE. Snowslide Peak on left. Lake is hidden behind middle peak.

Bushwhack Peak from S

Snowslide Peak from SW. I traversed the other side.

Rock horns on Sultan divide

Looking back on Pt. 4,973. I followed the ridge up the left skyline and then down in the foreground.

Snowslide Lake

Swim time!

Flowers

Gunn Peak massif

Campsite

DAY 3-Snowslide Lake to east basin below Nine Lives Peak This was my crux day as I had to figure out a way around Headwall Peak but first thing was to examine Snowslide Peak. Leaving my pack about 200’ below the summit on the East Ridge I scrambled up and then around to the south side. A pair of falcons greeted me. I watched mesmerized as they dived effortlessly around me. How graceful. I found a route that only looked to be Class 3 but was very exposed. A fall would have been certain death. Wisely made the decision to not summit this peak. Made it to within 100 feet of the top. Headwall Peak was now firmly in sight about a half mile north. Headwall Peak (4,988’) is the prominent peak that can easily be seen from Hwy 2 just to the right of Mt. Stickney at the head of the Wallace River valley. Probably one of the most easily seen peaks in the area that is never climbed. This was the one area of the traverse where I was not sure it would go without a major 2,000’ descent to the Wallace valley. Headwall Peak has several steep imposing rock ridges on both the east and west sides making a traverse out of the question. The only route would be up and over the summit. Coming as I was now from the south end I had no way to see the north ridge. The topo map showed that both the north and south ridge to be similar gradient. From the south saddle at 4,200’ I contemplated my move. If I went all the way to the summit and could not get down, I would need to retrace my steps south and then all the way down. The ascent was nice Class 2 with lots of brush, small trees, and rock to hold onto. I reached the summit and immediately looked down the north ridge. I saw a few sloping brushy ledges that connected just enough. It will go! I yelled “YES” to the sky. Getting down proved easier then getting around the final minor sub-summit that was blocking me from the enormous open boulder field below Bushwhack Peak. Finally after some very physical work in the grueling heat I reached the boulder field. Reaching this boulder field was a huge relief because I knew there was an easy way over the ridge into the Sultan drainage. Crossing the half mile boulder field was unbelievably hot. It was angled southwest into the peak of the afternoon heat. Some hikers may not like boulder fields but after all the brush they were a welcome sight to me. It is unnerving when they shift slightly as you step on them, making me quote Aaron Ralston “Geologic time, includes now”. Dropped my pack at the divide and gazed up at Bushwhack Peak (5,145’). Bushwhack Peak has been a dream of mine for years. Driving in from Olney Pass you can just catch a glimpse of this incredible knife shaped peak. For years I have wondered what that peak was like. Unlike all my previous peaks on this traverse this one is in the Beckey CAG. Just listed as Pt. 5,145’. I am not sure where the name Bushwhack comes from. Not on the USGS maps. The CAG states the first known ascent was made in 1978. This peak is completely vertical on three sides with some outstanding looking climbing routes. A steep but not that exposed Class 2-3 route leads to the summit from the south. What a view from here! I searched for an eventually found a very old rusted metal tea box. The lid was so rusty that when I pried it open it shattered. Inside were some small scraps of paper. With trembling fingers I attempted to open these flat. Some disintegrated into pieces as soon as I touched them. I did get a few open but the writing had long since faded. I made out a few characters. A date that was 1979 and another that read 1985. Something about a “USGS map WRONG!!! Peak 5,145’” and “all the way up the South Fork Sultan” Not sure what that is about. Note that the Mt. Stickney 7.5 minute series was not published until 1989. Did these early guys use the 15 minute series and there was an error? I tried to read some names but was getting dizzy from squinting so hard. Mark Dale was the only one for sure I could make out. I carefully put these treasures back in the metal box as if they were sacred scrolls. Later at home I would read in the CAG that Mark Dale, Gary Gordon, and Mike Mittendorf made the third known ascent in April 1979. No other info in the CAG or that I could find on the web regarding later ascents. Made camp in the same place I camped the previous year, in the high broad basin to the east of Nine Lives Peak. Took a nice bath and lay naked in the tent to escape the bugs and the heat as there was no shade here. Within minutes of the sun going down I was putting on all the clothes I brought to stay warm.

Ragged Ridge Traverse 3

From Snowslide Peak. Ragged Ridge on left. Pt. 4,973 in middle. Pt. 5,137 on right.

