[Matt]

Peaks: Red Face 7141, Indian 7133, Sublime Ridge Points 7087 & 6874 (USGS Mt. Redoubt) Dates: July 26-30, 2012 Party: Matt, Dicey, cartman The original plan: Hike to Tapto Lakes via Hannegan Pass & Whatcom Pass. Climb Red Face & Indian. Take Whatcom-Redoubt High Route and Ruta Lake High Route to Bear Peak. Return via (reputedly very brushy) Chilliwack Trail. What actually happened: Didn't go to Bear. Instead went only a few miles up the Whatcom-Redoubt High Route. But what a few miles it was! We took the name "Sublime Ridge" from the following quote, describing the southern end of the Whatcom-Redoubt High Route. "Now we were beginning some of the best ridgetop travel to be found anywhere in the range; broad ridges, gentle summits, walking on a carpet rarely as high as 6'. Our route took us over Pk 6874' (554'P) and Pk 7087' (687'P). Not only was the travel great, but the views were sublime with the full expanse of Challenger and its satellites front and center, and close below some of the finest lake basins I've ever seen." Mitch Blanton, August 2001

GPS Track

Day 1, Hannegan TH 3109 to Graybeal Camp 3125 (10:12am – 7:50pm) The first day was a lot of trail hiking - first up to Hannegan Pass at 5073 feet, then down to the Chilliwack River crossing at 2560 feet, then back up to Graybeal Camp at 3125 feet. Yes, 14 miles of hiking for a net elevation gain of 16 feet. The trail had patchy snow just before Hannegan Pass, and the open basin around Boundary Camp was completely snow-covered, but otherwise the trail was dry. There was thick brush with some nettles on the last mile before Graybeal Camp. The most interesting part was crossing the Chilliwack on the cable car. In the evening, we had glimpses of colorful alpenglow upstream above Brush Creek.

Platform for the cable car

Cable Car over the Chillwack River

Junction at Brush Creek

Alpenglow reflected in Brush Creek

Day 1 stats: 14.3 miles, 3176 gain, 3160 loss, 9:40 hours Day 2, Graybeal Camp to Tapto Lakes; Red Face & Indian Mountains Graybeal Camp to Tapto Shoulder 6038 (7:20am – 10:40am) Beyond Graybeal the patches of brush were fortunately much smaller. Whatcom Pass was mostly snowy. Above Whatcom we found parts of the way trial to Tapto Lakes, but it was mostly snow travel. We dropped out packs atop the 6000-foot shoulder above Tapto Lakes, and headed out to ascend Red Face & Indian Mountains. Tapto Lakes were mostly snow-covered, but still pretty, with speckles of blue outlining their rims.

Tapto Lakes & Redface from camp

Tapto Lakes and clouds over Easy Ridge

Tapto Shoulder to Red Face Mountain 7141 (12:05 – 2:00pm) Ascending Red Face, we followed Beckey's directions – ascending talus and snow to the 6600-foot col at Red Face's east end, then following its east ridge to the summit. The ridge crest was occasionally steep or exposed, but stayed 3rd class almost to the summit. But "almost" wasn't close enough. Less than a hundred feet from the top was a short headwall with fractured rock around it that none of us wanted to trust. So instead we descended into a thoroughly unpleasant amphitheater of steep sloping red benches and then went back up broken rock to the top.

Red Face Mountain Route

Steep back side of Red Face

On the east ridge of Red Face

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Crossing the nasty sloping benches (see Dicey?)

Red Face Mountain Summit (2:00-2:30pm) The summit had fine views but ominous clouds. Challenger & Whatcom stood out across the valley. However, all afternoon clouds had been hanging over the edge of Easy Ridge, and now they were rising higher and pushing closer. Looking northwest, we found another surprise. Indian Mountain was not nearby at the end of Red Face, but far away around a mile-distant col.

Challenger, Whatcom, Tapto Lakes, and clouds

Eric & Carla on Red Face, with Indian Mountain behind

Me on Red Face, with Bear Mountain behind

Red Face to Indian 7133 (2:30 – 6:50pm) To get off Red Face, we didn't want to go back through the slanting ledges. We explored trying to go back east on the crest, but didn't trust the fractured blocks to hold for the moves we'd need to make. But then we went west and found some steep talus slopes and gullies leading down. Fortunately the talus was blocky enough to not slide much. Even more fortunately, we were able to get into a snow gully a few hundred feet down, which dropped us easily onto the lower angled terrain below the face of the summit.

Dicey & cartman glad to be down on the lower-angled talus

Getting from Red Face to Indian took four steps: 1) Travel moderate angled snow and talus a mile west to the col at the west end of the peak. 2) Ascend a snow finger to 6600 feet and then go around the end of the peak on easy benches to the Red Face – Indian col at 6500 feet. ("Red Face – Indian" doesn't sound quite politically appropriate, but that's how the names string together.) 3) Travel north and drop to 6350 feet (below the brush line) to bypass the southern sub-summit of Indian. 4) Go back up to round the corner circa 6500 feet, then follow broad slopes up onto Indian and then follow the crest to the summit.

Route to Indian, viewed from Red Face

Route to Indian, viewed from 6.6 miles away at Hannegan Pass

Walking across the Red Face – Indian Col

Clouds consumed the peaks by the time we reached the first col. Occasional clumps of bright flowers provided the only color amid the steadily darkening terrain.

Nest on the back side of Indian sub-summit

On easier terrain below Indian, such fine Cascades weather

Indian Mountain Summit (6:50-7:10pm) No views. Running out of daylight. Didn't stay long.

Dicey arriving at Indian summit

cartman & Dicey enjoying Indian summit

Indian summit view

Indian to Tapto Camp (7:10 – 10:05pm) The route was familiar going back, but kept getting dimmer as clouds thickened and darker as night fell. When we finally turned on our headlamps and set up camp, we could barely see in the swirling damp mist.

Heading back behind the sub-summit

Is Dicey smiling or grimacing?

Cartman looks rather dim

Finally in tents at 1130pm

Day 2 Stats: Graybeal to Tapto: 3.6 miles, 2980 gain, 70 loss, 4:45 hours Red Face – Indian Loop: 5.6 miles, 3270 gain, 3270 loss, 10:00 hours Day 2 Total: 9.2 miles, 6250 gain, 3340 loss Day 3, The Lost Day On Day 3, we went nowhere. Each person had their own reasons, but the mixture included cloudy morning weather, route questions, fatigue, and indecision. Anyway, we ended up deciding to just do a day trip up to the first couple high points on the high route tomorrow, and stayed in place for this day. It was probably the most comfortable conditions I've seen for sitting around camp – neither hot nor cold, and no bugs at all – one could just pick a spot on the meadows and lounge around in perfect comfort. The sunset was quite fine:

Pointy shadow of Whatcom on Challenger 8:12pm

Challenger summit area, 8:21pm

Whatcom sunset

Wiley Ridge

Clouds still remain on Easy Ridge

The moon even rose over Challenger to provide an extra highlight.

Challenger, Whatcom & Moon, 8:34pm

View or Eric's tent out the door of our tent, 9:31pm

Day 4, Sublime Ridge, then return to Graybeal Camp We awoke on top of the world, floating in the sky above the clouds. I love this kind of morning, when the valleys are all filled with clouds, and I feel like I'm standing on a balcony of heaven. The clouds were a puffy white sea below, pierced by archipelagos of peaks.

Tapto Morning above the clouds

Tapto Camp to Point 7087 (6:00 – 8:35am) We headed out early to explore "Sublime Ridge." We hiked across to Middle Lakes and then up easy terrain on the south slope of Point 7087. The travel was as fine as promised, easy snow or talus slopes, with ever-widening views.

Hiking out above the clouds

Point 7087 from Middle Lakes – we followed the snow ramps up rightward, then back left

All along the ridge, Challenger stood out especially prominent – it's pointy summits and bright glacier re-appearing each time we turned a corner or shoulder. Below us, the nearest clouds gradually thinned to reveal Whatcom Pass.

Red & yellow heather with Whatcom Pass peaks

Point 7087 (707P) (8:35 – 9:45am) Atop 7087 I discovered that we actually stood at the juncture of three separate seas of clouds – filling the Chillwack basin to the north, Little Beaver to the east, and the whole coastline to the west.

Chilliwack River to Little Beaver, with Sublime Ridge foreground, Bear & Redoubt background

Little Beaver to Whatcom Pass, with lots of Pickets

Whatcom Pass to Chilliwack River, with Red Face & Indian foreground, and all the Baker area peaks behind

We stayed for over an hour enjoying the views. A pair of dueling swallows buzzed the summit so close that I could hear the rush of their wings going past my head.

cartman & Dicey

Me with Bear, Redoubt, & the other Chillwack peaks

Col of the Wild (between NW & SE Mox)

East Lakes & the Prophet Range

Looking up Little Beaver under the receding skirt of clouds

Point 7087 to Point 6874 (9:45 – 11:40am) We continued the high route to the next prominence, Point 6874. Beyond that point, the map shows one steep section that we didn't descend, but Mitch Blanton went up it okay. There was also a very obvious bench on the north side of the ridge that would bypass 6874 if needed.