Snowslide Lake from Snowslide Peak

Close up of the striking east face of Pt. 5,137

Backside of Zekes, Pinta, and Nina Peaks

From Headwall Peak down Salmon Creek valley

From Headwall Peak looking S- Snowslide Peak is prominent

From Headwall Peak down the Wallace River

From Headwall Peak looking N

Bushwhack Peak-south face

Boulder field below summit

View from Sultan divide back towards Headwall Peak

West face Bushwhack Peak

Wee bit of exposure getting up

Happy Bushwhack summit

View to the east

View towards Mt. Stickney

Spada Lake, Static Peak, and Mt. Pilchuck in distance

The Bushwhack summit register

Sacred scrolls?

222

220

Sultan/Wallace divide with Nine Lives Peak

Fallacy Peak and Tang Tower

Bushwhack from the west

My last high camp

Here is a picture of Bushwhack taken from across the valley on a previous trip.

Bushwhack Peak-closeup

DAY 4- Nine Lives Peak to Olney Pass Up very early this morning and hiking by 7 in an effort to beat the heat and get home by a decent hour. All ground today I had covered last year so less route finding challenges. Ascended Nine Lives Peak (5,110’) to start the day off and then over to Prospect Peak (4,529’). Those crazy rock horns located between Pt. 5,098’ and Pt. 5,030’ are bizarre when examined from below. How do they stay up? Some are over 60 feet in height. Thought briefly about venturing up towards Pt. 5,030’ but realized I didn’t have the energy for this! On Prospect Peak I located the register which I somehow missed last year. No recorded visits since Mike Collins and company in 2005. From here it is all downhill to the Kromona Mine. At first I thought I must have missed it but then came out right on top of it. Did not stay here long. Very hot with lots of flies. The Middle Fork had strange green algae in it. Had not seen this anywhere else up this way. Is anyone know what causes this? Is it from the old mine? At the South Fork, South Fork crossing there was a strong downdraft of cold air and no insects of any kind. I laid in the shade on cool rocks looking up at the blue sky not quite ready for my 72 hours of solitude to end. At Olney Pass I got a ride after two minutes with the first pickup truck. Sitting in the back watching the miles fly by I found myself grinning from ear to ear. What a great traverse!

View from NLP towards Spada

Nine Lives Peak 7:30 AM

Even more horns

This horn looks phallic

More horns

Pt. 5,030

Horns

Prospect Peak

Register

Another crappy old mine picture

Weird green algae in stream

Is this a normal trail?

FREE RIDE!

Total peaks climbed: 7 People seen: 0 Saw 1 deer, 1 goat, one pair falcons Pairs of gaiters shredded: 2 Gallons of gas used for hike: 0

[Backpacker Joe]

What an incredible adventure. Great pics and a great story. Thanks SG.

[Hulksmash]

Wow!

[Mike Collins]

Thanks for showing the photo of Prospect Peak register. I forgot that I had climbed it twice.

[Riptide Rush]

Wow what a great trip! I loved the ancient artifacts you found on Bushwack Peak! And the horns on 9 lives looked pretty cool too! Your 72 hours of solitude looked pretty awesome! Thanks for the report! It was a great read!!

[Gil]

Best I've read in a while -- a real exploration!

[Scrooge]

Lake Isabel and Heart Lake

Campsite

Wee bit of exposure getting up

Sacred scrolls?

Bushwhack Peak-closeup

Pt. 5,030

Andy, I don't know which is better, your trips or your TR's. The trips are amazing, extraordinary, unique. The reports do them justice ....... which is saying a great deal. Thanks.

[n16ht5]

you rock. awesome report mayn

[Justus S.]

Great Traverse indeed!!! That area is one of my favorites since it is so remote/rugged yet so close to home. I was fortunate to get up Ragged Ridge Pk (tr) and 5137 before the road closures on the flats. I have been wanting to do a some of the other peaks for a long time. Thanks for posting the TR, I'm making a mental bookmark:)

[tmatlack]

Awesome. You are the off-trail king! Everytime I drive US2 eastbound I look up in those valleys and say, "No one goes there....evxcept SG!" Tom

[Redwic]

Great trip report, Andy! Great photos, too!

[Sky Hiker]

Nice trip reprt. Been there a few times very nice area and lives up to it's name. Can't believe they are proposing a trail up there but everyone has a dream.

[John Morrow]

What an awesome idea/adventure! My favorite TR of 2011 thus far.

[cascadetraverser]

Wow, an awesome rarely traversed area close to home. Good for you SG, to try something near and dear rather than one of the grand traverses in the GPW or NCNP. I remember reading an article long ago in Pack and Paddle by John Roper doing a similiar route, but other than he, haven`t heard of anyone doing that trip. Great job; like the philosophical quotes as well.....

[silence]

so inspiring .. in many ways .. thx!!