Route to 6874, and the high route beyond

Travel atop the crest was as sublime as promised. Just off of 7087, there was a brief steep and narrow section, but it was solid and easy travel, maybe barely 3rd class. Everything else was just rolling ridge crest of mostly snow or meadows, with a bit of talus. Even when patches of scrub cedar appeared, there was always a convenient path through it. The route included a 700-foot elevation drop to the col between the high points, plus a few lesser drops between intermediate bumps, but it was worth it for the views.

Coming down off Point 7087

White heather along the way

An interesting rock along the way

Last col before Point 6874

Point 6874 (574P) (11:40 – 1:00pm) Point 6874 provided the best grandstand view of Redoubt. We spent another long summit break just sitting and admiring it.

Enjoying the grandstand view of Redoubt

And Bear also

I was also fascinated by the view of upper Pass Creek and Rustic Peak, which Mitch Blanton had ascended on a side trip from the high route. Rustic has to be one of the most remote and least visited spots in the range. On some other trips, I had wondered what that peak was standing south of the Moxes and high above Little Beaver. Now I wanted to go there sometime. Some more views:

Redoubt & its satellites above Indian Creek Cirque

Rusty & Rustic above Pass Creek Cirque

Nice view of Beaver Pass

Red Face & Indian, with Reveille Lakes

While I was lying on my back, a white bird flew overhead that I'd swear was a seagull. What would a seagull be doing way out here?

Gull?

Return to Tapto Camp (1:00 – 4:10pm)

Hike with a view

Different definition of a wallflower (looking down a gap in the ridge)

Re-ascending Point 7087

Just some more hiking with a view

On the ridge above East Lakes

Descending to Middle Lakes

Each stage of the trip also included ptarmigans:

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Ptarmigan with a view of Whatcom Pass, on the way to 7087

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Ptarmigan with a view of Bear Mtn, on the way to 6784

Ptarmigan somewhat ruffled after being chased by photographers

Ptarmigan near camp, letting us get close so its chicks can run away and hide

I had feared that I would feel terribly sad when we reached the far point of today's trip, because we would have to stop short instead of continuing onward. Instead, I felt energized and inspired. The remainder of the high route looked so enticing that it left me exhilarated by the beautiful terrain and excited by the prospect of coming back to explore even more of it. Now I want to come back when I can make the complete traverse from Canada, with opportunities to visit Redoubt's Mad Eagle satellites, Bear Mtn, and Rustic Mtn along the way. Tapto Camp to Graybeal Camp (5:05 – 7:25pm) Then we packed up and moved back down into the valley, making it as far as Graybeal for today.

Last view of our high camp.

Day 4 Stats: Sublime Ridge Loop: 6.2 miles, 3930 gain, 3930 loss, 10:00 hours (includes 2:30 hours of summit breaks) Tapto to Graybeal: 3.6 miles, 70 gain, 2980 loss, 2:30 hours Day 4 Total: 9.8 miles, 4000 gain, 6910 loss Day 5, Graybeal Camp to Hannegan Trailhead Back down and up and down the trail again, 14.3 miles for a net elevation loss of 16 feet. Clouds were building overhead again, which made nice light for the flowers along the traverse above Hannegan Creek.

Sprouting pinecone

Tiger Lilies

Mixed flower garden

Paintbrush

I don't know what these are called

Hiking past flower gardens

Day 5 Stats: 14.3 miles, 3160 gain, 3176 loss, 9 hours Trip Total Stats: 47.4 miles, 16,600 gain.

[Backpacker Joe]

Really wonderful pics Matt. I wish you guys had done it later in the summer so I could see more lakes, but nicely done.

[Gregor]

Fantastic pictures Matt I especially liked that one of Cartman in the cable car. Classic!

[DIYSteve]

Nice Ring-billed Gulls are pretty common in that area

[joker]

Wow - great set of photos and inspiring report. That traverse looks fantastic.

[RichP]

I can now understand why cartman was still feeling this hike during our outing the following weekend. Looks like a tough but rewarding trip. I've never heard of this area before.

[twodogdad]

[Magellan]

Really wonderful trip report Matt.

[raising3hikers]

Thanks for sharing your trip to that area. That area has me very interested. Beautiful pics as always

[EastKing]

Awesome Matt! Truely awesome!!!!!

[Hiker Mama]

Wow, you guys, just fabulous!

[cascadetraverser]

Great trip; awesome area!

[iron]

great report matt. looks like a truly stellar area. when you want to go back, let me know...

[cartman]

[LadyÆsa]

Beautiful shots, looks like a wonderful hike!